The National School Boards Association (NSBA) has named three school systems as 2007 Salute Districts in recognition of their focus on technology to promote student achievement.

The Salute Districts are Forsyth County School District in Cumming, Ga.; West Chester Area School District in West Chester, Pa.; and Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District in Farmers Branch, Texas.

Forsyth County School District, which has an enrollment of 29,000 students and 2,500 certified educators, was selected for its use of technology to transform district operations. The district has focused on creating active, engaging classrooms through targeted hardware decisions and a comprehensive professional development program to ensure that their investment of interactive white boards will be successful.

Reviewers were impressed with West Chester Area School District because of its thoughtful yet comprehensive guidelines for its technology decisions. The district, with an enrollment of 11,700 students, just west of Philadelphia, stands out for its ability to deliver data to impact instructional decisions. The school district has also developed an innovative program to help high school seniors transition from high school to college or the workplace.

Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD, a pre-k through grade 12 system with 27,000 students, stands out for its “Beyond Hardware” initiative that examines technology training in the context of curriculum needs and its impact on student achievement. The district strikes a unique balance between replicating practices that have proven effective while continuing to foster a spirit of inquiry and innovation about how new tools might be applicable.

The Salute Districts will be honored during NSBA’s 2007 T+L Conference in Nashville, October 17-19.

Founded in 1940, the National School Boards Association is a not-for-profit federation of state associations of school boards representing 95,000 local school board members throughout the United States. Its mission is to foster excellence and equity in public elementary and secondary education through local school board leadership. NSBA represents the school board perspective in working with federal government agencies and national organizations that impact education, and provides vital information and services to state associations of school boards throughout the nation.