ISTE President Kecia Ray Hosts President Obama at Nashville’s McGavock High School
WASHINGTON, D.C. (PRWEB) January 31, 2014 -- Today, in Nashville, Kecia Ray, Ed.D., board chair of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®), hosted President Barack Obama as he toured Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools’ (MNPS) McGavock High School. The school was recognized in the president’s State of the Union this week for having improved graduation rates by more than 20 percentage points since 2005. Ray is the district’s executive director of learning technology.
In his remarks at the school, President Obama pointed to McGavock as a model for high school redesign. The school’s focus is preparing students for careers in the Nashville community by leveraging the power of an innovative learning technology program.
“Today’s visit underscores the impact we can have on the lives of students when technology is used to create new pedagogies for deeper learning and is the change agent for reform,” said Ray. “ Giving the students at McGavock and other schools in the district the opportunity to build real-life skills not only strengthens the local economy, it also opens the world of possibility for them.”
One of the largest high schools in Tennessee, McGavock is among the MNPS schools that began using the “career academies” model. During his remarks, the president continued his pitch about creating opportunities for students and emphasized the importance of creating new pathways through education that meet kids where they are so they can realize their dreams.
“McGavock High School is a terrific example of how districts are increasing the graduation rate to its highest level in more than three decades, as President Obama noted in his State of the Union address,” said Brian Lewis, ISTE CEO. “It's fantastic to have the president highlight the ways digital learning is contributing to this success.”
About ISTE
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®) is a nonprofit organization supporting educators and education leaders committed to empowering connected learners in a connected world. Home to ISTE’s conference and expo and the widely adopted ISTE Standards for learning, teaching and leading in the digital age, the association represents more than 100,000 professionals worldwide. For more information, visit iste.org. Follow ISTE on Twitter @ISTEConnects.
Lisa Wolfe, L. Wolfe Communications, +1 773-278-2800, [email protected]
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