DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 410 678 EA 028 578

TITLE Bringing Tomorrow's Technology to You Today: School Board of Tomorrow Resource Guide. INSTITUTION National School Boards Association, Alexandria, VA. PUB DATE 1997-04-00 NOTE 34p.; Guide to an exhibit at the Annual Meeting of the National School Boards Association (Anaheim, CA, April 26-29, 1997). PUB TYPE Guides Non-Classroom (055) EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Boards of Education; *Computer Mediated Communication; Computer Networks; *Computer System Design; Corporate Support; *Educational Technology; Electronic Mail; Elementary Secondary Education; Information Management; Information Networks; Information Services; Information Systems; *Information Technology; *Telecommunications

ABSTRACT The National School Boards Association (NSBA), the National School Boards Foundation, NSBA's Institute for the Transfer of Technology to Education, and Apple Computer, Inc., launched "The School Board of Tomorrow Exhibit" at NSBA's 1996 annual conference and exposition in Orlando, Florida. This handbook summarizes the communication technologies featured in the exhibit. The first part provides an overview of the five different environments simulated in the exhibit: a school board member's home office, the family education network (FEN), a superintendent's office, a school board meeting room, and a community forum. The second part of this guide contains five selected NSBA articles from "The Electronic School." The articles offer advice and information on hiring technical constOtants for a school district, conducting successful bond campaigns, using e-mail to conduct school board business, and acquiring funding for technology. A list of technology providers is included. (LMI)

******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Thos document has been reproduced as received troirn the person or organttation

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PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) NSBA CONFERENCE Anaheim Convention Center Anaheim, California April 26-29, 1997

BEST COPY AVAILABLE 2 Of Tomorrow

Resource Guide

Sponsored by

National School Boards Association National School Boards Foundation NSBA's Institute for the Transfer of Technology to Education (ITTE) Apple Computer, Inc., and associated companies

National School Boards Association Conference Anaheim, California April 26-29, 1997

3 Foreword

&le is not the main thing in influencing others, it is the only thing Albert Schweitzer

Helping school board members and other school leaders follow Schweitzer's advice to lead by example is the purpose of our School Board of Tomorrow Exhibit. The National School Boards Association's Institute for the Transfer of Technology to Education (11TE) and the National School Boards Foundation have joined with Apple Computer, Inc., and other corporate partners in creating this exhibit to help inspire you and inform you about the many ways technology can make school leaders more effective.

This exhibit demonstrates how existing and emerging technologies can help school board members succeed in their roles as policymakers, elected officials, mediators, and public servants. Technology can help in interactions with students, teachers, administrators, parents, taxpayers, business leaders, and local and state politicians on topics ranging from textbooks and school boundaries to studentteacher ratios and student achievement. And by using technology to help you fulfill your leadership role during these times of significant change, you will model the behavior you ask of others who make technology an integral part of the education process in your school district.

We hope the School Board of Tomorrow Exhibit and these accompanying materials raise your awareness of how technology can help make your school board service even more meaningful.

Sincerely,

Anne L. Bryant Mike Lotion Executive Director; Vice President, Education Division National School Boards Association Apple Computer, Inc. Trustee, National School Boards Foundation

iii 4 Table of Contents

The School Board of Tomorrow Exhibit Overview 1

Exhibit Showcase Areas 3

The School Board Member's Home Office Desk 3

The Superintendent's Office 6

The School Board Meeting Room 9

The Community Forum 11

Appendix: Technology Providers 15

Selected NSBA Artides* 17

*Reprinted with permission from The Executive Editor or The Electronic School. Copyright 1996 or 1997, the National School Boards Association, all rights reserved. Chapter 14, entitled "A Focus on Technology," is from NSBA's book, Becoming a Better Board Member.

If 5 The School Board of Tomorrow Exhibit Overview

The National School Boards Association (NSBA), the The Family Education Network (FEN) is new to the National School Boards Foundation, NSBAs Institute for exhibit this year. The FEN is a Web-based service that the Transfer of Technology to Education (TI'L'E), and Apple brings schools, families, and communities together to Computer, Inc., launched The School Board of Tomorrow help parents get more involved in their children's educa- Exhibit at NSBAs Annual Conference and Exposition in tion. FEN offers a free turnkey solution to school districts Orlando last year. Over 4,000 board members toured the that helps superintendents and school board members exhibit to discover the exciting applications of technology create a local online presence designed to provide families for their personal and professional use and to meet with with a wealth of local, state, and national education infor- experts on such topics as campaigning, planning, effective- mation and resources. This unique service also includes ness research, home learning, and many others. the interactive communication tools needed to connect The School Board of Tomorrow Project was featured in parents and concerned citizens in the community and several state school board association conferences, and the across the country. FEN's vice president, Bob Block, will exhibit guide has been distributed to over 20,000 school demonstrate the rich resources and be available to discuss board members through presentations and mailings. ways in which FEN is partnering with districts and corpo- In an ongoing effort to inform school board members rations to offer special programs for school districts. about technology, NSBAs Electronic School quarterly pub- A Superintendent's Office presents applications for lication has featured, throughout the year, regular articles administrative productivity. Dr. Charles Stallard, director of under the heading of "School Board of Tomorrow" that technology for Henrico County Virginia Schools, is hosting are reprinted in the second half of this resource guide. this area and will demonstrate how district administrators Included are articles with advice and information on can use a variety of powerful solutions to increase produc- hiring technology consultants for your district, conducting tivity and provide effective tools for planning, governance, successful bond campaigns, using e-mail to conduct board and administration. Henrico County Schools is a featured business, and acquiring funding for technology. district in the HIE Technology Leadership Network. Dr. This year the exhibit has been expanded to include Richard Thome, superintendent of Cardiff School District new software for creating video and Web publishing, new in southern California and an Apple Distinguished products such as the eMateTM mobile computer, and new Educator, is a featured expert in the area of administrative partners like the Family Education Network and The Little technologies and will demonstrate a host of applications Institute for School Facilities Research. for administrative personnel. The exhibit simulates four different environments that are quite familiar and are described below. A School Board Member's Home Office showcases productivity and communication technologies, along with exciting resources for family computing. Dr. Bard Williams, noted education technology author and an education technology consultant for Apple Computer, is hosting the home office. Barbara Nelson, an expert in family learning solutions and author of an award-winning preschool technology program, is hosting the family computing area of this exhibit.

