Category Archives: Speak Up 2013

Our first congressional briefing is this Tuesday!

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You are invited to the release of the Speak Up 2013 National Findings for K-12 Students!
Location: Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 562
Date: Tuesday April 8, 2014
Time: 12:00–1:30 PM
Speak Up is an initiative of Project Tomorrow, the country’s leading nonprofit organization that works to make students’ voices heard in education.  Each year, the Speak Up National Research Project polls students, parents, and educators about the role of technology in education in and out of the classroom and their views and aspirations for how technology should be used in the future.  In 2013, an astounding 403,000 online surveys were submitted from stakeholders throughout the education community. 
Please join us on April 8th to receive a copy of this year’s report on the views of K-12 Students about the role of technology in the classroom and hear directly from a panel of students themselves on topics such as mobile and flipped/blended learning, school to home communications, broadband capacity and designing the ultimate school for today’s learners.  From the Department of Education to the Federal Communications Commission to the halls of Congress, education technology and digital learning is on everyone’s mind.  The data collected by Speak Up provides the on the ground information needed to guide policy makers as they work to help students, educators and parents leverage technology to improve teaching and learning for the 21st century. 
Please visit our website at http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/speakup_congress_rsvp.html to RSVP.  Lunch will be provided. 
Mark you calendars! Plan to join us on June 2nd for the 2nd Speak Up Congressional briefing focusing on the impact of digital learning tools to support college & career readiness!

Speak Up 2013 National Research Project Findings

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A second year review of flipped learning
Speak Up 2013 National Findings

March 2014

“Students, teachers and administrators are increasingly interested in tapping into digital tools such as video to transform the classroom experience. From this research, it is evident that the flipped learning model is gaining the attention of educators who are interesting in improving student achievement and teacher effectiveness by leveraging digital tools to enable innovation.”
Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow
Speak Up 2013 National Research Project Findings: A Second Year Review of Flipped Learning is a collaborative effort between Project Tomorrow and The Flipped Learning Network using data from the more than 403,000 K-12 students, parents, teachers, administrators and community members that participated in the 11th annual Speak Up online surveys in the Fall of 2013. For the second year in a row, specific questions were asked of students, educators and administrators on flipped learning and use of videos in the classroom. Teachers and school administrators were asked to comment on their current or planned implementation of this innovative strategy.
This new whitepaper reveals significant growth in just one year in interest and implementation of flipped classrooms and a drop in concerns about student online access. Teacher interest in professional development on making quality instructional videos and on how to best use class time in a flipped classroom remained high, but this concern among administrators has declined while some are beginning to provide this training.
Speak Up 2013 flipped learning findings include:
  • One out of six math and science teachers are implementing a flipped learning model using videos that they have created or sourced online.        
  • 16 percent of teachers say they are regularly creating videos of their lessons or lectures to students to watch.   
  • 45 percent of librarians and media specialists are regularly creating videos and similar rich media as part of their professional practice. 
  • 37 percent of librarians are helping to build teacher capacity by supporting teachers’ skills in using and creating  video and rich media for classroom use.
  • While, almost one-fifth of current teachers have “learning how to flip my classroom” on their wish list for professional development this year,  41 percent of administrators say pre-service teachers should learn how to set up a flipped learning class model before getting a teaching credential.
  • 66 percent of principals said pre-service teachers should learn how to create and use videos and other digital media within their teacher preparation programs.  
  • 75 percent of middle and high school students agree that flipped learning would be a good way for them to learn, with 32 percent of those students strongly agreeing with that idea.  
Click here to download a copy of the five-page white paper.
About Flipped Learning Network 
The mission of the Flipped Learning Network™ (FLN) is to provide educators with the knowledge, skills, and resources to successfully implement Flipped Learning. The goals of the FLN are to 1) Serve as the hub connecting educators engaged in Flipped Learning; 2) Facilitate and collaborate on research relevant to Flipped Learning; and 3) Provide access to professional learning opportunities on Flipped Learning. www.flippedlearning.org

New Speak Up Whitepaper

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For Immediate Release:                                 
March 21, 2014         

