The role of faculty development in the integration of technology into an elementary school: The digital school district initiative in the Quaker Valley School District

Faculty development for public school teachers has been recognized as a key factor in the successful operation of educational institutions. The introduction and integration of technology into the curriculum delivery of these schools has added difficulty to the process of faculty development. Technology integration has presented strong challenges not only to faculty but to members of the administration charged with the responsibility of overseeing it. The ultimate example of technology integration into a public school district is the total conversion from a conventional pedagogy to a digital format.;This field project is a qualitative case study of the faculty development program devised and implemented by the administration of the Quaker Valley School District, Sewickley, Pennsylvania, for its elementary schools. This district was chosen because it is in the process of converting from a conventional to a fully digital school district.;The purpose of the project was to examine and discuss the various attributes of the applied faculty development program designed to complete a digital conversion project in the elementary schools within the Quaker Valley district. The field project discussed the elements of the faculty development program, and records the perspectives and reactions of both administrators and elementary school faculty members who participated in the digital school district conversion. Using faculty interviews and focus groups, the study concluded that the district administrators adequately assessed the challenges posed by the conversion, and created a helpful faculty development program.