6 A School Board Meeting Room models technologies Gary is also the founder of The Little Institute for School that can make school board meetings more productive Facilities Research. Gary will be available to orient exhibit and improve the dialogue between board members and visitors to The School Design Primer and answer ques- the community. Dick Moody, an education technology tions related to effective school design for 21st-century consultant for Apple's Western Education Region, is schools. hosting this area. He was formerly the assistant executive A Community Forum focuses on technology that director of the Washington State School Directors' allows instant access to vast resources of information Association and is a member of the NSBAs School Board and people through the Internet. The exhibit includes of Tomorrow Advisory Board. powerful, affordable technologies that can impact the Featured presentations include the beta release of productivity and effectiveness of school boards. In just NSBAs Education Leadership Tool Kit: Change and the past year, a host of new Web sites, software tools, and Technology in America's Schools. The Web-based toolkit hardware products are making information access and sets the process of technology planning and implementa- publishing easier, more productive, and portable. John tion in the larger context of systemic change and strategic Santoro, an expert on the Internet and multimedia planning. It covers a range of technology-related topics, technologies, is hosting this area. including models of successful school programs that use NSBA staff working in the School Board of Tomorrow technology and research findings on the impact of tech- Exhibit include Ann Meier Baker, director, National School nology on educational processes and outcomes. Hilary Boards Foundation; and Cheryl Scott Williams, director, LaMonte is creator of the Education Leadership Tool Kit Institute for the Transfer of Technology to Education. and a manager in NSBAs Institute for the Transfer of Jolaine Harbour, manager of Apple's Education Technology to Education. She will be on hand to orient Strategic Relations programs, is the Apple sponsor of the exhibit visitors to the rich resources of this online toolkit exhibit and the School Board of Tomorrow Project. and to show how school board members can use it to Apple and NSBA staff will provide orientation sessions lead more effectively in their districts. in the School Board of Tomorrow theater; every half The Little Institute for School Facilities Research, hour throughout the exhibit. formed in 1996, is a North Carolina nonprofit corporation Since school districts typically have a mix of computing created to improve the body of knowledge surrounding systems, we have taken great care to feature cross- school facilities issues and to serve as a public resource platform solutions. In addition, most of the peripheral for organizations and individuals seeking to use this devices selected, as well as Apple's-hew eMate 300 knowledge to improve educational opportunities for all student computer; are compatible with both ® learners. The Little Institute recently published The and Windows operating systems. School Design Primer; a planning handbook for elected school officials and school facility professionals. The handbook covers topics as diverse as selecting school sites, vandalism prevention, and contracting with architects. Gary L. Hubler, MA, is president of the School Division of little & Associates Architects, the largest architecture and engineering firm in the Carolinas, based in Charlotte, North Carolina. His division specializes in intelligent designs for public and private primary and secondary schools and in four decades has completed more than $650 million in school building construction.

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2 Exhibit Showcase Areas

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Overview This area presents a typical school board member's home office with a desktop computer, laser printer, and a 4 portable computer for use away from the office. The computers contain a collection of software applications that enhance personal and professional productivity, as well as facilitate communication with the community and the outside world. Also in this office are other useful tools: a fax machine, a cellular telephone, an answering machine, a pager, and a palmtop computer. Many technologies can be used in a home office that cannot be seen, such as a fax card installed inside the printer that adds plain paper fax machine functionality to the printer, or a telephone answering machine installed inside the computer. School Board Member's The Family Computing Corner, next to the School Home Office Desk Board Member's Home Office Desk, has been designed Key technologies and their benefits to demonstrate how the entire family can benefit from use 1. Integrated Software Packages.Provide of learning programs, multimedia authoring and presenta- a single integrated application that offers the most tion tools, home finance software, and Internet access. common personal computing functions, including word processing, budgeting and spreadsheet analysis, Equipment that you see in this area database creation, drawing, graphics, and communica- The equipment includes an Apple® Power tions. With these easy-to-use applications, you can Macintosh' 7300 desktop computer with an seamlessly combine text, graphics, spreadsheets, tables, AppleVision® 1710Av monitor connected to an and charts all within the same document if you choose. Apple Color StyleWriter® 2500 printer. Also included This type of software allows school board members to area fax machine, a portable scanner, wireless transform text and raw data into a professional-looking networking, and an ® MessagePad® publishable report or document. 2000 handheld computer. The key technologies Software products for consideration showcased here are listed below. ClarisWorks 40 by Claris Corporation (showcased) Microsoft Office by Microsoft Corporation

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3 2. Relational Databases.Easy-to-use customizable 5. Desktop Scanning.With the addition of a small, databases let you organize and access information from portable device that sits in front of the monitor, it is multiple files in any number of ways. When you change now possible to scan a multitude of documents into information in one file, it automatically changes in any the computer, reducing the need to keep large docu- other related file. A database might be used to keep ments and assorted piles of paper. With a small track of mailing lists, school or personal records, or portable or flatbed scanner, papers and documents can equipment and school assets. be organized in a logical manner, as well as accessed Software products for consideration quickly and efficiently. FileMaker Pro 3.0 by Claris Corporation (showcased) Products for consideration Visioneer PaperPort Vx Scanner with Internet Capabilities 3. E-mail and Online Services.Online services by Visioneer (showcased) provide electronic-mail access as well as access to a HP ScanJet 4s Scanner by Hewlett-Packard wealth of information resources for a basic monthly Apple Color OneScanner" by Apple Computer, Inc. fee of about $10. Internet access usually costs about $20 a month. Electronic mail enables a school board 6. Personal Information Management member to receive information and communicate Software.This type of software enhances personal almost instantaneously with anyone else who has an time and resource management by seamlessly integrat- e-mail account. It also provides a means of communi- ing address and telephone lists, schedules, to do lists, cating with people who may not be available to talk at and notes into one complete solution. A school board a specific time. Some of these applications need access member can use these tools to schedule meetings or to an Internet service provider. You can find further quickly look up a telephone number. The most current information on Internet resources under Connecting products allow use of the calendar features over the to the Internet in the "Community Forum" section of . this guide. Software products for consideration Online and e-mail service products for consideration Claris Organizer 2.0 by Claris Corporation. (Showcased) America Online (showcased) Microsoft Scheduler 7.0 by Microsoft Claris Emailer by Claris (showcased) Now-Up-to-Date and Now Contact by Now Software (Showcased) Microsoft Exchange by Microsoft Day 7imer 2. 1 by Day Timer Technologies FirstClass by SoftArc (showcased) ACT! by Symantec QuickMail by CE Software In Touch 2.5 Eudora Pro 3.0 by Qualcomm DateWew 2.6 4. Remote Network Access.This application Hardware productsHandheld electronic organizers allows access to entire networks of computers by dialing Apple Newton MessagePad 2000 by Apple Computer in from a remote location. School board members might Pilot 1000 & 5000 by US Robotics use this to access, from their home computer, informa- Additional products by Psion, Hewlett-Packard, tion or applications stored on a computer at the district Rolodex, and Casio office or at a school site. These products are also used to provide remote technical support from the school 7. Personal Finance Software.This software district to a school board member who has encountered organizes and keeps track of your personal finances, technical difficulties while working at home. including checking accounts, credit cards, and invest- ments. These powerful, easy-to-use tools can help you Products for consideration keep your personal finances in good order. Access by Apple Computer, Inc. (showcased) Timbuktu by Farallon Computing Software products for consideration Quicken 7.0 by Intuit, Inc. (showcased) Wall Street Investor by Comstar

9 4 Family Computing Center 2. Family Access to the World Wide Web. Families can now access the rich resources of the Internet's World Wide Web right from the comfort of Overview their own homes. Using popular World Wide Web This area presents various educational and entertainment browsers such as Navigator," and associated software applications designed to stimulate home learn- software such as SurfWatch that prevents access to ing. These applications can be used to supplement a inappropriate sites for children, parents can now child's school learning, as well as to provide a focus for encourage their children to explore cyberspace with family activities. peace of mind. Software products for consideration Equipment that you see in this area 3.1 by Netscape (showcased) There are two Apple ®computers: Internet Explorer by Microsoft (showcased) the Power Macintosh 5500 and the Power Macintosh SurfWatch by SurfWatch (showcased) 6500, both with an Apple Multiple Scan 15Av monitor. The 5500 is connected to an Apple Color StyleWriter 2500 inkjet printer, a low-cost printer suitable for home use. The 6500 is connected to cable TVto demonstrate built-in color 'IV and multimediacapa- bilities. Each is loaded with the applicable softwareto showcase technologies described below.