Contact: Amber Taylor, 703-201-4893
amber@taylored-communications.com 
New Speak Up 2013 Findings Show Growth in Flipped Classroom Implementation and Interest
Washington, D.C. – A quarter of administrators identified flipped learning as having a significant impact on transforming teaching and learning in their school district, surpassing other digital learning trends such as educational games and mobile apps (21 percent) and even online professional learning communities for teachers and administrators (19 percent), according to new findings from Speak Up 2013 to be released during the CoSN 2014 Annual Conference on Friday. An additional 40 percent of administrators said they were interested in their teachers “trying flipped learning” this year.
The white paper, Speak Up 2013 National Research Project Findings: A Second Year Review of Flipped Learning, reveals significant growth in just one year in interest and implementation of flipped classrooms and a drop in concerns about student online access. Teacher interest in professional development on making quality instructional videos and on how to best use class time in a flipped classroom remained high, but this concern among administrators has declined while some are beginning to provide this training.
“Students, teachers and administrators are increasingly interested in tapping into digital tools such as video to transform the classroom experience. From this research, it is evident that the flipped learning model is gaining the attention of educators who are interesting in improving student achievement and teacher effectiveness by leveraging digital tools to enable innovation,” said Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow.
During the fall of 2013, more than 403,000 K-12 students, parents, teachers, administrators and community members participated in the 11thannual Speak Up online surveys facilitated by the national education nonprofit organization, Project Tomorrow. For the second year, in conjunction with the Flipped Learning Network, specific questions were asked of students, educators and administrators on flipped learning and use of videos in the classroom.
For the survey, flipped learning was defined as using lecture videos as homework while utilizing class time for more in-depth learning such as “discussions, projects, experiments and to provide personalized coaching to individual students.”  
“We know from other research that teachers who are flipping their classrooms report higher student achievement, increased student engagement and better attitudes toward learning and school,” said Kari M. Arfstrom, Executive Director of the Flipped Learning Network. “Many flipped teachers report that their job satisfaction has improved and they are feeling re-energized, so we are excited to see more teachers and administrators looking to implement this model in their schools.”
Speak Up 2013 flipped learning findings include:

  • One out of six math and science teachers are implementing a flipped learning model using videos that they have created or sourced online.
  • 16 percent of teachers say they are regularly creating videos of their lessons or lectures to students to watch.   
  • 45 percent of librarians and media specialists are regularly creating videos and similar rich media as part of their professional practice. 
  • 37 percent of librarians are helping to build teacher capacity by supporting teachers’ skills in using and creating  video and rich media for classroom use.
  • While, almost one-fifth of current teachers have “learning how to flip my classroom” on their wish list for professional development this year,  41 percent of administrators say pre-service teachers should learn how to set up a flipped learning class model before getting a teaching credential.
  • 66 percent of principals said pre-service teachers should learn how to create and use videos and other digital media within their teacher preparation programs.  
  • 75 percent of middle and high school students agree that flipped learning would be a good way for them to learn, with 32 percent of those students strongly agreeing with that idea.  

“These results show that both more professional development for teachers and tapping into librarians and media specialists to support teachers’ fledgling implementations of flipped learning show great promise,” said Arfstrom.
About Project Tomorrow
Project Tomorrow® is the nation’s leading education nonprofit organization dedicated to the empowerment of student voices in education. With 17 years of experience in the K-12 education sector, Project Tomorrow regularly provides consulting and research support about key trends in K-12 science, math and technology education to school districts, government agencies, business and higher education.  The Speak Up National Research Project annually polls K-12 students, parents and educators about the role of technology for learning in and out of school and represents the largest collection of authentic, unfiltered stakeholder voice on digital learning. Since 2003, over 3.4 million K-12 students, parents, teachers, librarians, principals, technology leaders and district administrators have shared their views and ideas through Speak Up. www.tomorrow.org

About Flipped Learning Network

The mission of the Flipped Learning Network™ (FLN) is to provide educators with the knowledge, skills, and resources to successfully implement Flipped Learning. The goals of the FLN are to 1) Serve as the hub connecting educators engaged in Flipped Learning; 2) Facilitate and collaborate on research relevant to Flipped Learning; and 3) Provide access to professional learning opportunities on Flipped Learning. www.flippedlearning.org

Save the date! Our second congressional briefing is on June 2nd!

