Description of grant-funded program and overview of goals:

The overarching goal of the learning technology program is to create a fully developed program that utilizes educational technology to enhance teaching and learning, improve culturally and/or linguistically responsive learning environments, and support the goals of the New York State (NYS) Board of Regents. To support this goal, our program, Utilizing Educational Technology to Enhance Personalized Learning for ALL will increase student academic success by helping to build the capacity of district staff to provide effective personalized learning, and online, blended and distance learning through a rigorous professional development program related to educational technology and the NYSED Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework 

• Goal #1: Increase personalized learning by aligning pedagogy with the NYSED Culturally Responsive Sustaining Education (CR-S Framework).

• Goal #2: Strengthen the capacity of teachers to provide online, blended, and distance learning by integrating educational technology standards and practices that lead to more effective and equitable outcomes.

• Goal #3: Provide engaging professional development and support in digitally, and culturally, and linguistically responsive teaching and learning. 

• Goal #4: Provide evidence-based evaluation of programs throughout the three years of the programs and make adjustments where needed. 

• Goal #5: Publish all materials and artifacts on the ESBOCES website. These program goals will be aligned with the Learning Technology Goals. In addition, teachers and education leaders from each district will form a Community of Practice (CoP) where they will collaborate regularly, share knowledge, improve teaching and leadership skills, and enhance their practice. Upon award, ESBOCES will publish all materials in downloadable formats on the ESBOCES district website, and provide the URL and contact information for the NYSED website. 

The target population includes students and teachers across five public and three independent school districts. The consortium member districts are: Eastern Suffolk Board of Cooperative Education Service (ESBOCES), which is an inclusive educational cooperative of 51 component school districts, will serve as the lead applicant. The Department of Educational Support Services Model Schools Program, will collaborate with five public school districts and three independent/religious schools within their region to form the ESBOCES Learning Technology Grant Consortium. The eight districts in the consortium represent the unique and diverse communities of Long Island. The districts will include four past ESBOCES Learning Technology Grant (LTG) Consortium districts (Patchogue-Medford UFSD, Riverhead CSD, Sachem Central Schools, and Little Flower UFSD), and one new district (Bay Shore USFD), as well as three independent / religious schools (Peconic Community School, Victory Christian Academy, and Holy Angel Regional).