Clayton County Public Schools and Boxlight Take Tech Transformation to New Heights

Focused on improving student outcomes and teacher efficiency, the fifth largest school district in Georgia is installing Boxlight’s innovative technology in approximately 3,200 classrooms.

Transforming Learning With Technology
Clayton County Public Schools (CCPS) in Jonesboro, GA has made effective instruction—backed by digital tools and technology—a priority in all its classrooms. As part of that mission, the Metro Atlanta district, serving almost 55,000 students, is installing 75-inch flat panels with PC modules in 3,200 classrooms during the upcoming school year. It’s also implementing MimioVote (in its elementary schools), MimioPads (for teachers), and MimioView document cameras. All of the Boxlight technology works together utilizing the MimioStudio™ classroom software.

Rod Smith, chief of technology, says the technology selection process focused on finding a single maker of the various components. “We wanted a solution that worked under a single umbrella,” says Smith, “and that didn’t leave teachers having to figure out whether a document camera worked with a specific piece of software or not.”

Align Technology With Learning Goals to Equal Success
Overwhelmed in the past by district-wide implementations that relied on disparate systems and solutions—not all of which played well with one another—CCPS turned to Boxlight to help it assemble a cohesive package of classroom tools. Key criteria included good alignment with the 4Cs (critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity) and a strong teacher training/professional development component.

Using a shoulder-to-shoulder training approach, the district’s team of digital learning specialists rotates throughout its schools, providing training and ensuring high levels of technology adoption.

“We wanted a solution that worked under a single umbrella and that didn’t leave teachers having to figure out whether [the technology] worked with a specific piece of software or not.”

Rod Smith, Chief of Technology

“With the support of Dr. Beasley (superintendent/CEO), and with comprehensive input from our instructional technology team, we found a solution that focused on ease of use and seamless integration from the teacher’s perspective,” says Smith, who notes that technology is not a silver bullet, but rather a facilitative tool in the overall instructional process.

With one of its schools currently using the new solution, CCPS is now installing the flat panels, student response systems, and document cameras in the rest of its 64 schools. By weaving the solution into its core culture, the district is now well down the transformative path laid out by its leaders and teachers.

Long-Lasting Impact
“The education and experiences students receive here will impact their ability to compete with their peers locally, nationally, and internationally,” said Dr. Morcease J. Beasley, CCPS Superintendent of Schools. “While instilling in them the acumen to use technology in multiple ways, and for many different purposes. We believe the implementation of this technology will support our efforts to embed a culture of high performance across our district.”

Learn more about all of Boxlight's transformative solutions.