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Speak Up’s second congressional briefing in Washington, DC will be on June 2nd! This briefing will focus on the impact of digital learning tools to support college and career readiness. Stay tuned for more details as the date approaches!

Don’t forget the first congressional briefing will take place on April 8th at 12PMET in Dirksen Senate Office Buliding, Room 562. The April 8th briefing will include a presentation of the national findings and a moderated panel discussion with students and educators. This year’s national report on the findings will be distributed to all attendees. Click here to RSVP to attend the briefing; click here to request a copy of the report.

Use our Speak Up data templates to start analyzing your Speak Up 2013 results!

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Interested in viewing your data across audiences and by theme? Use our thematic report template to drop in your school or district’s data. The report includes the following themes organized by tabs: Demographic, Strategic Planning, School Issues, Use of Technology, Internet Safety, Social Media, Digital Content, Online/Blended Learning, Mobile Learning, 21st Century Skills, Career Exploration, Online Assessment, and Professional Development. *Please note some of the options may be out of order from the local data reports to accommodate data across audiences. Question numbers for each survey audience is listed for each question and the file is formatted for print!


Happy Digital Learning Day!

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Project Tomorrow is proud to celebrate Digital Learning Day with the release of the Speak Up 2013 data results to all participating organizations and the launch of the Speak Up for Higher Education survey “Tomorrow’s Teachers Speak Up!“.
Digital Learning Day is about giving every child the opportunity to learn in a robust digital environment everyday, with the goal of success in college and career. It is our hope that you will use your Speak Up 2013 data results to stimulate new conversations about the value of digital learning, and in particular, to underscore the importance of including the views of your stakeholders – students, parents and educators – in these vital discussions. To find out how you can get involved in all the great events taking place today, please visit the Digital Learning Day website at: http://www.digitallearningday.org/.

Quick Links:

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It’s easy to view your Speak Up results online

The results are in and you may view your district or school results along with national comparisons by following the steps below:
1) Click here to access your reports.
2) Select Option 1 to view district results or option 2 to individual school results.
3.) Next, enter the state, the first few letters of your district or school name and your district or school administrative password.
The results will be displayed and may be printed or copied onto an Excel Spreadsheet or this Speak Up 2013 Excel Template.
Forgot your password? If you are registered as the primary contact of your organization please click here to retrieve your password information.
Not the primary contact, visit our “look up an organization” page to locate your organization’s primary contact on record. For confidentiality reasons, we provide passwords to the Speak Up contact of record only. To sign up as the primary contact (if one is not on file) please contact Jenny Hostert on the Speak Up Team at jhostert@tomorrow.org.
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National Release of Speak Up 2013 National Findings

2014 Congressional Briefing
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Please join us for the release of the Speak Up 2013 National Findings. This is the first of two Congressional Briefings on the data results from the 403,000 online Speak Up surveys submitted from education stakeholders nationwide in fall 2013.
The April 8th briefing will include a presentation of the national findings and a moderated panel discussion with students and educators. This year’s national report on the findings will be distributed to all attendees.
To RSVP to attend the briefing or to request a copy of the report, please visit our website at: http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/speakup_congress.html
If you need additional information about Speak Up or the Congressional Briefing, please feel free to contact Jenny Hostert at jhostert@tomorrow.org or 949 609-4660 ext 17.
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Speak Up for Higher Education

Tomorrow’s Teachers Speak Up!

Tomorrow’s Teachers Speak Up! is a unique opportunity for the next generation of teachers to “speak up” about their views on their career choice and share their ideas about how to leverage technology within learning. The national data findings will be used to inform national policies on technology use in education, and to inform K-12 school and district leaders on the aspirations of tomorrow’s teachers. Participation is open to all students in teacher preparation programs both at the undergraduate and graduate level, teacher education faculty within Schools of Education, as well as career changers in special programs.
To learn more or get involved in this year’s survey please visit our Speak Up for Higher Education website at: http://www.tomorrow.org/SU4HigherEd/
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Speak Up on the GO! New Speak Up 2013 Presentations and Findings.

