Event resources at https://chasp.lbj.utexas.edu/research/ed-tech-collab.

K-12 educators, policymakers, researchers, nonprofits, and professionals are invited to the +Tech in K-12: A Symposium on Educational Technology Integration and Its Impacts during SXSWEdu 2018 on Monday, March 5, 2018 (9:00am - 2:30pm) at The University of Texas at Austin.

ABOUT

Public schools in the United States are making huge investments in digital education, with proponents often touting digital tools as a way to close achievement gaps and improve learning opportunities for economically and academically disadvantaged students.

Educators and policymakers want to ensure these investments in technology, as well as in staff resources, are actually effective in increasing learning, especially for those students who face significant barriers to succeeding in school.

Partners of a unique public-private collaboration aimed to learn more about the implementation and use of digital educational technology by studying new initiatives in two large urban school districts – Dallas Independent School District and Milwaukee Public Schools.

What they found is illuminating, and their findings have new implications for districts integrating educational technology into their policies and curriculum.

Research partners and funders include:

• Peabody College Vanderbilt University
• Wisconsin Evaluation Collaborative
• The University of Texas at Austin Center for Health and Social Policy
• Milwaukee Public Schools
• Dallas Independent School District
• Mr. Jaime Davila
• William T. Grant Foundation
• Jiv Daya Foundation

Click for more about the study.

PROGRAM

The Symposium will include a series of roundtable discussions on the current landscape of education technology in K-12 classrooms and the results from the two-year study on:

1. the implementation of the digital tools and what factors in their implementation impede or support efforts;
2. the associations between the implementation and student use of digital tools and student achievement outcomes and gaps in outcomes;
3. which policies and strategies at the district, school and classroom levels hold the most promise for increasing the effectiveness of digital tools in improving student achievement and in reducing inequalities in access and gaps in student outcomes.

AGENDA

8:30 am: Registration and Breakfast Refreshments

9:00 am - 9:15 am: Welcome and Overview

9:15 am – 10:00 am: The Rapid Expansion of Educational Technology in K-12 Classrooms and the Student Interests and Outcomes at Stake

10:00 am - 10:45 am: Research Findings on 1:1 Technology Initiatives in Dallas Independent School District. The Dallas Independent School District (DISD) is the second-largest public school district in Texas, and the 14th-largest district in the country. DISD serves 157,886 students in 239 schools. 70.2% of DISD students are Hispanic and 22.5% are African American.

10:45 am: Break

11:00 am – 11:45 pm: Research Findings on Education Technology Initiatives in Milwaukee Public Schools. Milwaukee Public Schools is the largest school district in Wisconsin. MPS serves 76,856 students, of which 88% are students of color and 80% are economically challenged, in 160 schools.

11:45: Lunch Provided and Networking

12:45 pm – 1:30 pm: Implementing and Scaling Up Ed Tech in Low-Resource Settings: Findings on Impacts and Challenges in Kenya.

1:30 pm – 2:15 pm: Interactive Discussion: What are the key lessons from research-practice partnerships on the implementation and impacts of ed tech initiatives? What are the implications for equity in access to educational quality and outcomes?

2:15-2:30 pm: Concluding Remarks

LOCATION

The symposium will be held inside Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial football stadium at The University of Texas Club, a block from the LBJ School of Public Affairs and right across the street from the Manor Parking Garage. The event will be held in the President's Room on the 6th Floor. Parking details below.

The address for the UT Club is 2108 Robert Dedman Drive, and the address for Manor Garage is 2017 Robert Dedman Drive. Click for Google Map.

PARKING

Single-use free parking passes for Manor Garage will be provided at event check-in for registered guests. The original ticket received when you entered the garage is also required at exit. When you exit Manor Garage, you will need to put BOTH tickets in the exit machine - the original ticket first, then the free parking pass. The football stadium/entrance to the UT Club is west of Manor Garage (see photo below).

Please contact the Center for Health and Social Policy at chasp@austin.utexas.edu with questions.