Bill Text: NJ S1745 | 2012-2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes pilot program in DOE to ameliorate disparities among school districts with respect to educational technology.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-03-05 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee [S1745 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2012-S1745-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator RONALD L. RICE
District 28 (Essex)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes pilot program in DOE to ameliorate disparities among school districts with respect to educational technology.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning educational technology and supplementing chapter 6 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "New Jersey Public School Educational Technology, Information Systems and Literacy Skills Act."
2. The Legislature of the State of New Jersey finds and declares that: a "digital divide" exists between minority children and children living in low-income families, particularly those living in high-poverty neighborhoods, and their more affluent counterparts; the latter are more likely to have access to computers at home or an Internet service in school that can be regularly accessed in every classroom or well-equipped computer room, while many of the former lack even a telephone in their homes; because opportunities and meaningful connections are increasingly available only online, low-income families are increasingly disconnected from economic opportunity, social supports, and the services and organizations established to assist them; consequently, the technological revolution that has been of such great benefit to children of middle-income and more affluent families has actually deepened the isolation of poorer families; therefore, it is imperative that this Legislature establish programs that provide access and training for young people in underserved communities.
3. a. There is established in the Department of Education a pilot program to integrate educational technology into public school districts that have the greatest technology need. The goal of the pilot program shall be to eliminate disparities among the various school districts in the State with respect to pupil access to the best available electronic educational technology.
b. The Commissioner of Education shall select up to five public schools for participation in the pilot program. For each public school selected to participate in the pilot program, the department shall provide for: the total cost of ownership to integrate technology into the classroom to achieve a one-to-one ratio of wireless or other computers to pupils in the school; the establishment and maintenance of the technology infrastructure necessary for students and educators to access electronic information and to communicate freely via the Internet; each pupil to attain the educational technology and information literacy skills needed to achieve the core curriculum content standards and to succeed in the workplace; each educator to be able to use educational technology effectively to assist pupils to achieve the core curriculum content standards; full technological support; and pupils, teachers and administrators to have access to educational technology in all learning environments, including, but not limited to, the classroom, other school locations, community centers and the home. The department may also provide technology for community-based organizations that service low-income school districts and communities.
The commissioner, through the Office of Educational Technology, shall oversee all aspects of the pilot program and provide the program concept. The Office of Educational Technology shall provide the technology design, project management and implementation strategies necessary to implement the pilot program.
4. The Department of Education shall establish in the Office of Educational Technology a task force to investigate, in consultation with the Department of Community Affairs, the causes of the "digital divide" between low-income school districts and middle- and high-income school districts. The task force shall study ways to eliminate the "digital divide" and shall submit a report suggesting possible solutions to the Commissioner of Education in such form and by such date as the commissioner shall prescribe.
5. a. The New Jersey Schools Development Authority shall, in each school selected by the Commissioner of Education to participate in the pilot program, create space to accommodate the changes necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act. The authority, in consultation with the commissioner, shall ensure that such space is designed to enhance the learning process and to accommodate modern teaching techniques in the area of technology education, using the best design practices for those purposes.
b. The authority shall obtain the services of a "digital divide" consultant to provide advice in implementing this section. The consultant shall have a substantial background in dealing with the "digital divide" and have worked with the Department of Education specifically on the "digital divide" prior to the effective date of this act. It shall be the duty of the consultant to advise the department on how best to integrate current information technology into the piloted schools and into the department's Facilities Guide for Technology in New Jersey Schools and the Design Manual.
6. The commissioner shall identify a source of funding to effectuate the provisions of this act.
7. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes in the Department of Education a pilot program to integrate educational technology into public school districts that have the greatest technology need. The goal of the pilot program would be to eliminate disparities among the various school districts in the State with respect to pupil access to the best available electronic educational technology.
The Commissioner of Education would select up to five public schools to participate in the pilot program. For each school selected, the commissioner would provide: (1) for the total cost of ownership to integrate technology into the classroom to achieve a one-to-one ratio of wireless or other computers to pupils in the school; (2) for the establishment and maintenance of the technology infrastructure necessary for students and educators to access electronic information and to communicate freely via the Internet; (3) for each pupil to attain the educational technology and information literacy skills needed to achieve the core curriculum content standards and to succeed in the workplace; (4) for each educator to be able to use educational technology effectively to assist pupils to achieve the core curriculum content standards; (5) for full technological support; and (6) for pupils, teachers and administrators to have access to educational technology in all learning environments, including but not limited to, the classroom, other school locations, community centers and the home. The commissioner would also provide technology for community-based organizations that service low-income school districts and communities.
The commissioner, through the Office of Educational Technology, would oversee all aspects of the pilot program and provide the program concept. The office would provide technology design, project management and implementation strategies necessary to implement the pilot program.
The bill requires the Department of Education to establish a task force in the Office of Educational Technology to investigate, in consultation with the Department of Community Affairs, the causes of the "digital divide" between low-income school districts and middle- and high-income school districts. The task force would study ways to eliminate the "digital divide" and would submit a report to the commissioner suggesting possible solutions to the problem.
The bill requires the New Jersey Schools Development Authority to create in each school selected to participate in the pilot program space to accommodate the changes required under the bill. The authority would ensure that such space be designed to enhance the learning process and to accommodate modern teaching techniques
in the area of technology education, using the best design practices for those purposes. Under the bill, the commissioner is directed to identify a source of funding to effectuate the bill's provisions.
