NETDAY SPEAK UP SURVEY WILL REMAIN OPEN UNTIL DECEMBER 15

Allowing more time for students, teachers and parents to participate in the
nation’s largest online survey about education  

IRVINE, CA November, 21, 2006 –Responding to requests from hundreds of schools nationwide, the fourth annual NetDay Speak Up survey announced that schools and school districts will have additional time to participate in the online survey collecting data on science, math, technology and 21st century education from the nation’s K-12 students, parents and teachers. The survey, located at www.netday.org/speakup, will remain open for input through December 15.

Over half a million students, teachers and parents have already registered to take the Speak Up 2006 survey. The extension is a result of numerous requests from schools and school districts seeking to utilize Speak Up 2006 as a meaningful learning experience for their students, teachers and parents.

“We already know that schools and school districts are reaching out to the community and identifying unique ways in which the Speak Up 2006 survey can be used for transformation of the teaching and learning process. We wanted to give these schools additional time to expand Speak Up as a learning event for students to reflect on their technology experiences both in and out of school, as well as their views of math, science and 21st century skills. We also wanted to support teachers in this process and to engage more parents as well, “said Julie Evans, CEO, Project Tomorrow/NetDay.

As of today, over 116,000 students, teachers and parents have already completed the online Speak Up surveys with the greatest amount of surveys being submitted so far from schools in Texas, California, Illinois, Maryland and North Carolina.  The survey is open to all schools, public or private, who would like to learn more about the views and ideas of their students, teachers and parents on key education topics today.  There is no fee for participation and all collected data is 100% confidential.   

Schools and districts that participate in the Speak Up survey will have online access to their own aggregated data and the national benchmark data in late January.  States that have a minimum of 1% of their student population take the survey will also receive a Speak Up report on their aggregated data as well.  NetDay will release national findings from the Speak Up 2006 surveys early in the spring.     

More about Speak Up 2006

Now in its 4th year, NetDay Speak Up's national online survey invites students, teachers, and parents from around the country to share their input in an online survey. The survey is open to K-12 students, teachers and parents in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and in American schools on US military bases worldwide.    Schools and districts register at www.netday.org/speakup

For the first time, the national research project includes a survey especially designed to collect feedback from parents about their views and ideas on science and math education, technology use in school and preparing their children to compete in a global economy.  Speak Up is the first national research project to collect and compare student, teacher and parent views on education.

This year's survey will follow up on many of the technology issues addressed in the 2003, 2004, and 2005 surveys and address new and ongoing hot topics in education.

The major themes for this year’s survey questions address:

• Opportunities and impact of technology on learning
• Communications, self expression and social networking
• Global Awareness and international collaborations
• Science, math, national competitiveness, and workforce development
• Schools of the future

Speak Up 2006 is supported by Dell, Inc, BellSouth Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and Advanced Network and Services.  Information about the survey is distributed through a virtual network of 100+ nonprofit and association partners representing teacher organizations, youth development groups, curriculum associations, business organizations, education policy advocates, research organizations and media.

Learn more about NetDay Speak Up and how schools and districts can register to participate at www.netday.org/speakup

About the Speak Up National Research Project

Since fall 2003, the annual online survey event has collected the views and ideas of over 562,000 K-12 students and over 26,000 teachers representing 7,000 schools from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and American schools on US military bases worldwide. 

The Speak Up data represents the largest compilation of authentic, unfiltered stakeholder input on education and technology and is used regularly by education, business and policy leaders to inform federal, state and local programs on education.  Every school that participates in the Speak Up surveys gain exclusive access to their own aggregated student and teacher data to drive technology budgeting and purchasing, curriculum planning, teacher training and community outreach activities.

The findings of the Speak Up surveys are shared with local, state and national education officials integrated into educational planning at every level and are used to make decisions on issues such as technology use in school.  Examples of the impact of the data on national policy discussions include:

• The US Department of Education used Speak Up data in the development of its 2005 National Education Technology Plan, Golden Age in American Education: How the Internet, the Law and Today’s Students are Revolutionizing Expectation.
  
  
• Visions 2020.2: Student Views on Transforming Education and Training Through Advanced Technologies, a report developed in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Commerce, is based upon the Speak Up 2004 data and offers a clear picture of how students want to use technology for learning.
  
  
• Student Views on Technology for Learning: Students Speak Up to the President captures 67,000 student responses to the question “What is the one thing you would like to tell the president about how you use technology for learning?”  

The national reports on the Speak Up data and examples of how schools, districts and communities are leveraging the Speak Up data to improve education are available at http://www.netday.org/Speakup/index.htm

NetDay Speak Up is a national initiative of Project Tomorrow, the new nonprofit organization formed with the merger of NetDay and Project Tomorrow in September 2005.  The mission of the new combined organization is to support and promote the effective and appropriate use of science, math and technology resources in K–12 education so that every student has the opportunity to fully participate in today’s global economy and community.  We are dedicated to preparing today’s students to be tomorrow’s innovators, leaders and engaged citizens.  Learn more about our mission and our programs at www.tomorrow.org.

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