We are working diligently now on our analysis of the Speak Up 2013 data in anticipation of our first Congressional Briefing in Washington DC to share the national findings on April 8, 2014. In the meantime we would be very interested in what you are learning from your Speak Up data and how you are using your stakeholders’ views to inform your technology and instructional plans, budgets, professional development or community engagement. Please feel free to send us an email at speakup@tomorrow.org or add your ideas to our Speak Up blog or Twitter postings using #SpeakUp2013.

Speak Up 2013 Presentations

Speak Up 2013 Preliminary data snapshots

In celebration of our first annual Speak Up America campaign, we pulled a special snapshot of preliminary data for students, parents, teachers, administrators and community members. Click each audience to view the 2013 preliminary data infographic for that group, or to view them all go to: http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/speakupamerica_snapshot.html!
Stay tuned for more information about all of our activities this spring including new webinars, focused reports and conference presentations!
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Need help?

Project Tomorrow staff is available to help you effectively use your data, here are just a few of the services we can provide you:
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▪ Identify the top 5 trends in your school, district or state with national benchmarks
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▪ Create a Speak Up presentation that you can use to share your Speak Up results in your school or district
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▪ Provide Speak Up fast facts that can be used on your website, newsletters or promotional material
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▪ Present your Speak Up data in person or via a webinar
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▪ Prepare a summary of your specific Speak Up findings (school, district or state) that can be distributed to your stakeholders
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▪ Write a case statement, using the Speak Up data, highlighting the benefits of investing in technology (school, district, state or national)
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▪ Prepare a customized narrative report about your Speak Up data (school, district or state)
Contact the Speak Up Team, to learn more about our consulting services and fees.
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Thank you for your interest and continued support of Speak Up! Be sure to stay updated on all things Speak Up by following us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and our Blog.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact our Speak Up Operations Manager, Jenny Hostert, at jhostert@tomorrow.org or via phone at 949/609-4660 ext. 17.

Your Chance to Speak Up, America (And Why You Should)

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 “Take out your devices and begin researching animals found in your biomes.” On a recent visit to a local high school, I was taken aback by the teacher’s instructions. Immediate access. Incredible efficiency. Genuine engagement. Each student group huddled around two or three mobile devices scrolling vigorously, jotting down notes, and actively conducting (what looked like) research.
But then, I thought back to an unfortunate technology-related incident I was witness to last year: a cell phone stolen from an unattended backpack, used to photograph unsupervised students standing and laying atop a teacher’s desk, making inappropriate faces and gestures which ultimately lead to tears and suspensions.
There may be no way to allow students to use their own devices at school without risks, but certainly ignoring this possibility as a way to enhance learning would be unwise. As would, passing up the opportunity to contribute to the discussion about the future of digital learning and the role technology will play.
The Future of Digital Learning: What Do You Think?

We cannot prepare teachers or create schools for today; we must envision the classrooms and learning of tomorrow. If we want to prepare teachers for, and create, future learning environments, we must embrace the role technology will play in the classrooms of tomorrow. So how do we accurately evaluate the role technology plays, and the ways it can be leveraged for maximum impact in the future of education? Take the popular, but debated trend mentioned earlier: the use of student-owned mobile devices in the classroom.
You probably have an opinion and, perhaps, a few questions. How are these devices used during the school day? How do students, teachers, parents, and administrators feel about it? What are the specific benefits and concerns associated with this shift from the traditional structure of learning?

Now, take this issue and picture the teacher typing her syllabus and guidelines at her computer the week before school begins; or your local principal meeting with his/her staff to compile and craft the yearly handbook of school policies; or a school board discussing personal device usage before adopting an annual budget. Each individual has an opinion, informed by experience and maybe a dated national report, or a newspaper article about a nearby district who reported increased test scores and engagement with personal device usage. But, do they have your thoughts or the current, unfiltered views of your school community?
Just as we would not allow a doctor to diagnose an illness or create a treatment plan without listening to our current concerns, we must approach the future of education and the role technology will play with the same attentiveness.
Make A Broader Impact

Across the education spectrum, at a national level down to the classroom your child, grandchild, niece, nephew, or future employee sits in each day, your voice can either inform policy decisions or go unheard. Your views and experiences concerning technology trends, like personal device usage (and so many others in education), are critical and go well beyond whether a student can or cannot use their phone or tablet at school. Their extended reach affects privacy and confidentiality legislation, funding allocations, internet accessibility, access to information, connectivity, global competitiveness and, most importantly, how today’s learners and tomorrow’s labor force will navigate a future in which the rate of progress is greater than at any time in history.

