San Lorenzo Unified School District completes wall-to-wall 1:1 initiative leading to increased student achievement

Challenge:

San Lorenzo Unified School District, with an undefined budget was tasked with engaging both teachers and students in Project LEAN In, their proposed wall-to-wall 1:1 initiative.

Solution:

A 1:1 device deployment for teachers and students in partnership with Trox and Acer.

Results:

“We found the AVer cart to be a better match for our requirements. After testing the demo model our staff saw how much easier is was to wire the AVer carts. It made our decision a no-brainer.”

San Lorenzo Unified School District is a TK-12 district with just over 10,000 students. With their Project LEAN In initiative a priority, the School District’s goal was to increase access and target needs through learning environments for their students.

San Lorenzo’s initiative is managed differently than most school districts – they employed a teacher-centered distribution model. Instead of providing devices for rooms or buildings, they provide teachers with dedicated carts. If the teacher moves around in the district, the cart goes with the teacher. The prevailing belief is the teacher is the difference maker.

With the target of completing their wall-to-wall 1:1 initiative in 2 years, their priority was to increase engagement, access and achievement for all students. Sharon “Sam” Sakai-Miller, Director of Technology Integration Services chose student devices with criteria of fast start-up and shut down to capitalize on maximum classroom hours. For teachers, the device of choice was the Windows TravelMate P6 series. Ease of use with single sign-on and affordability were additional factors considered during the decision making process.

Teacher access was equally as important in the program. The teacher initiative uses Windows TravelMate devices as the staff device of choice. Wanting teachers to be strong users of technology, the TravelMate series gives them a higher foundation for instructional technology.

San Lorenzo just kicked off Cohort 4 of Project Lean In, which is their 4th phase of the project. As of August 2017, there are 201 teachers participating in Cohorts 1 through 4.

Acer devices were the chosen solution

• Acer has been very responsive in the support they provide.
• The devices continue to improve and have a rugged design, perfect for student use.
• Teachers needed a more robust device to complete the Technology Academy professional development training.

Success of Project LEAN In includes:

• Surpassing the 55% mark in their district in percentage of academic classrooms that have dedicated 1:1 carts.
• The late adopters of the program are equally enthusiastic and engaged in the project.
• The board has approved a steady $200K/year funding as a result of parent, teacher and stakeholders’ desire to have 1:1 technology access.
• Student scores have been steadily improving.
• Students and teachers have become fluent with technology.
• It has been acknowledged that increased access to technology has contributed to increased student scores.
• Students are proud of their growth.
• Teachers are proud of their professional development.
• Both students and teachers are fully committed to the program.