Key technologies and their benefits 1. Information Reference and Educational Learning CDs and Software.CDs now bring vast amounts of information much closer to the finger- tips of school board members and their families. Large dictionaries and entire sets of encyclopedias can be contained on a single CD. Textual information is brought to life with the addition of sound, animation, color images, and video clips. Software products for consideration 1997 Multimedia Encyclopedia by Grolier (showcased) TIME Multimedia Almanac Reference Edition by SoftKey Electronics Arts 3D Atlas (showcased) by Electronic Arts On Campus 96 by Kaplan (showcased)

10 5 Hampton City Schools in Virginia, for example, digitally archived volumes of policy and state education memoranda by scanning printed documents into a database and used AppleSearch® software to index the documents. Now, board members simply enter key words to search for and quickly retrieve all related policies. 401tet1lii This area has two desks, a superintendent's desk and an ,111 oh assistant's desk. Both machines run software applications that help accomplish the daily tasks in the office.

Equipment that you see in this area

Superintendent's Desk: An Apple computer with an Apple 1710Av multiscan monitor along with a PowerBook® 1400c. This technology enables the superintendentto take The Superintendent's Office advantage of the best of both worlds: high-end desktop computer to use in the office anda powerful PowerBook computer to use in the field. Thesuper- Overview intendent can also use these powerfulcomputers Superintendents in many cases have the responsibility of for multimedia presentations atremote sites. running the biggest business in town. Educational leaders Both computers are networked toa LaserWriter® need powerful tools to access information, analyze trends, 16/600 PS printer. Also showcasedare an electronic plan, track budgets, produce the payroll, track expenses, white board connected to the PowerBook,a and handle a multitude of other tasks. They also often speakerphone, a cellular phone, anda Pilot. need to tap into a district intranet, the Internet, or large mainframe computer systems to access or share data. Assistant's Desk: The Apple Power Macintosh 7300 The Superintendent's Office shows a variety of PC Compatible computer with a 17" multiscan technologies that are relevant to the daily activities of a monitor connected to a flatbed color scanner, the superintendent and his or her staff. These range from Apple Color OneScanner, are featured here. This basic applications such as electronic mail or calendar Macintosh computer features a cross-platform DOS software to complex relational databases. Many of these compatibility card running Windows 95. This enables applications are designed to enable a busy superintendent those working on a Macintosh not only to share data and files with someone working on a Windows to function effectively virtually anytime, anywhere. machine, but also to run Windows applications Some lighthouse districts have progressed in their use directly on an Intel P166 MHz card installed in the of complex applications to better serve the needs of their Power Macintosh computer. entire communities. Dr. Charles Stallard of Henrico County Schools in Virginia will demonstrate a wide variety The software solutions shown in thisarea are of ways that technology can enhance productivity in described below. district administration, communications, and governance.

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6 Key technologies and their benefits 3. Databases.Shared databases can be set up over 1. Electronic Mail and Messaging. Apowerful, a standard network and accessed through the local high-performance, multiplatform communications network, from a remote site, or over the Internet. system often integrates e-mail, messaging, conferenc- These types of databases could be used to assess ing, discussion databases, forms processing, online curriculum development, track project assignments information services, and remote access. Software such and associated costs, or allocate human resources. as First Class that is widely used in schools provide an Charles Stallard will show databases used for a variety of effective means of communication within a school as purposes, including substitute teacher management, well as within and across school districts. E-mail appli- textbook ordering, curriculum development, project cations also provide access to other schools across the management, grant proposal writing, and accessing country. Superintendents can remain better informed school board policies. by using e-mail to stay on top of developments in the dis- Products for consideration trict; to communicate, publish, or disseminate informa- FileMaker Pro 3.0 by Claris Corporation (showcased) don electronically; to access large discussion groups; and AppleSearch by Apple Computer, Inc. (showcased) to seek technical assistance from a support help desk. Apple Remote Access by Apple Computer; Inc. (showcased) Products for consideration OneWorld Group Fax /Network Modem FirstClass 3.5.1 by SoftArc (showcased) by Global Village (showcased) QuickMail 3.6 by CESoftware GroupWise 5 by Novell ListStar 1.1 Mail by Quarterdeck Microsoft &change by Microsoft Eudora Pm 3.0 by Qualcomm

2.Intranet/lntemet Technologies.The Internet provides vast amounts of information on almost any subject, and for this reason many educators are turning to it as a reference tool. Many districts are also building districtwide intranets, private networks based on the same technologies used to drive the Internet. Intranets offer the opportunity to build a private, powerful, high-performance, multiplatform communications system that often integrates many of the disparate communications services offered by districts today. Products for consideration Netscape Navigator 3.0 (showcased) by Netscape 4. Scheduling Software.Groups of people can Kent School District Intranet Site now be networked together (regardless of the type of Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 by Microsoft computer) for the purposes of planning, scheduling, and confirming meetings without ever leaving the office. Scheduling software can be used to manage per- sonal schedules, meeting rooms, facilities, and school and district calendars. Group meetings can easily be set up and verified with very little effort, time, or trouble. Products for consideration Meeting Maker 4.0 by On Technology (showcased) Microsoft Schedule by Microsoft Corporation

7 12 5. Administrative Solutions.A variety of software 7. Word Processing and Desktop Publishing: applications are designed specifically for handling the A variety of cross-platform word processing and administrative matters associated with running a school integrated software packages allow users to create or a school district. These programs enable easy track- newsletters, flyers, reports, and professional-looking ing of school attendance, schedules, student profiles, documents with charts, graphics, and photos. Often grades, and class schedules. used by administrative staff, these tools enable anyone Products for consideration to produce polished documents quickly and easily. Mac School 3.2 by Chancery Software (showcased) Products for consideration MSI 5.2 by NCS ClarisWorks 4.0 by Claris Corporation (showcased) PageMaker by Adobe (showcased) Macintosh 6. Cross - Platform Compatibility. MacWrite Pro by Claris (showcased) computers have the ability to run "cross-platform" Microsoft Word by Microsoft (showcased) applications on a single computer, that is, to run Microsoft Excel by Microsoft (showcased) software applications from another operating platform WordPerfect Suite 7 by Corel (showcased) such as DOS or Windows. For instance, it is possible to run both Macintosh applications and Windows 95 8. White Board Technology.Electronic white applications at the same time on certain Macintosh boards that capture your pictures, diagrams, plans, or computers. This feature offers the advantage of running meeting notes and save them on a computer to be applications designed for either environment without printed out or electronically distributed have replaced the cost of having two separate computers. It provides the traditional blackboard and chalk. Also, it is possible added flexibility for people who work in a multiplatform to project from the computer to the white board and environment. use the touch screen sensitivity of the white board to Products for consideration manipulate the computer. This technology is particular- Apple PC Compatible Card P166 by Apple Computer, Inc. ly useful in capturing information written on a white (showcased) board during meetings or for projecting information so OrangePC 400 & 500 Card by Orange Micro that a larger group can see. Soft WindowsTM 95 40 by Insignia Solutions (showcased) Products for consideration Smart Board by Smart Technologies Inc. (showcased) SoftBoard 200 Series & 400 Series by Microfield Graphics Inc.