‘Tis the Season to Speak Up

In this season of giving, be part of Speak Up America 2013. Donate twenty minutes of your time today to take the National Speak Up Survey. Join over 3.3 million students, educators, parents, administrators, and community members who have “spoken up” since 2003—a dataset representing the largest collection of authentic feedback from key educational stakeholders about the digital learning. Speak Up closes on December 20th, so NOW is the time to participate. Take the online Speak Up survey at http://www.speakup4schools.org/speakup2013/.

Speak Up, America! What do you think about technology use for learning?

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Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, smartphones, tablets, mobile apps, online classes and games – do these digital tools or others like them really have a place within our classrooms today? 
Are students more engaged in learning when instruction includes these tools? 
Can technology increase teacher productivity or student achievement?  
Do these tools support the development of critical thinking, communications, teamwork and global awareness? 
What are the expectations of parents, business leaders and community members around the use of  technology within learning? 
And if schools want to make better use of these digital tools, what are the challenges they face – is it funding, teacher training, support, bandwidth?  
How do students say theywant to use these digital tools to support learning?   
It’s time to share your answers to these questions!
All across America, district administration teams, school boards, civic leaders and state and federal policymakers are asking these same questions.  And too often they are relying upon hunches, guesses or outdated reports to inform their policies, plans and programs.  That’s just silly – and not an example of good decision-making.  
They can learn directly from you – students, parents, teachers, administrators and community leaders – to inform their decisions on these topics. 
By giving 15 minutes of your time to Speak Up America 2013 (www.tomorrow.org/speakup), you can make sure your voice is heard loud and clear from classrooms to the halls of Congress, from state capitols to boardrooms.  Ensure that policymakers are making those important program and funding decisions based upon real data from real education stakeholders – you!   
We would like everyone to have a voice in the future of how technology is used in our nation’s schools.  So, please share this link with your friends, students, teachers, parents, administrators, community organizations, members, affiliates or anyone who has a passion for improving education and ask them to take the Speak Up survey THIS WEEK. 
More than 300,000 K-12 students, parents and educators have already completed Speak Up surveys from all across the country.  But now it is your time – Speak Up, America!  Have a voice in the future of digital learning in our nation’s schools by participating in this year’s special Speak Up America campaign by Dec. 20th!

Learn more at www.tomorrow.org/speakup.  

See what this year’s Speak Up 200 schools and districts had to say about why they participate in Speak Up, and learn how they utilized their school/district’s data!

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There’s still time to get involved! Check back tomorrow to learn out “Speak Up, America”, a week long event beginning next week to celebrate Speak Up participants, past, present and new! 

To take the survey today visit: www.speakup4schools.org/speakup2013
“We use the data to help us write our school’s technology plan.” 

— Jennifer Whitt, Madison County, Alabama.


 “The data from the report gives insight into the perception of technology and its importance in life, not just education.” 
— Vincent Scheivert, Albemarle County Public Schools, Virginia
 “To give the students a voice in the direction we take in implementing more technology-based opportunities.” 
— Amy Whitener, Kearney R-1 Schools, Missouri
  “The survey gives us a clear picture of where we are at in our implementation of technology and 21st Century Skills in our teaching and the effect on student learning. This is a work in progress and every year we can see how we have progressed and see where the weak links are and take steps to make positive changes.” 
— Maureen Koenig, Yorba Linda Middle School, California 

“The South Carolina Virtual School Program looks forward to reviewing our Speak-Up survey responses every year, because it allows us to put a finger on the pulse of our students’ learning experiences. We are able to identify ways to expand and grow our program based on student feedback. The South Carolina Virtual School Program always focuses on the students’ open, written comments in the Speak-Up surveys, because this present students with the opportunity to openly express their thoughts, opinions, and suggestions about how we can adjust our program and adapt it to stay at the cutting edge in the growing field of online education.” 

