A Chance to Help Shape the Future of American Education

If you are looking for a chance to help shape the future of American Education then you are encouraged to participate in the annual Speak Up 2007 survey administered by Project Tomorrow (formerly known as NetDay). Everyone, students, parents, teachers, and even K-12 administrators are invited to take part in the annual survey that seeks to determine what is necessary to give American children a top-notch, 21st-century education.

Project Tomorrow
Project Tomorrow is a national nonprofit group with a goal towards improving science, math, and technology education. The Speak Up survey gives all stakeholders a chance to add to the ongoing discussion about technology’s role in the curriculum.

Julie Evans, chief executive of Project Tomorrow offers up the following comments about how the survey results may potentially impact the future educational landscape.

“National and state leaders look for the Speak Up data each year to gain insight from education stakeholders about how to fix America’s education system in order to ensure our continued global competitiveness. The survey is an avenue for everyone—students, parents, teachers, and school administrators—to participate in this national conversation. At the same time, we also provide participating schools and districts with their own Speak Up data to inform and impact local policies, programs, and budgeting and purchasing decisions.”

All schools, public or private, in the United States and Canada are invited to participate. The survey will keep individual responses confidential, focusing only on the trends provided. One new aspect to the survey is the addition of questions for school and district leaders, including principals, district administrators, and school board members. Many of the new questions focus on the use of Web 2.0 tools such as MySpace in school; so-called “21st-century skills” such as critical thinking and learning a second language; the value of video games, cell phones, MP3 players, and other portable computing devices in education; and school design for the 21st-century learner.

Survey Results
Quantitative survey results will be made available to all participating schools and school districts free of charge. National findings will be released through a variety of venues including a congressional briefing in Washington, D.C.

Speak Up 2007 is sponsored by CDW-G, SMART Technologies, PASCO Scientific, Futurekids, and KI Education. It also is supported through a network of more than 100 nonprofit education, business, and community partners, including the State Educational Technology Directors Association, the Consortium for School Networking, and the National School Boards Association.

The online survey can be accessed any time until Dec. 15.