Four years ago, the Kentwood school district near Grand Rapids, Michigan, made a commitment to integrate technology and learning in its elementary schools. It established computer labs, and faculty began teaching basic computer skills despite their lack of formal training or a computer curriculum from which to work.

Kentwood's assistant superintendent, Lois Shepherd, realized after the first year that her district had to escalate its program if it were to have an educational environment that truly integrates technology. She sought a formalized training program for the teachers plus a structured technology curriculum for the students. "You can put all the computers you want in schools, but they won't benefit anyone if the teachers are not thoroughly trained to use them," she says.

In 1995, Shepherd implemented FUTUREKIDS School Technology Solutions, a comprehensive program that features a 30-hour staff development course and computer curricula for grades K-8. The staff development focuses on building skills in 10 core technology areas, including word processing, databases and telecommunications. It also includes a module on integrating technology in the classroom.

To date, teachers from three of the district's 10 elementary schools have been trained to teach the FUTUREKIDS curriculum. The district's goal is to train faculty and implement the curriculum in all 10 schools by the close of 1998-99 school year.

Eighteen teachers from Endeavor Elementary, a new Kentwood school that opened in September 1996, took the course during the summer. Principal Todd Geerlings says the thoroughness of the course impress him: "It describes technology in terms of the big picture and then moves into specific application skills." A key benefit is that Endeavor's teachers will adapt well as technology evolves in coming years. "The teachers will be able to apply their knowledge to new programs and software upgrades because they understand technology concepts," Geerlings says.

Geerlings has seen many of his teachers using Endeavor's computer lab as compared to previous years at his other school. "I used to see two or three teachers in the lab, mostly doing bookkeeping work," he says. "This year, the teachers used the computers regularly to create class projects and lesson plans and to do research. The training made them more comfortable with technology, and so they used it more."