State: Texas | Number of Students: 24,070 |
School Type: Public School District | Free and Reduced Lunch: 49.7% |
Grade Level: PK-12 | English Language Learners: 21.7% |
State of Technology
Leading the Way: In spring 2014, Pflugerville ISD teamed up with Dell to expand its technology in support of thedistrict’s STEM Initiative. Pflugerville adopted Project Lead the Way (PLTW) curriculum to support the initiative througha grant from Pflugerville Education Foundation and Pflugerville Community Development Corporation. PLTW hasbeen implemented at Hendrickson High School, John B. Connally High School, and five Pflugerville ISD middle schools.Since deploying the Dell devices and using PLTW curriculum, high school students have had the opportunity to learnengineering and design skills using CAD software.
Influx of Laptops: In July 2016, Pflugerville ISD’s board of trustees approved the purchase of 6,900 Dell laptopsto update the district’s computer systems. The purchase cost $3.97 million including devices, carts, professionaldevelopment and deployment support. All devices will be distributed across the district to elementary and middleschools by October 2016. The district will work with BrightBytes to monitor use of these laptops. The hope is toincrease opportunities for students to develop critical writing skills and dialogue, and for teachers to build efficacy withtechnology in the classroom.
Wireless Initiative: In October 2015, Pflugerville ISD kicked off its wireless initiative. The district installed 2,100 wirelessaccess points across all campuses, one per classroom, and increased system speeds to 5 gigabytes per second, whichis about ten times faster than the old connections. The new wireless system was installed in preparation for the influx ofnew devices in 2016.
Grants for Innovative Teaching: In May 2016, teachers across Pflugerville ISD received over $34,000 in InnovativeTeaching Grants from the Pflugerville Education Foundation. The foundation awards the grants to support teachers and encourage innovative teaching practices. Eight teachers were selectedto use the grant money to implement innovative programs during the2016-2017 school year. Awards included funding for: wireless listeningstations, an elementary technology club where students learn to codeand create videos, mobile devices to detect vision issues with students,and devices such as a MakerBot Replicator Mini Desktop 3-D Printer,a set of 20 iPads, and a green screen for students to create digitalimages and innovative videos.