Technology Improved

With each passing year, technology plays a bigger and bigger role in the work of our teachers and the education of our students.

Because of that, the improved use of and access to technology has been a major part of the Students First projects.

Technology upgrades have included infrastructure, wireless and hard wired systems, IP phone and PA systems and updated teacher computers and student labs.

DMPS has taken steps to upgrade the district network infrastructure for our future needs. Making the network more efficient brings a wide range of benefits to the district, including better communication, improved data sharing and cost savings.

Most significantly, an upgrade in the district’s network backbone to 10GB has increased bandwidth and offers a faster and more reliable network district-wide.

DMPS has increased our wireless capacity to all of our buildings. Our buildings have been saturated with the latest wireless technologies that will allow up to 30 wireless devices per classroom, preparing our schools for future 1:1 computer or tablet initiatives.

DMPS has also replaced analog phones with digital IP phones. This replaces phone systems in renovated school buildings to a centralized phone system, and includes new PA systems in those buildings.

In addition, the district has placed one computer lab per elementary building, two for middle schools and up to three in the high schools, in addition to providing a laptop for every teacher.

The chart below shows the steep decline in the computer:student ratio at Des Moines Public Schools.