Last night the Clarkstown Board of Education stood behind the District's vision to equitably provide our students and teachers with the best tools for learning. Its unanimous decision to install a SMART Board in the remaining 24 elementary classrooms that do not yet have one completes a five year project; a SMART Board in each Kindergarten through grade five classroom, coordinated with sufficient professional development.
In 2008, the District began its roll-out of SMART Boards in Kindergarten, with the intention of working its way up through the elementary schools with that cohort of students. This technology was also installed in art rooms and math classrooms throughout the district that same year.
As principals, teachers, and community members noticed, this interactive technology was quickly adopted in these designated areas, and was used by students every day in strategic interactive lessons planned by the teachers and the District's technology learning facilitator. Soon the Clarkstown Education Foundation donated tens of thousands of dollars to accelerate the implementation of this resource, and principals allocated dollars from fund raisers, Scholastic book sale revenue, and PTA donations. The synergy of these efforts, combined with the enthusiasm of students and teachers was transformational.
The decision last night by the Board of Education recognizes the powerful impact of SMART Board technology when effectively used by well prepared and engaged teachers and students. By "filling in the gaps" where this technology has not yet been deployed, they have provided a rich learning resource for all of our students.