— Vicki Williams, South Carolina Virtual School Program, South Carolina

  
 “[To] help improve communication with our stakeholders.” 

— Joanne Hammond, Shawnee Local School District, Ohio 


 “It was wonderful to see that each year students and parents are understanding the importance of integrating technology with learning experiences in the classroom.” 

— Patricia Smith, Apache Junction Unified, Arizona

 “We want to better understand our students and to help identify what engages and motivates them.” 

— Rob Residori, City of Chicago School District #299, Illinois

 “We certainly value the data…but we truly put a high value on the opportunity for our students and staff to contribute to the national conversation around the role of technology in education.” 

— Ann McMullan, Klein Independent School District, Texas
“The Speak Up data are useful to us as we develop various action plans and strategies. We also like being part of a national conversation; it’s interesting to see how our responses compare to those from our peer districts in the state and around the country.” 

— Matt Frey, Brevard Public Schools, Florida

  
“I was impressed with the honesty of the students, their very specific ideas of what they wanted for themselves and classmates, and their astuteness. I felt that the students had a good grasp of what would help them educationally and that their suggestions were reasonable and doable.” 

— Linda Ficsher, St. Mark’s High School, Delaware

“I wanted to make sure we were on the same level with the nation. I wanted our students to be able to compete with other students. Technology can level the playing field.” 

— Rosie Bailey, Surgoinsville Middle School, Tennessee

“We believe it is important to know how our students feel about technology at school. The Indiana Dept. of Education highly recommends school corporations to participate.” 

— Janice Curtis, Plymouth Community School Corporation, Indiana

Speak Up Newsletter December 2013

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Speak Up 2013 | There’s only two weeks left to participate. Surveys close next Friday, December 20th!

Thank you to all the participants that have already taken part in the Speak Up surveys! Since the launch of the survey over 240,000 Students, Educators, Parents and Community Members have shared their ideas about the use of technology in education. Be sure to take the survey today and pass along to your network of friends and family, remember the survey is open to ANYONE interested in sharing their thoughts on critical 21st century education and technology issues.
In this e-newsletter, find new ways to get involved with Speak Up this year:
  • Speak Up 2013, Have you submitted your survey? Surveys available for Educators, Students, Parents and Members of the Community
  • Last minute Promotional Ideas There’s still plenty of time to get involved in Speak Up, find new ideas here.
  • New to Speak Up, watch our 45 minute introductory webinar! Learn how you too could get a free webinar with CEO Julie Evans next school year!
  • Help us reach 1,500 community member surveys! You don’t have to be an educator or student to take the survey. The voices of your community members are important too!
  • Speak Up Survey Instructions
Happy Reading! Feel free to share your thoughts with us on Facebook, Twitter and our Blog.
–The Project Tomorrow team
Click here to read online.
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Speak Up 2013, be sure to get your survey in by 12/20!

Together, let’s work towards leveraging technology to promote enhanced learning in our K-12 schools! Thank you to all our participating schools, districts, followers and to all our partners for your encouragement and support of this year’s surveys! Without you Speak Up would not be possible!
Surveys Submitted as of December 7, 2013 at 7PM ET:
Students: 194,609
Teachers & librarians: 25,668
Parents: 22,251
Administrators: 3,086
Community Members: 841
Top 5 School Districts, based on total participation:
Welsaco ISD, TX
McAllen ISD, TX
Brevard County School District, FL
Fairfax County Schools, VA
Madison County School District, AL
Top 5 states, based on total participation:
Texas, 36,287
California, 31,672
Alabama, 24,602
Indiana, 20,118
North Carolina, 16,110
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Last minute Promotional Ideas

There’s still two weeks to get involved! If you just registered your district or are looking for new ways to promote the survey, how about trying one of these ideas:

