1.3 Policies, Procedures, Programs & Funding
Candidates research, recommend, and implement policies, procedures, programs, and funding strategies to support implementation of the shared vision represented in the school, district, state, and federal technology plans and guidelines. Funding strategies may include the development, submission, and evaluation of formal grant proposals. (PSC 1.3/ISTE 1c)
Candidates research, recommend, and implement policies, procedures, programs, and funding strategies to support implementation of the shared vision represented in the school, district, state, and federal technology plans and guidelines. Funding strategies may include the development, submission, and evaluation of formal grant proposals. (PSC 1.3/ISTE 1c)
This Action/Evaluation Plan, from the class Leadership in Technology, builds on the previous two standards (1.1 and 1.2), since the goals in this plan stem from the SWOT Analysis and are aligned with the shared vision for technology at the school, district and federal levels. The goal of such a document is to develop specific, measurable and actionable goals that move the technology program closer the ideal conditions for technology integration, as outlined in ISTE’s fourteen Essential Conditions (ISTE, 2020). The artifact details five goals--corresponding to five of the fourteen conditions--their evaluation method, their implementation strategy, their timeline, their budget, and the persons responsible for overseeing them. Each goal includes a “success indicator,” so we can assess the implementation strategy to see if it was effective in meeting the goal, or whether we need to adjust.
The Action/Evaluation Plan demonstrates mastery of Standard 1.3 since it shows that I can research, recommend, and implement policies, procedures, programs, and funding strategies to support the implementation of multi-tiered shared visions, belonging to school, district, state, and federal technology guidelines. The goals included in this plan are derived from the SWOT Analysis, a collaborative and research-based analysis of the strength and weakness of my school’s tech program in light of ISTE’s Essential Conditions as well as the school and district missions. From this research, I choose the most pressing problem areas to recommend five goals along with the policies, procedures, programs, and funding sources to support them. I give exact timelines, the persons responsible, the criteria for success and the specific strategy for each goal. Furthermore, I shared this action plan within in my department and with the technology team at my school in order to implement them within the school. This action plan successfully ties together local, state, and federal guidelines of technology use into a living document that bridges the gap between the current reality and the vision for technology use at Berkmar High School.
Additionally, the artifact displays my knowledge of funding strategies, including federal funding and grants. When developing the budget, I propose drawing from several different funding sources, including Title I funds, district grants, and outside nonprofit grant sources. From writing an Action/Evaluation Plan, I learned how to translate a needs assessment and a shared vision into an actionable plan with specific strategies, measures, evaluations, and funding sources. Finding sources of funding for improving a school technology program was perhaps the newest part of the exercise, for me. From this experience, I learned about multiple types of federal and local funding that can be tapped to support technology initiatives. Furthermore, I learned how to locate develop and submit documentation for various types of grants. I wrote and submitted a grant to Teaching Tolerance, a non-profit that grants money to innovative educators.
Overall, this experience has made me feel more confident about finding funding to support technology innovation in my school and district. Next time I create an Action Plan, I will dream bigger by including more outside sources of funding in order to reach my goals. Looking back, it is clear that I felt limited by available funds, rather than researching more outside sources of grant funding.
The work that went into this artifact impacts faculty development, student learning, and, ultimately, school improvement. I am most proud of my plan for improving diversity, a technology club for girls, which I shared with the technology club leader at my school. Ultimately, addressing these areas will improve the school for the better. The beauty of assessing the impact of an Action Plan is that I have included the criteria of assessment of these goals as part of the action plan. The impact can be assessed by following up with the responsible persons to see if the goal has been met.
References
Essential Conditions. (2020). International Society for Technology in Education. www.iste.org/standards/essential-conditionsion