Henrico County Public Schools has won the 2003 Governor’s Gold Technology Award for the Teaching and Learning Initiative. The school system also earned the distinction in 2001 for the same initiative.
Henrico schools teamed with Apple and launched the Teaching and Learning Technology Initiative in 2001. iBooks were deployed to all high school students and teachers at the beginning of the 2001-02 school year. Middle school students and teachers began utilizing laptops beginning with the 2002-2003 school year. The school system made a deal with Apple to purchase over 20,000 iBooks, making it the largest districtwide laptop installation in the U.S.
The Governor’s Gold Technology Award honors organizations that use technology innovatively to enhance the provision of services. Henrico schools received the honor for being the first public school system in the nation to provide laptop computers to all middle school and high school students, and to all staff, through the Teaching and Learning Initiative.
The 2003 winners of the Governor’s Technology Awards were honored at the Virginia Information Technology Symposium held in Roanoke recently. The awards recognize excellence, innovation and effectiveness in using technology to improve the lives of Virginians, increase the efficiency of government and encourage technology-based economic development throughout Virginia.
The Henrico school division has been recognized repeatedly for the laptop initiative. Some of the most recent awards include: The Greater Richmond Technology Council’s Technology Skillbuilder Award, National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) Technology Salute and the NSBA Trailblazer Award. Henrico schools was also named one of District Administration Magazine’s top 10 Technology Districts.