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8 se e

Overview Building public confidence in schools is a major concern of the National School Boards Association, individual state associations, and local school districts. Your school board meeting is central to building that public confidence. When you participate in efficient, orderly, and productive meetings, the public sees how their schools are governed. Clear and concise communica- tions is critical to that process. How you gather, analyze, and disseminate information during your meetings is essential to that communications process. Your school board meeting can become a showcase of the technolo- gies your teachers are using to increase the knowledge A variety of tools and technologies are showcased to and skills of the community's children. In doing so, school enhance the experience of anyone attending a local school board meeting. Included are new, powerful mobile board members become familiar with and use classroom computing tools to aid in accessing information; creative technologies for policy and administrative purposes, and the public sees how its tax dollars are being spent to techniques for presenting information to the board or improve student learning. the community in an attractive, easy-to-read, persuasive format; projection equipment that enables computer Using the multimedia technology of your classrooms presentations as well as three-dimensional objects to will help your school board in its four critical roles as be seen by a group; sound systems that can be easily governors of public education: transported from one location to another; and systems Vision. Technology planning as part of a district's for easily and inexpensively polling public opinion on strategic plan helps keep the school board focused on controversial school district issues. improvements in student learning. Presentation tools for clear communications throughout the process will help Equipment that you see in this area in developing a workable plan. A variety of mobile solutions for use at school board Structure. School District Policy establishes the struc- meetings. Included is a portable computer, in this ture for the learning environment. Database retrieval of case a PowerBook 3400c; a handheld computer, in policy documents and supporting information provide this case an Apple Newton MessagePad 2000; elec- decision makers with information when they need it. tronic opinion polling devices; a digital camera that Advocacy. Portable technology makes delivering your can be used for both still photos and full-motion message to the community easier and provides a more video conferencing; a variety of projection equip- powerful presentation that is better remembered than a ment; and portable sound systems. speech delivered from 3 x 5 cards. Accountability. Demonstrating the technology that you Key technologies and their benefits ask voters to fund through bond and levy elections shows 1. Mobile Computing Solutions.While your community what it is supporting and how its use maintaining the power of the desktop machine and improves student learning. being lightweight and compact in size, the latest version of portable computers offers the ultimate in mobile computing. In this case, a PowerBook 3400c connected to a cellular phone for wireless access to a remote desktop computer enables computing

1_ 4 BEST (COPY AVAILABLE 9 anywhere, anytime, with access to almost anything telephones or keypad devices connected to a DOS- needed in an office. This technology gives the school compatible Macintosh or a DOS or Windows machine, board member the ability to travel frequently and still it is possible to collect, tally, and graphically display on be informed. On a portable computer, it is possible to a large projection screen up-to-the-minute results of a create professional and engaging multimedia presenta- community opinion poll. Using these technologies, a tions, access large amounts of information from the school board can poll its community on a particular school or district network, communicate with almost issue by voting during an actual meeting or by soliciting anyone anywhere through electronic mail, and access votes via the telephone. the vast resources of the Internet. Products for consideration Products for consideration KeyPad Polling by Voice Poll Communications (showcased) Communications software 4. Projection Equipment.Old-fashioned slide or Apple Remote Access or A.R.A. by Apple Computer, Inc. overhead projectors have been surpassed by newer (showcased) technology that enables images to be projected directly First Class by SoftArc (showcased) from a computer, allowing last-minute changes to the QuickMail by CESoftware content of the presentation. This also allows projection GroupWise by Novell of full-color and full-motion video. A desktop projector Microsoft Exchange by Microsoft can be connected to a Macintosh or a DOS or Windows Presentation software computer. Additionally, it is now possible to project Persuasion 4.0 by Adobe (showcased) printed documents or three-dimensional objects to MacroMind Director by MacroMedia clearly demonstrate something to an audience. PowerPoint by Microsoft In this exhibit, a Visualizer, manufactured by Elmo 2. Handheld Computing.The Apple MessagePad Corporation, is connected to a 27-inch NTSC Sony 2000, running the latest Newton operating system, monitor to project the demonstration of the Apple offers advanced handwriting recognition, as well as a MessagePad. variety of practical, time-saving functions to keep you Products for consideration well organized throughout your day. A personal digital For projecting from a computer assistant such as the Apple MessagePad allows you to Proxima DeskTop Projector (showcased) have a large selection of productivity, finance, time and Infocus information management, electronic reference, docu- Sharp ment publishing, and communication software all in For projecting opaque or three-dimensional objects the palm of your hand. This enables the school board Elmo Visualizer by Elmo Corporation (showcased) member to have instantaneous access to pertinent information, financial records, and critical schedules. 5. Portable Sound Systems.As attendance at It also provides the ability to send or receive data school board meetings grows, it is often necessary to anywhere, anytime, such as prior to an important provide adequate sound systems for the community school board meeting. to hear what is going on. Featured here are audio sound systems (with speakers) and wireless Lavilier Products for consideration microphones that can be easily set up in different Apple Newton MessagePad 2000 by Apple Computer; Inc. locations as the school board meeting moves from Pilot 1000 & 5000 by Pilot one place to another. Additional products by Psion, Hewlett-Packard, Rolodex and Casio Products for consideration Voyager Model PB-300W Speakers by Anchor Audio, Inc. 3. Electronic Opinion Polling.Public opinion in (showcased) the school district community can be gauged easily, LM-60IWB-11 Wireless Lapel Mic by Anchor Audio, Inc. quickly, and relatively inexpensively using technologies (showcased) such as KeyPad Polling and Voice Polling. Using either

15 10 communications. Today, video conferencing makes it possi- ble to bring real conversations and people into an office or meeting setting. More important is the ability to share live documents and collaborate on their development. Finally, technology that allows the students to perform research in the community will be shown. Using a four- pound computer, students can gather data from the 0.1N\ vAt. surrounding area and bring it back to the classroom for further analysis.

Equipment that you can see in thisarea An Apple Power Macintosh 6500 computer with Apple's 1710Av color monitors showcasing media access on the Web. You can also see an Apple Power Macintosh 6500 machine using Apple 1710 multiscan monitors creating multimedia while two Power Macintosh 5500s are used to access the Internet for desktop publishing and creating homepages on the World Wide Web.

