The Italian Ministry of Education launched in 2007 a National Plan for Digital Schools (Piano
Nazionale Scuola Digitale) to mainstream Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Italian
classrooms and use technology as a catalyser of innovation in Italian education, hopefully conducing to
new teaching practices, new models of school organisation, new products and tools to support quality
teaching. The Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research asked the OECD to review its Plan
from an international perspective and to suggest improvements.
The small budget of the Plan has limited the effectiveness of its diverse initiatives. In its current
design, a significant rise of the budget of the plan through public or private sources is a necessary condition
for its success. Given current budgetary constraints, a significant budget increase may be difficult, and the
report proposes to revise some features of the Plan in order to achieve two objectives: 1) speed up the
uptake of ICT in Italian schools and classrooms; 2) create an Innovation Laboratory Network of test bed
schools piloting and inventing new pedagogic and organisational practices to improve Italian education, by
refocusing the innovation projects on the school 2.0 (scuol@ 2.0) initiative.

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Review of the Italian Strategy for Digital Schools

The purpose of the paper is to identify the kinds of leadership that are likely to support implementing and sustaining education for sustainable development (ESD) effectively in a primary school. The paper identifies links between ESD and principal leadership literature and constructs a conceptual model of the leadership practices needed for reorienting a school to ESD/education for sustainability. Aspects of the model are explored through Cypriot principals' views on leadership and reported leadership practices. Data were obtained by a nationally administered questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Outcomes indicated some enabling factors for ESD implementation such as encouraging teachers to engage in ESD programmes, collaborate with others and other ways of support which nevertheless reflect what is generally expected of school administrators without seeking deep change. Constraining factors included principals' reported lack of confidence in administrative skills for sustainable schools, limited willingness to challenge the status quo, limited engagement in actions important for supporting ESD activities and features of the national educational policy. Constraining factors pointed towards principals' limited commitment to ESD. The practical significance of the findings is that they identify specific areas of needed professional development for principals such as empowering staff, encouraging critique of current approaches and exploring alternative possibilities for curriculum, pedagogy and policy.

Leading sustainable schools: exploring the role of primary school principals

This paper describes teacher strategies and experiences with interactive whiteboards (IWBs) and draws on the
published research in this area to understand how a systemic approach to technology-based innovations in
schools can contribute to quality education for all. It explores ways to support the cultural shift in teacher and
learner roles that helps to integrate the technology effectively into classroom teaching. It begins by considering
how the features of IWB technology might potentially be exploited in the primary or secondary school classroom
to support subject teaching and learning. International experiences of implementing IWB programs are then
described, mostly from the United Kingdom where integration efforts are the most prominent, and implications
for future intervention efforts are examined. The review concludes by defining the organisational conditions for
enhancing teacher commitment and thus the likelihood for successful change. In particular, the role of teacher
professional development is foregrounded and characteristics of effective programmes are outlined. Some
comments about the relative costs and benefits, and recommendations for policymakers, are made.

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Learning from international experiences with interactive whiteboards: the role of professional development in integrating the technology

Recently much have been invested in the interactive whiteboard educational technology in Turkey. The government is still wishful to spread it to schools of all levels. This study tries to understand teachers’ and students’ attitudes toward interactive whiteboard technology along with differences in attitudes resulting from some demographic factors. Two parallel surveys consisting of 25 items were applied to 255 students and 23 teachers from three private schools. Students from sixth to twelfth grades and teachers from 15 different branches participated in this research study. The results indicate that interactive whiteboards are highly rated by both teachers and students. Students mostly prefer the usage of interactive whiteboards in math courses, and their attitudes differ across their genders and school levels. As students get elder, their positive attitudes toward interactive whiteboard technology decrease, and it has been found out that there is no difference between teachers’ and students’ attitudes. This study includes some implications for policy makers, educator and researchers.

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Attitudes of Students and Teachers towards the Use of Interactive Whiteboards in Elementary and Secondary School Classrooms.

Designing effective professional development for technology integration in schools

The adoption of interactive whiteboards (IWB) in many schools outpaced the delivery of adequate professional development on their use. Many teachers receive IWBs without adequate training on methods to use the technology to improve their instruction. Consequently, IWBs remain an underutilized resource in many classrooms. Teachers who are given IWBs require purposeful, scaffolded, and sustained professional development to maximize the IWB's potential. This article identifies three promising professional development practices for teaching educators how to use IWBs effectively. The literature describing effective technology professional development suggests it should (1) build efficacy by scaffolding the instruction of new tasks, (2) establish long-term collaborative partnerships among teachers, and (3) include positive supervision that encourages teacher self-reflection and measures student engagement with digital media using the IWB. Professional-development designers can increase the effectivenes...

Getting the Most from Your Interactive Whiteboard Investment: Three Guiding Principles for Designing Effective Professional Development.

The longest lasting and most intimate interaction with government for most Americans takes place in US public schools. The Court’s choice to enter into the national religious debate intensified the rhetoric and polarized many Americans into opponents and proponents of increasing religious instruction in public schools. This work narrates the positions of Christian Americanists, pluralists, and secularists in this debate. It argues that court-originated policy governing religion in schools is a failure. A return to Constitutional Pluralism would benefit all people in the United States.

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Watering America’s Religious Roots: The Case for Religious Pluralism in American Public Schools

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Josh DeSantis

Papers

Getting the Most from Your Interactive Whiteboard Investment: Three Guiding Principles for Designing Effective Professional Development.

Watering America’s Religious Roots: The Case for Religious Pluralism in American Public Schools

Watering America's Pluralist Roots: The Case for Open Religious Dialog in American Public Schools