District approves budget to outfit its schools with SMART Board interactive whiteboards
CALGARY, Alberta --- February 12, 2008 --- SMART Technologies announces that Greenwich Public Schools in Connecticut will standardize on SMART Board™ interactive whiteboards. Over the next four years, the Greenwich district will install one in all classrooms for students in grades 3–12. In December 2007, Dr. Betty J. Sternberg, the district’s superintendent of schools, proposed a comprehensive plan to install the SMART product, and the $300,000 proposal was approved as part of the 2008–09 budget. The four-year rollout is part of an ongoing effort to improve students’ 21st-century knowledge and skills.
About eight years ago, Greenwich Public Schools began using SMART Board interactive whiteboards in a few classrooms. In 2006, the district’s technology plan focused on integrating easy-to-use technology across all subjects as a means of improving student achievement. The district determined that SMART Board interactive whiteboards were the best way to accommodate the technology needs of teachers and students. By 2007, Greenwich Public Schools had a total of 104 SMART Board interactive whiteboards deployed throughout its 15 schools. The new technology plan calls for Greenwich schools to be completely outfitted with interactive whiteboards by 2011. Greenwich is one of many districts in Connecticut to use SMART products. Since 2000, 93 percent of the state’s school districts have purchased SMART hardware and software products.
“SMART Board interactive whiteboards meet our technology plan goals for greater, more equitable access to digital resources and integration of user-friendly technology throughout all grade levels and classrooms,” says Fran Kompar, Greenwich Public Schools’ coordinator of library media and instructional technology. “SMART has allowed us to place important technology tools in the hands of teachers on a daily basis within the context of a 21st-century classroom.”
“The increasing number of SMART hardware and software products in use in schools across North America demonstrates the importance of the digital classroom to teaching and learning,” says Nancy Knowlton, SMART’s CEO. “District leaders at Greenwich Public Schools have made a strong commitment to providing students with relevant, easy-to-use technology tools from SMART because they understand the positive effects on student achievement and they want students to excel – it’s really that simple.”
About Greenwich Public Schools
The mission of Greenwich Public Schools is to help all students achieve their highest level of academic potential and to teach the skills and knowledge students need to become capable, creative and responsible members of society. The district’s vision for its 15 schools is to set the standard for excellence in public education. To learn more about Greenwich Public Schools visit www.greenwichschools.org.