Also showcased in this area isone of Apple's newest Overview mobile solutions, the eMate 300, which is designed for education by educators, and the Apple Color LaserWriter Perhaps one of the most exciting applications of 12/600 for high-speed, high-quality color printing. technology for school board members is enhancing communications with various constituencies. The Key technologies and their benefits Community Forum area showcases key technologies that allow a board member to gather information from or 9. Video Creation and Editing Software/Hardware. communicate with the community, as well as with people There is no better way to communicate with a large and resources far beyond the boundaries of the local number of people than by using videotape. This community. solution area shows how creating and editing videos The resources highlighted in this area allow board can now be an affordable and fun proposition. members to communicate with the community in several Products for consideration ways. Given the vast reach of the Internet, home-page AVID Cinema by Apple Computer, Inc. (showcased) creation will be featured. Additionally, low-cost video 2. Student Involvement in the Community. creation and editing will be shown. Until now, computer technology has been limited to A spotlight will also be brought to ways technology can the school site. Whether in the classroom or a special benefit election campaigning. It enables a school board lab, computers could only be used within the walls of member to find voters and communicate with them, the school. The eMate 300 mobile computer changes research issues and statistics, create and distribute printed everything by allowing students to use technology and digital messages to a large number of constituents, anytime, anywhere. This lightweight device allows prepare speeches, and communicate instantly with the students to gather data from around the community, media. Technology offers the perfect solution to the conduct science experiments, and chart their results low-budget campaigns of school board members. all using a tool designed to handle the rigors of daily As broadband networks develop to allow transfer of large student use. amounts of digital information, use of technology such as Products for consideration video conferencing will become commonplace in daily eMate 300 by Apple Computer, Inc. eProbe by Knowledge Revolution

11 16 3. Publishing on the World Wide Web.Using The World Wide Web offers access to enormous amounts. the technologies showcased here, school board mem- of information and resources. A few that are particularly bers can create their very own home pages. A home relevant to the interests of school board members are page works well to communicate a platform to the showcased here. local constituency in board campaigns. School districts S. Browsers.Many computers in this exhibit are set up can create a home page to publicize the accomplish- with a network browser and preset bookmarks that ments of teachers and students. A Web page can also give you easy access to relevant URIs (or home-page be used to facilitate communication between the addresses). Additional software, in this case, SuriWatch, school board and community. has been added to limit access to inappropriate sites. 4. School Home Pages.The number of new Web Netscape Navigator by Netscape is a multiplatform sites or home pages produced and maintained by application or browser for personal computers that school districts, high schools, and even elementary serves as the interface to the increasingly popular schools has increased rapidly. Nationally and interna- portion of the Internet called the World Wide Web tionally, schools of all sizes are posting their informa- (WWW). Navigator displays the highly graphical infor- tion to the World Wide Web, creating a true community mation found on WWW server computers on the of minds and spirits dedicated to quality education. Internet, called Web sites. Other browsers are available, The epicenter of these school-based sites is a special but because Navigator was distributed free of charge, Web site called Web66 (http://web66.coled.umn.edu/) by early 1995 it had become the software of choice for that is maintained to provide a true resource for people browsing the Internet. school-based Internet information. One of the most Users can easily browse or "surf" the WWW by pointing compelling links on this page is the International and clicking on highlighted text on a home page. Registry of K-12 Schools on the Web. This link will take That is, by clicking on highlighted text the user can you to a compilation of all the school-based Web sites jump from one location on the WWW to another in the world. automatically. The combination of easily displayed A visit to just a couple of these sites will show you and searchable Internet data has vastly reduced the examples of excited, motivated students who are learn- complexity of the Internet, bringing it into the realm of ing how to report school news, present their school's the average personal computer user. major issues, and share the results of collaborative pro- The ease of operation for the end user has expo- jects with the world. Some first stops we suggest are: nentially expanded the number of users of the Internet Highland Park Elementary School, Austin, Texas to the point that businesses, schools, and organizations http:// www.hipark.austin.isd.tenet.edu /home /main.html of all types now enjoy large electronic audiences. Board members can use this powerful medium to expand Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, Alaska communication with a variety of constituents. http://www.northstar.k12.ak.us/ Products for consideration Products for consideration Netscape Navigator 3.1 by Netscape (showcased) Home Page by Claris (showcased) Microsoft Explorer by Microsoft Page Mill 2.0 by Adobe CyberFinder by Aladdin Visioneer PaperPort Vx Scanner by Visioneer (showcased) SiteMill 2.0 by Adobe (showcased) SurfWatch by SpyGlass (showcased) WebSTAR 2.0 by Quarterdeck WordPerfect 60 by Novell (showcased)

17 12 6. Security on the Internet.Parents, teachers, 8. Election Campaigning Using Technology. and school administrators are concerned about the The key to a successful campaign is being able to com- unlimited access to sites on the Internet that may be municate with the community. Technology can play a inappropriate for children. To address this concern, a major role in allowing you to spread your message. In variety of new software products have been developed, addition to the video creation and home-page creation including SurfWatch. shown in other parts of the area, desktop publishing is featured here. To augment the normal text and graphics Surf Watch is one of a growing number of applications found in most flyers, a digital camera will be shown that that allow schools, homes, and others to prevent access allows you to add full-color images to any document. to undesirable areas of the Internet. These programs use various technological strategies to block communi- Products for consideration cation with selected Internet sites essentially by keeping QuickTake® 200 by Apple Computer, Inc. track of the Internet address of these sites and then Color LaserWriter by Apple Computer; Inc. instructing the user's Internet software to prevent Summary communication with them. This exhibit showcases a variety of simple, easy-to-use technologies that support the work of school board mem- The sites that can be blocked by these programs are bers and superintendents. We hope we have succeeded updated on an ongoing basis through a subscription in providing a glimpse of how technology can make life service with the vendor. easier and more productive as school board members and Many schools and organizations in communities where superintendents continue to work to improve the quality the open nature of the Internet has become an issue can of education in schools for generations to come. continue to make the vast resources of the Internet avail- able to their users while feeling secure that objectionable material is less likely to be viewed with these products.

7. Connecting to the Internet.Connecting to the Internet has remained a mystery to a large number of potential Internet surfers for a number of reasons, including the complexity of Internet software, lack of knowledge of which software to buy, and whom to contact to obtain an Internet connection.

Almost any bookstore will stock book/software all-in- one products that contain generally available "share- ware" and the instructions on how to install and use it to get on the Internet. Apple Computer, Inc., has gone a step further and developed the Apple Internet Connection Kit by selecting and thoroughly testing soft- ware that will give the user an optimal connection to the Internetincluding contact information to quality Internet providers.

28 13 Appendix

List of Technology Providers NOTE: Companies marked with names listed in BOLD TYPE have been actively involved in supporting this School Board of Tomorrow Exhibit by donating equipment, software, and technical expertise.

Adobe Systems Incorporated Chancery Software Inc Fairfield Language Technologies 1585 Charleston Road, P.O. Box 7900 4170 Still Creek Drive, Ste. 450 122 South Main Street Mountain View, CA 94039-7900 Burnaby, BC, Canada V5C 6C6 Harrisburg, VA 22801 (415) 961-4400 (604) 294-1233 (800) 788-0822 www.adobe.com [email protected] www.trstone.com AEC Software Claris Corporation Family Education Network 22611-113 Markey Court 5201 Patrick Henry Dr. 20 Park Plaza, Suite 1215 Sterling, VA 20166 Santa Clara, CA 95052-8186 Boston, Massachusetts 02116 (800) 346-9413 (800) 544-8554 (617) 542 6500 www.aecsoft.com www.claris.com www.familyeducation.com Aladdin Systems, Inc. CompuServe Farallon Computing 165 Westridge Drive 5000 Arlington Centre Blvd. 2470 Square Loop Watsonville, CA 95076 Columbus, Ohio 43220 Alameda, CA 94501 (408) 761-6200 (800) 609-1674 (510) 814-500 www.aladdin.com www.compuserve.com www.farallon.com America Online, Inc. Connectix Corporation Global Village 8619 Westwood Center Drive 2655 Campus Drive 1144 E. Argues Ave. Vienna, VA 22182 San Mateo, CA 94403 Sunnyvale, CA 94086 (800) 827-6364 (800) 950-5880 (800) 640-4562 www..com www.connectix.com www.globalvillage.com

