Seton Hall University Donates 50 Laptops to Dayton Street School

Dayton Street Elementary School teachers are getting plugged in this summer.

Seton Hall University (SHU) donated 50 laptops Tuesday morning to teachers at the South Ward school as part of the university's urban school transformation program. The IBM Lenovo laptops, distributed to the school's 42 teachers as part of SHU's partnership with the School Improvement Grant (SIG), will be used to facilitate in-classroom instruction and further staff development.

"The purpose of them (laptops) is just one of the vehicles in which we're securing the job-embedded professional development," said Ron Karsen, principal of the pre-K through grade eight school.

Dayton Street Elementary School, located near , is a recipient of a three-year federal SIG, federal money awarded to 5 percent of the lowest performing schools in New Jersey. Since receiving the $4.3 million total grant last spring, SHU "master teachers" have come into the classroom for a minimum of one hour a week to coach Dayton teachers one on one.

"Because we're in the classroom, we know all the teachers' strengths and abilities," said Charles Mitchel, the executive director of SHU's Academy for Urban School Transformation. "Our professional development (model) is always focused on observing and identifying the areas from the teachers."

"Master teachers" host model lessons and provide feedback to teachers at Dayton, according to Mitchel, who serves as associate dean for urban and international initiatives at SHU. The program has previously been used in George Washington Carver Elementary School and Newton Street Elementary School.

SIG has allowed to Dayton to also implement extended school days from 8:35 a.m. to 4:35 p.m. and increase technology by placing SMART Boards and Wi-Fi throughout the building, according to Karsen.

"We're starting to see a real distinct focus," said Karsen. "Not only that, we're seeing focus on the kind of work the kids are producing. Just their writing alone has become more intense."

Ginger Mullens, who has taught at Dayton for 20 years, looks forward to using her new laptop in the classroom and at home. Mullens and other Dayton teachers will attend a three-day workshop this August at SHU that will focus on boosting the use of technology while teaching.

"I can't wait to sit down and play with it more," said Mullens, who currently teaches the READ 180 reading program and will use her laptop to find interactive activities to teach in the classroom.

"The technology in this school has gotten better, the staff is coming together, there's more parent involvement, the students scores are changing positively," said Mullens of how SIG has transformed Dayton in the last year.