Fort Lee Administrator Taking Lead on Educational Technology in District, State

With the advent of new technologies and in the era of Web 2.0, educators have a lot to learn as they are continually forced to adapt their instructional and professional practices to most effectively teach their students. At least one Fort Lee school administrator is taking the lead, not only in the district, but in the state, in ensuring that the latest insights, innovations and technical advancements are implemented in classrooms and beyond, and that teachers are keeping up with the times.

Assistant Superintendent for Fort Lee Public Schools Steven Engravalle is the Technology Chair for NJASA and was recently nominated by the state DOE to help write New Jersey’s technology plan.

A member of the NJASA technology committee since 2007, he became chairman in July.

“What our group tries to do is promote the infusion of instructional technologies into the classroom,” Engravalle said. “We have complex learners now. We have children who when you walk into the room, when they’re doing homework, the music’s on, the TV’s on, they’re getting an IM, they’re skyping some kid, text messaging, but they’re also learning.”

He said his ultimate aim as an educator is that instructional practices are meeting the needs of the increasingly “complex brains that are in our students.”

“It’s our goal to see that happen in every student,” he said, adding that some instructors and fellow administrators are well behind the curve when it comes to many of these strategies.

Engravalle believes that in “the worse economic downturn in our country’s history since the Great Depression” the goal of his committee is to introduce ways that instructional and other technologies can streamline processes in education, while saving money, being as fiscally responsible as possible and increasing services at the same time.

Toward that end, Engravalle is currently working on a number of new technological initiatives for the Fort Lee school district. His current project is implementing a student information system called Power School that integrates digital content, assessments, analytics and next generation web tools. The system, which Engravalle says will save the district $12,000, is capable of generating report cards in multiple languages, facilitating communication among students, teachers, administrators and other faculty members on data, assessment, course management and learning. Now in its early stages, Engravalle hopes to have Power School fully integrated with the district’s previous system, Genesis, in mid-April, with staff roll-out in June and  full use of the system in September.

Other initiatives Engravalle will implement are ipods for physical education teachers, who do most of their work outside of classroom settings, ipads for school administrators and bringing the school district’s phone system into the 21st Century, saving yet more money in the process by further streamlining administrative tasks.

“And when we say we’re doing that, we’re doing that with a conservative approach too,” Engravalle said. “We’re always looking for ways to save money.”

As part of his duties as the NJASA Technology Chair, Engravalle recently organized the 16th annual Techspo exhibit in Atlanitic City on Jan. 27 and 28, which he called “the premier educational technology convention in the northeast.”

“Some of the finest school districts in New Jersey demonstrate what they’re doing in their schools that hopefully our people who attend—administrators, board members and teachers who attend—can take what they learn back to their own schools and hopefully implement some of these innovative ideas.”

Engravalle was also recently nominated by Laurence Cocco, manager of the Office of Technology for the New Jersey DOE to work in Trenton to help write the state’s five-year technology plan.

“I’m very honored to be part of that,” Engravalle said. “It’s important for us to be involved. We are a leader in education in Fort Lee public schools. My goal is to make us the example when it comes to educational technology. People already recognize us for our location, and we already have a reputation because of educational excellence. But I want people to associate other things with Fort Lee as well.”