Cherokee Elementary students soon will see the results of $65,000 in grants for new technology equipment and educator training from the Oklahoma Educational Technology Trust.
Established in 2001 by a $30 million contribution from AT&T; Oklahoma to Oklahoma public schools, the trust has distributed $9 million to date.
With the integration of interactive whiteboards, LCD projects, an airliner and student response systems, Cherokee Elementary will further its goal to have instruction move to new heights and prepare students to succeed in a new technology age. Their goal is to improve student performance through the development of student higher order thinking, teacher professional development, collaboration, and assessment while giving all students access to technology.
“OETT and all entities connected to them are on the cutting edge of technology integration for K-12 instruction,” said Principal Clevetta Haynes. “Our students will go to the next level with the incorporation of smartboards, student response systems and a video editing station.”
Cherokee Elementary School was one of 18 Oklahoma schools to receive $1.2 million in OETT grants to schools this year. It joins Sadler Arts Academy, Tony Goetz Elementary and 94 other schools in Oklahoma that have received the OETT grants since 2003.
“The Trust does not want to make random acts of improvement in Oklahoma classrooms,” said Bob Stafford, OETT chairman and AT&T; representative. “OETT grant schools have seen many changes in the equipment available to students, teaching methods used by educators, and most of all, the enhancement of the learning process. In fact, the 2005 OETT schools earned Academic Performance Index scores 217 percent higher than the state’s average increase.”
OETT was established in 2001 as a result of an agreement between Edmondson and AT&T; Oklahoma, relating to the company’s transition to a modernized form of regulation. The final regulatory plan was finalized by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and approved by the state legislature. As part of the agreement, AT&T; contributed $30 million to OETT.
For additional information on OETT, visit www.oett.org.