Host a Speak Up Day: Pick a day in December to have your K-12 community complete the Speak Up Surveys! San Marcos Unified School District in California collected 1,500 surveys during their 1st Annual Speak Up Day during the Speak Up 2012 survey period. SMUSD promoted their event via email, website, phone calls & social media!
Post a notice to your local community newspaper or blog: Post a message inviting your community to participate in Speak Up to your local newspaper or patch.com! Barrington Schools in RI and San Bruno Park School District in CA posted to their local patch.com, check it out! For sample text, please contact the Speak Up Team at speakup@tomorrow.org or use one of the follow sample texts found on our promotional materials page.
Focus on one survey type: Each survey receives their own data set with national comparisons (k-2, 3-5, 6-8,9-12, parent, teacher etc.) a focus on teachers, parents and/or administrators is an easy push and a great way to receive a meaningful dataset. Some recommendations would be to send an email or phone recording to parents or email blast to your teachers. Click here for a variety of sample emails.
Highlight the Speak Up survey on your website using one of our Speak Up logos (with a link to the survey). Click here for the code to embed on your website. Make sure to include your survey password!
Do your teachers need an activity before the winter break? Or an idea for sub plans? Download one of our Speak Up Lesson Plans, created by our ownMeredith Kohl, who holds a Master of Education in curriculum and instruction and a previous elementary teacher. Lesson Plans for K-2, 3-5 and 6-12 are available for download. * Group survey options are available for K-2 students.
Use social media networks such as facebook or twitter to get the word out about Speak Up to your stakeholders. Try retweeting one of our @speakuped tweets or searching #speakupsurveys.
For additional promotional material to spread awareness, please visit our promotional material page at: http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/promo.html.
Not part of a school or district- help get the word out with our Partner Promotional Material Tools. If your organization is interested in partnering with Project Tomorrow this year to assist with outreach to your contacts, please contact Jenny Hostert at jhostert@tomorrow.org. For a list of Speak Up partners and sponsors please visit our website.
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Recorded Webinar: Planning for Speak Up 2013

Interested in participating in this year’s Speak Up surveys but want to learn more about it? Now’s your chance! Watch our Speak Up Introductory webinar recording hosted by our CEO, Julie Evans. This 45 minute recorded webinar includes background information on Speak Up, benefits of participation, key Speak Up findings from last year’s survey as well as how their school can participate in Speak Up this year.
The recorded webinar can be accessed via Blackboard Collaborate here:Speak Up 2013 Planning.
As a special incentive for participation this year, all districts with surveys from at least 25% of their student population will receive a free webinar with Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow using your specific district and state data results in spring or fall 2014. Contact Jenny Hostert on the Project Tomorrow Team for additional information: jhostert@tomorrow.org.
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Expand the scope of your Speak Up outreach and bring in the voices of your community members

You don’t have to be an educator or student to take the survey. The voices of your community members are important too!

This year, for the first time, we are providing a special online survey for community members. Local employers, after school providers, school board members, homeowners without children in the local schools or anyone with an interest in promoting better learning in our schools can now provide their views on the role of technology in preparing students for the jobs and careers of the 21st century. This new set of data will provide valuable insights for schools and districts as well as state and federal policymakers on the importance of digital tools and resources for college and career readiness.
All community members will access the survey through a school in their local community. Look up a school via zip or state and school name. Surveys will take about 15 minutes to complete.

Community members: Take the survey todaywww.speakup4schools.org/speakup2013.
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Instructions on How to Take the Survey

It’s quick and easy to get involved in Speak Up, to take the survey follow these 5 simple steps:
  1. Go to this link: www.speakup4schools.org/speakup2013
  2. Click on the appropriate survey button
  3. Follow the given instructions to access the survey. Begin by clicking on the drop down button and select your state, then go to the next line and type in your school name (community members select a school within your local community)
  4. Students will be required to enter in a survey password “secret word”. Educators, parents and community members are not required to enter in a survey password.
  5. Complete the survey by December 20th, 2013
Not sure which survey to take? Visit our Tips on Deciding which Survey to Take, to help you select the survey that best meets your needs.http://www.speakup4schools.org/speakup2013/TipsDeciding.aspx
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Thank you for your interest and continued support in Speak Up! We look forward to your participation in Speak Up 2013! Be sure to stay updated on all things Speak Up by following us on Facebook, Twitter and our Blog.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at jhostert@tomorrow.org or via phone at 949/609-4660 ext. 17.
Jenny Hostert
Speak Up Operations Manager
Project Tomorrow
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