Anchor Audio, Inc. DataViz Inc. Grolier Inc. 923W. 223rd St. 55 Corporate Drive Sherman Turnpike Torrance, CA 90502 Trumbull, CT 06611 Danbury, CT 06816 (310) 533-5984 (203) 268-0030 (203) 797-3500 www.dataviz.com Apple Computer, Inc. www.grolier.com One Infinite Loop DK Multimedia, Inc. IMSI Cupertino, CA 95014 95 Madison Avenue 1895 Francisco Blvd. East (408) 996-1010 New York, NY 10016 San Rafael, CA 94901-5506 www.apple.com (800) DKMM 575 (415) 257-3000 www.dk.com www.imsisoft.com Casady & Greene 22734 Portola Drive Edmark Insignia Solutions Salinas, CA 93908-1119 P.O. Box 97021 1300 Charleston Road (408) 484-9228 Redmond, WA 98073-9721 Mountain View, CA 94043 www.casadyg.com (206) 556-8400 (415) 335-7100 www.edmark.com CE Software Intuit 435 Washington Street Electronic Arts P.O. Box 3128 Somerville, MA 02143 P.O. Box 7578 Lisle, IL 605 (617) 492-4999 San Mateo, CA 94403 (800) 462-6765 www.ce.com (415) 572-2787 www.intuit.com

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2 9 15 Kaplan On Technologies SoftKey 888 Seventh Avenue One Cambridge Center One Athenaeum Street New York, NY 10106 Cambridge, MA 02142 Cambridge, MA 02142 (800) 527-4836 (617) 374-1400 (800) 227-5609 www.kaplan.com [email protected] Orange-Micro Little Institute for School 1400 N. Lakeview Ave. SpyGlass, Inc. Facilities Research Anaheim, CA 92807 175 S. San Antonio Road, Suite 102 Little & Associates Architects (714) 779-2772 Los Altos, CA 94022 5815 Westpark Drive www.orangemicro.com (415) 948-9500 Charlotte, NC 28217 Personal Training Systems T/Maker Company (704) 525 6350 1005 Hamilton Court 1390 Villa Street Macro Media Menlo Park, CA 94025 Mountain View, CA 94040 600 Townsend (800) 832-2499 (415) 962-0195 San Francisco, CA 94103 www.ptst.com www.macfaq.com/vendor/ software/1067.html (415) 252-2000 Proxima Corporation www.macromedia.com 9440 Carroll Park Dr. U.S. Robotics Microsoft Corporation San Diego, CA 92121-2298 605 N. 6500 W. One Microsoft Way (619) 457-5500 Salt Lake City, UT 84116 (847) 982-5151 Redmond, WA 98052 Quark, Inc. www.microsoft.com www.usrobotics.com 1800 Grant Street Microfield Graphics Inc. Denver, Colorado 80203 Visioneer 9825 SW Sunshine Ct (303) 894-888 2860 West Bayshore Road Beaverton, OR 97005 Palo Alto, CA 94303 Quarterdeck (503) 626-9393 (800) 787-7007 5770 Roosevelt Blvd, Bldg. #400 NCS Clear Water, FL 34620 VIZ-Soft Development 11000 Prairie Lakes Drive (800) 683-6696 P.O. Box 5151 Eden Prairie, MN 55344 www.quarterdeck.com Walnut Creek, CA 94596 (800) 431-1421 (510) 210-0600 Reply Corporation www.vizsoft.com Netscape Communications 4435 Fortran Drive Corporation San Jose, CA 95134 Voice Poll Communications 501 E. Middlefield Rd. (800) 955-5295 1025 Angle Lane Mountain View, CA 94043 www.reply.com Everett, WA 98201 (415) 528-2555 (206) 259-4205 SkyTel Communications www.netscape.com 200 S. Lamar St. VolaTec Inc. Nolo Press Jackson, MS 39201 35 Industrial Parkway 950 Parker Street (800) 203-7886 Northvale, NJ 07647 Berkeley, CA 94710 www.skytel.com (201) 768-9400 www.vocaltec.com (510) 549-1976 SMART Technologies [email protected] Suite 600 Zane Publishing Novell, Inc. Corporate Headquarters 1177 -11th Ave. SW 1950 Stemmons, Suite 4044 1555 North Technology Way Calgary, AB, Canada Dallas, TX 7207 Orem, UT 84057 USA (403) 245-0333 (214) 800-6000 (801) 429-7000 www.smarttech.com www.novell.com SoftArc Inc. Now Software, Inc. 100 Allstate Parkway 921 S.W. Washington Street, Suite 500 Markham ON L3R 6H3, Canada Portland, OR 97205-2823 (905) 415-7000 (503) 274-2800 www.softarc.com

© 1997 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, AppleSearch, AppleVision, LaserWriter, Macintosh, MessagePad, Newton, Power Macintosh, PowerBook, and QuickTake are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Power Mac and OneScanner are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Netscape Navigator is a trademark of Netscape Communications Corporation. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation and SoftWindows is a trademark used under license by Insignia from Microsoft Corporation. Trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Apple takes no responsibility for use of software suggested for consideration. Their inclusion does not constitute an endorsement. Furthermore, while Apple has worked to ensure cross-platform compatibility, it is not guaranteed. Purchasersshould consult with respective companies for additional information when huying the products/services. 16 BEST COPY AVAILABLE 90 SelectMBA Articles

