Vinson Logo

PLEASE ROTATE YOUR DEVICE

Rotate Your Device

Many Schools Not Getting District Funding They Need for Tech Training

Michael Nutter

September 13, 2017

Robust tech training is an essential part of preparing today’s students for college and careers, but many districts are struggling to fund such forward-thinking programs.

In 2015, the National Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the US was on track to produce around a million fewer STEM professionals over the following decade than it needed in order to maintain its global competitive edge in science and technology. Two years later, the country is still struggling to shift its course in another direction.

Though the precise size of the “STEM shortage” is unclear (some claim it’s as large as three million workers, while others claim it doesn’t exist at all), what’s certain is that it’s never been more important for students of all ages to develop a baseline technological literacy. Tomorrow’s workplace — not only in STEM fields, but in all fields — will be defined by technology, and workers who are not properly equipped to deal with cutting-edge tools are more likely to be left behind.

As such, it’s absolutely essential for schools to continue to incorporate technology and tech literacy into their curricula. Unfortunately, many districts face a number of significant obstacles that prevent them from delivering forward-looking courses to each and every one of their students, as well as the training teachers need to lead those courses.

Struggling to Fund Tech Training

As is often the case in education, the primary obstacle to adequate tech training is a lack of funding. According to research conducted by Pearson, as of 2014, only one in six students attended a school that provided every learner with a laptop or tablet. What’s more, only 62% of students have wireless internet access at school, a problem that is particularly pronounced in rural areas of the country where nearly a quarter of the general population lacks broadband internet access in their own homes.

The proposed budget for 2018 has some educators worried that these issues will only get worse. Though the budget must still pass through the Congressional gauntlet, where it will almost certainly be subject to significant revisions, it currently calls for a $9.2 billion cut to the Department of Education, amounting to a 13.5% reduction of its operating budget. The elimination of the $2.3 billion Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants program — a program that subsidizes teacher training and aims to reduce class sizes — is of particular concern to school districts struggling to provide adequate tech education to their students.

Integrating Tech into the Classroom

Access to hardware like tablets, laptops, 3D printers, and so on is necessary for any student’s education today. But proper teacher training is equally important. A tech-centered curriculum only benefits students if their teachers are actually capable of seamlessly integrating technology into the existing classroom experience. Simply letting students participate in tech-enabled exercises that don’t involve active interfacing with educators falls well short of fulfilling a tech-centered curriculum’s broader purpose: preparing students for tomorrow’s workplace.

When technology is deployed correctly, however, the results are very encouraging. A survey conducted by PBS LearningMedia found that 81% of teachers believe that mobile devices enrich classroom education, and Pearson’s research indicates that 79% of students agree that tablets help them perform better in class.

Teaching Tech Early and Often

Ultimately, the best curricula expose students to tech early and often. Chris Sanders, the founder of Applied Network Defense (which funds the nonprofit Rural Technology Fund), thinks it’s essential for tech training programs to start as early as possible. “Kids may decide to go into computer science and go to college to start their degree,” he warns, “but could be outpaced by everyone else who had earlier exposure to it.”

It’s easy for school district administrators to feel powerless to subsidize new training initiatives without additional funding, but there are ways that districts can secure more funding without new legislation. Vinson Consulting Group specializes in helping districts streamline and improve their educational management information system (EMIS) processes to ensure that districts actually get all the funding to which they’re entitled under the law.

We can also help superintendents and district treasurers prepare their data for submission to state departments of education, ensuring compliance and maximizing your available budget. That way, you can rest assured that budgetary concerns won’t stand between students and the kind of robust technological education that will prepare them for future successes.

get in touch