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Division B is committed to designing engaging activities for students. Research shows that engaged students earn higher grades, perform better on tests, persist on tasks, and expect success. Data shows a deficiency in Mathematics in all strands in grades K-8. When teachers are armed with just textbooks, they are fighting the impossible battle of teaching abstract concepts to disinterested students. As one of her Director’s Goals, Dr. Fernandez has made implementing drones for instructional use in mathematics a priority. Together, Dr. Norma Fernandez and Kimberly Crowley implemented The Drone Project.

The Division B Drone Project has 8 schools that have chosen to participate. Participants in The Drone Project span K-8 grade levels. Twenty-three teachers received Professional Development, which provided teachers with the technical and conceptual knowledge to include this technology into their classrooms to engage learners. The Division B Drone Project is designed to provide digital equity to ALL learners regardless of race, socio-economic status, or classification.

Measures were put in place to evaluate the effectiveness of the Division B Drone Project. The Division B Drone Project has had particular success with the ELL and SWD population (particularly the Primary Autistic population). Student interviews and reflections regarding The Drone Project have provided common themes. This initiative has helped to amplify student voice by having students become authentic participants and agents of their learning. Using drones in mathematics lessons have helped elicit high intellectual performance, with students developing lessons and creating projects to demonstrate mathematical concepts using drones. The Drone Project has activated student interests and strengths, while helping build relationships between the teacher and student along with relationships between student and student.

The Division B Drone Project was designed in July 2015 and began its implementation in January 2016. Division B has plans to continue Professional Development with Cohort 1 of The Drone Project, as well as expanding this initiative