As a three time Apple© Distinguished Program honoree and a 2015 District Administrator Magazine District of Distinction for a Digital Learning Platform, the district continually seeks to meet its mission of creating a caring environment that gives all students the opportunity to achieve their fullest personal and academic potential in order to become productive and responsible citizens. The vision to achieve this mission is to prepare students for the world they will live in, not the world the adults grew up in. This vision requires the collaboration of many stakeholders—students, staff, parents, and community members. Partnerships with local businesses and institutions, such as the Boeing Corporation, The Franklin Institute, The University of Pennsylvania, and Widener University, assist in providing resources to support the vision. Ridley School District has a 1:1 iPad program for grades K-12 with a digital language arts and mathematics curriculum. The iPad program is augmented with mobile laptop carts in all schools and content dedicated computer labs in the middle and high schools. The 2016-2017 school year marks the start of a Maker Space initiative in our elementary schools to expand coding opportunities to younger students beyond the after school club. The middle school will be growing the Innovation Center and Think Tank programs as part of the STEM elective strand in grades 6-8. The strand offers opportunities in computer science, digital literacy, digital citizenship, technology education and electronics. A Digital Learning Lab will support the high school cross-curricular use of technology resources. The lab will serve all content areas and also enable students in AP Computer Science, Graphic Design, Broadcast Production, Robotics, Advance Robotics, Tech Support and App Design additional creation space outside of the assigned classroom. The district serves as a technology site host for a number of schools in the region. Site visits are designed to demonstrate the struggle and growth of a district that works to help students in elementary MAKE, middle school INNOVATE, and high school DESIGN their own learning.