21 17 SCHOOL BOARDOF TOMORROW

Selling Technology Bonds Here's how to get the voters on your side

By Kevin Bushweller

In Austin, Texas, voters pass a$369 Know your community By separating the three proposals, million school bondthe largest To begin with, consultants and school Christian says, bond supporters had in district historyand a sizable activists generally say money for tech- three selling features to bring people to chunk of it is earmarked for tech- nology should be included as part of a the polls. City residents who were com- nology improvements. After five larger bond package. In more tradition- ing to vote primarily for the technology consecutive education bond losses at al communities, where many people features of the bond, supporters figured, the polls, Monroe County (Wash.) appear to doubt the effectiveness of would also support the other two pro- school activists engineer a sophisticated technology, asking voters to approve a posals. Equally important was that more bond campaign that yields $500,000 for technology-only bond is a recipe for than half the money in proposition3 technology upgrades. In Cobb County, failure, consultants say. But technology was for school security, an issue of deep Ga., school supporters counter aggres- can be used as a sales feature in a pro- concern to parents in an urban area like sive opposition to pass a bond issue gressive, pro-technology community. Austin. Many parents, Christian says, that includes$32million for new tech- Including technology funding as part of probably voted for proposition3for nology. a larger package helps bring other that reason alone. Even in California, where passing a much-needed improvements to schools, The bond package was designed bond referendum requires a super- such as additional classrooms or new after exhaustive research into what the majority of two-thirds of the voters, dis- sports facilities. schools needed, and what the voting tricts are passing bonds, and many of With that in mind, Austin school community would support. Once it was the successful measures include millions officials broke this year's historic bond all put together, it was time to sell it to of dollars in technology upgrades. The issue into three separate proposals: the public. lesson: Even in the face of seemingly Proposition 1 provided$121million for The first step in a successful bond insurmountable electoral odds, voters renovation of existing schools, proposi- campaignwhether the funds are for can be persuaded to support school tion2asked for$177million for new technology or new schools or bothis technology. schools and additions to current to identify two people who know a lot That's not to say that winning bond schools, and proposition3provided$72 of voters in the community and ask elections is getting any easier. In many million for security and technology them to head the bond campaign com- places, in fact, anti-tax activists and upgrades. (About$26million was for mittee, says Christian, who runs her cash-strapped voters have crushed technology.) Voters cast ballots for or own public relations consulting business school bond efforts and discouraged against each of the separate proposals. and has a daughter and son in the other districts from even putting bond All three were passed by voters. Austin schools. issues on the ballot. Even so, it is possi- "We have the advantage of having As cochair of the committee herself, ble to pass bonds to help upgrade your one of the most [technologically] net- Christian spearheaded a fund-raising district's technology. So if you're con- worked communities in the state," says campaign, soliciting donations from sidering this technology funding option, Elizabeth Christian, former cochair of individuals, corporations, neighborhood take a lesson from districts that have Austinites for Our Schools, a political groups, men's and women's clubs, and succeeded. action committee that was formed to PTAs. The PAC raised about$300,000 win the bond. "Austin is a very high- and spent $100,000 of it on television tech community." advertisements, she says. 22 18 The PAC wanted to reach as many included $44 million for new computers ferent levels of support in the two dis- nonparents as possible, Christian says, and software. Despite her worries, the tinct communitiesMonroe County to hammer home the message again and bond passed. and Maltbythat make up the school again that improving the schools would What was the difference between the district. raise property values. The answer was 1993 loss and this year's win? Among the findings was that most television advertising and aggressive "[The voters] could see technology voters generally supported putting more door-to-door campaigning. Inevitably, wasn't some abstract idea anymore; the technology in the schools. So, although though, it was the aggressive pursuit of climate was right," Nelson says. "In '93, technology accounted for only a frac- parents that probably won the election, the technology program was just start- tion of the $24 million bond, supporters she says. (Political consultants say par- ing, and [voters] couldn't see the vision emphasized its inclusion in the bond as ents, particularly mothers, are usually of the program or anything tangible much as possible, Cavassa says. strong supporters of bonds that include about it. This time, we were specific But "what works in one community technology.) about what we wanted to enhance. We might not work in another," warns Christian describes voter turnout for were able to say, 'If you vote for this, Larry Tramutola, a California-based the election (12 percent) as "pathetic," we will improve programs by doing so political consultant who works with but in the same breath she admits that and so.'" school communities to win bond cam- the low turnout might have worked in School activists in Monroe County, paigns in a state that requires two-thirds the bond's favor. In Texas, polling sites Wash., also bounced back this year of the voters to pass a bond. "Generally, are open for voters to cast their ballots after suffering five consecutive defeats technology is not the thing that is high- three weeks before the official date of in school bond elections. One campaign est on the list in California," he says. "I the election. The committee hustled to lost by only eight votes; another time, don't know of any school district where make sure early voting sites were set up bond supporters were handily defeated their needs are so minimal" that they at all of the county's 96 schools. It also because the election followed a teacher could propose a bond that includes only helped that PTAs were hosting open strike. technology. houses at schools and teachers were Supporters were determined to Proposals for upgrading science lab- holding parent-teacher conferences change that bad-luck history this year. oratories, on the other hand, are almost during that three-week period. And to do so, they realized, would surefire winners, he observes. And for "The typical bond voter in Austin is require a sophisticated analysis of what that reason, he says, school districts well over 50 years old, with no kids in the community would support. To take should broaden their definition of tech- school, and conservative, so we needed the pulse of the community, supporters nology to include a broad spectrum of to find a way to get parents to vote," hired Voice Poll Communications of equipment, not simply computers and Christian says. "Parents came to the Everett, Wash., a company that uses computer-related items. school for other reasons, but when they telephone-polling technology to collect got there they said, 'What the heck, and analyze voter opinions. Beating the opposition we're here, let's go ahead and vote.'" Of "That was essential," says Julie the 38,368 people who voted, 17,912 Cavassa, cochair of Citizens for In Cobb County, Ga., school activists voted early, and the early voters ran 3-1 Monroe Public Schools, which lobbied sold the community on the idea that the in favor of the bond. for passage of the bond. "We had a pre-district needed $221 million to improve conceived notion that the most impor- its facilities and upgrade technology. Timing is everything tant thing to voters was cost. We But convincing voters they should sup- learned they were really most con- port a school bond five times larger "Technology is a scary thing to put on acerned about what the money would be than the last one, approved five years bond," says Linda Nelson, president of spent for." earlier, was no easy task. the Plano, Texas, school board. The voice-poll service identified For one thing, four months before She should know. Three years ago, people who had voted in four of the last the election, economists in the state the district asked voters to approve a five elections and those who had just were saying it would be tough to pass $135 million bond that had technology registered to vote. Using a prerecorded the bond because interest rates were as a major feature. "That bond failed, survey to which people could respond rising and voters were in a stingy mood. and we were devastated," she recalls. by pushing buttons on the telephone, For another, opposition to the bond "We went back to voters in 1994... the service asked both groups 16 ques- was strong and well organized. One and totally left out the technology part, tions, with each subsequent question opponent, according to the Atlanta and the bond passed." adding more details about the bond Journal and Constitution, filed a com- This year, Nelson says she wasn't proposal. The computer compiled the plaint with state officials stating that sure what to expect when the board responses and produced a report show- then-superintendent Grace Calhoun went back to voters yet againthis time ing what voters would support. The instructed principals to lobby for pas- with the largest school bond in district analysis divided the voters into parents sage of the bond. history, a total of $175 million, which and nonparents and contrasted the dif-

1 9 23 (Georgia law, like that of most states, Baldwin says a number of people in "The message was that we were restricts public school employees from the community believed school technol- doing our community a disservice by lobbying for or against bond referen- ogy was a waste of money. The commit- not having the technology we needed," dums. Calhoun told the Atlanta newspa- tee countered those arguments, she Baldwin says. per she had not been aware of that law; says, by bringing back college students Early on, committee members were following the complaint, the newspaper who had graduated from the Cobb assigned to get in touch with former reported, Calhoun sent a memo County schools to talk about the need students at different colleges. instructing principals and administra- for more technology in the schools. Appropriately, they reached many of tors to give only unbiased information These young men and women said they the college students by e-mail. As a con- about the bond.) struggled when they first entered col- sequence, she says, "we did very well Bond supporters immediately went onlege because they didn't have a strong with absentee ballots" and won a close the offensive to counter the opposition. foundation in the use of technology. election. "One of the most important things Baldwin's daughter, for example, "The technology portion of the bond you have to do is make sure every com- now a student at Vanderbilt University, definitely helped it pass, because it was for munity has something to gain from the took mostly advanced placement cours- all schools, to help them all get on-line," bond," says Vivian Baldwin, former es in high school, but she never set foot says Baldwin. "It was something everyone cochair of Kids Can't Wait, a political near a computer, her mother says. was going to get. That was key." action committee that raised $40,000 to When her daughter first got to pass the Cobb County bond. "We came Vanderbilt, Baldwin says, she struggled Kevin Bushweller ([email protected]) isa out with an outline of what each individ- in some classes because she hadn't been senioreditor of Electronic School. Reprinted ual schoolall 88 schoolswas going toexposed to technology in public school. from Electronic School, September 1996 get. I highly recommend doing that."

