A survey from the Center for Digital Education in partnership with the National School Boards Association has found that personalized learning is the number one priority for school IT departments.

The annual Digital Schools Districts Survey asked school districts across the country about the “use of technology in the classroom and in the delivery of district services.”

More and more schools are going digital, the survey found, with 62 percent of all districts heavily relying on tech tools for the classroom and the rest- 31 percent of schools- looking to modernize within the next two years.

School districts are also increasingly relying on Open Educational Resources; the survey found 38 percent of districts’ digital content and curriculum strategies include the use of Open Educational Resources.

When surveyed about the top priorities of schools’ respective IT departments, personalized learning was the top priority with digital content and curriculum coming second, proving how much schools are valuing emphasizing deeper understanding.

Professional development, online testing, and data management all made the list of priorities as well.

Based on survey results, the report ranked innovative school districts excelling at supplementing learning with technology. Stand-out districts include Hampton City Schools in Virginia, White County School District in Georgia and Springfield Public Schools in New Jersey.

Check out the full report here.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

3/31/2016