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Award Years: 2018-2021

ÌýFulfilling the DREAMS of Innovative Learning

Our proposal seeks to address the challenging needs of both our students and the staff who are tasked with meeting them. By creating a rich learning environment that uses technology to foster creativity, high ordered problem-solving and collaborative practices, we will address the specific needs faced by the 59% of our student population who are economically disadvantaged. In addition, to rise to this challenge we will need to develop a high caliber leadership team that is astute in the practices innovative thinking and has mastered the skills necessary to help staff and students convert to the world of digital learning.

Our school district is a small, high needs rural district that lies in Upstate, NY. We are faced annually with the challenge of attempting to meet the high needs of our student population with limited resources and supports. While we have worked diligently to create a vibrant Strategic Plan, District Technology Plan, a 1:1 Device Initiative and a Personalized Learning Strategy, we lack the resources and the expert leadership necessary to bring many of these ideas to fruition.

Our proposal has three essential goals in it:

1. Develop a DREAMS Mission/Vision Plan, Policy and Rubric to be used for building and implementing DREAMS curriculum that is aligned, purposeful and meaningful. Ensure that our DREAMS curriculum and practices increase student engagement, differentiate instruction, access to rigorous, digital content for all students, and allow students to engage in more student directed learning experiences.
2. Develop Digital Leadership who understand and actively practice innovative thinking to support DREAMS programming, increase teacher conversion to digital learning, and foster the growth of DREAMS learning K-12. Have Digital Leadership not only increase the school district and community’s capacity to sustain digital and DREAMS learning, but also turn-key train and share practices so they may be replicated throughout the region and the state.
3. Create and implement a Grade 9-12 School within a School Program (SWSP) at Newark High School that incorporates all facets of Personalized Learning (PL) for a cohort of 25 students each year. The model will utilize 1:1 devices, online digital content, instruction and practice in developing specific cognitive skills and social emotional learning.Ìý Both mindsets and behaviors that support student well-being as well as self-awareness and pursuit of student identified interests and goals setting will be incorporated into program. An expansion plan will be developed to expand program to the middle school in the last year of the program.

By achieving these goals we will be able to address the needs of our three target populations:

• 1,210 K-12 Economically Disadvantaged Students
• K-12 Public School and Community Leadership that includes 1 Board of Education Member, 5 principals, 4 assistant principals, 4 district office administrators, 15 teacher leaders, three school librarians, 1 private school principal, 3 private school teacher leaders, 1 public library director and 3 public library librarians
• All 2050 students enrolled in NCSD

Contact Information

• Mark Miller,Ìýmark.miller@newarkcsd.org