WHAT WORKS schools, generally stir more opposition than technology in a bond package. But many voters still question the real educa- Winning a school bond package that includes technology is tional value of technology, and you have to get your message to much easier in some communities than in othersafter all, them about its benefits. each community's needs and attitudes are different. Even so, Supporters of a school bond for the Rochester Community political consultants and school bond watchers say some uni- Schools in Michigan say they learned several of those lessons versal rules apply to everyone. last year when they lost a $110 million bond election that One of the first things Jeannie Henry of the South Carolina would have added $10 million in technology improvements to School Boards Association tells school districts is not to take their schools. the bond to voters if the school board itself is divided between The first problem was that a few members of the school board supporters and opponents of the bond. "You usually can't win did not support the bond, according to Irene Connors, president [if that's the case]," says Henry, who frequently presents of the board. Without a unified message from the board, she says, speeches and workshops on the topic. "We win very, very few voters themselves were more likely to question its value. referendums when the board is split." Other problems emerged too. Another rule, she says, is not to ask for excessive amounts of "The public had a preconceived notion there was fluff in the money, especially during difficult economic times. How do you bond," Connors says. The weekend before the election, she know what is excessive? Henry says bond supporters must poll says, opponents of the bond waged a fiercely negative cam- likely voters to determine the answer. Without polling, you risk paign. Just 48 hours before the election, opponents published not only overestimating, but even underestimating, the amount newspaper advertisements making claims about the bond that voters would be likely to support. Connors says were grossly exaggerated or factually incorrect. Henry offers these additional rules of preparation, especially "We were not prepared for the misinformation that came out," for bonds that have technology attached: she says. "It was just too late. I'm not sure what you should do Don't confuse voters with a lot of technical terms and when a community is waiting to trounce you." technology jargon. It only serves to alienate people. In the past, playing up the technology component of a bond Don't oversell the need for technology. Bond advocates was not necessarily a helpful way to neutralize opponents, says need to walk a fine line. On the one hand, they must show the Kent Price, a political consultant in California who helps community that students need the technology. But on the schools win bond campaigns. But more recently, he says, tech- other, they must be careful not to exaggerate, which can keep nology has become a good selling feature of a bond. "The voters from trusting their judgment. younger voters are starting to catch on," says Price. "Theyhave Don't be overconfident because there is no visible opposi- a perception that technology is becoming increasingly more tion to the bond. Emotional issues, such as the location of new important. It's a reflection of our world now."K.B.

BEST COPY AVAILABLE 20 24 SCHOOL BOARDOF TOMORROW

The Funding Puzzle Looking for funding? Look at an education foundation

By Anne Ward

Attracting funds for school of volunteer effortfrom boards of draw on a wider range of personnel, and technology depends in part directors to people who sell raffle tick- better integrate curriculum countywide. on how well a school or dis- ets. The differences reflect the individ- In Colorado, on the other hand, two trict organizes the effort. As ual communities and the foundation's high schools in the St. Vrain Valley state and federal funding goals. School District have created their own dwindles, communities nationwide are For the 17 school districts in New foundations to meet individual needs. discovering how to create their own Jersey's Cape Educational Technology An existing community foundation money magnets in the form of founda- Alliance (CETA), the impetus to join the St. Vrain Valley Education tions. These tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) cor- forces in 1995 was to find strength in Foundationfunds minigrants for porations smooth the way of giving by numbers. Most of the districts serve teachers in all the district's schools as raising public awareness, standardizing fewer than 1,000 students; the largest well as other education efforts in the systems for donating, listing programs enrolls 2,500. "Individually, few of the community, to the tune of from to be funded, and demonstrating that districts were able to attract funds," says $10,000 to $30,000 each year. "But we grants will be managed in a businesslike Greg Rohrman, business administrator were competing with 32 other schools manner. Foundations also yield side ben- for the Wildwood Crest Board of for that fund," explains Niwot High efits specific to the schools they fund. Education and a member of the alliance School Principal Mary White. "Our Electronic School looked at the edu- board. "Folks giving grants want to needs are specific to our community, cation foundations that support tech- make sure their dollars have the broad- and we thought this way we'd have a nology use in the schools of four est possible impact," he says. better chance of getting something communities: the Pendleton County Without the countywide foundation, accomplished for our kids." Schools around rural Falmouth, Ky. Rohrman adds, "there's no way we In Kentucky's Pendleton County (enrollment 2,650); the Cape could have participated in the Schools, the initial plan for the founda- Educational Technology Alliance, a Challenge Grant" recently awarded by tion was to fund student scholarships. consortium of 17 small school districts the U.S. Department of Education to But a growing emphasis on technology with a total of 35,000 students in rural 10 CETA districts in conjunction with in the district and the state has led to Cape May County along New Jersey's others in Pennsylvania and New York. earmarking most of the $8,000 distrib- Atlantic coastline; Saratoga Union The five-year, $2,894,224 grant will uted thus far for such equipment as School District (enrollment 2,060) in support distance learning, bringing videodisc players and video production California's high-tech Silicon Valley; $25,000 into each of the 10 districts in equipment. The foundation has raised and Niwot High School (1,050 stu- Year One. $13,000 toward its goal of awarding dents) in the St. Vrain Valley School CETA also aims to facilitate technol-$50,000 in 1997 to the county's four District near Boulder, Colo. ogy planning, staff development, pur- schools. The grants will fund technolo- chasing, and maintenance for county gy purchases that will complement Alike yet different schools. Just getting representatives of state-supported school and district com- all county districts to the table togeth- puter networks. Common to all four foundations are er"something no one's going to do The bottom line behind all of these concerned parents, community support unless money's at stake," Rohrman districts' interest in establishing founda- for technology implementation, and lotssayshas helped to generate new ideas, tions is community concern for stu-

21 25 dents' success, as epitomized by Set-up hurdles minigrant recipient describes a funded California's Saratoga Education The boards of these foundations reflect project. Foundation. Created in 1982, the foun- the groups? founding principles. In Setting up accounts and nonprofit dation "was founded by parents and staff many, the board is a mix of school and status can be a hurdle. "Get yourself a who could see that state funding could- community business leaders, sometimes crackerjack attorney and a crackerjack n't do things for our kids at the level we including a student representative as accountant," advises CETA's Rohrman. wanted," says foundation president well. Saratoga's all-parent, 30-member Interested community members and Cyndy Riordan, a parent herself. These board meets with a school board repre- parents often provide those services parents, many of them employed in sentative, the superintendent, and prin- gratis. Pendleton County's early legal high-tech industries, are intent on high- cipals for advice. The mission of work was done by an attorney who was quality math, science, and technology CETA's board, on the other hand, on the verge of retirement and looking education, and recently funded the pur- extends beyond fundraising, and the for volunteer work; parent-attorneys chase of updated equipment for technol- board includes a representative from a helped Niwot High School; and an ogy labs and salaries for a K-5 science social service organization. At each attorney and an accountant on the foun- teacher, a kindergarten science aide, and meeting of the communitywide board ofdation board managed CETA's set-up. a technology media specialist who will the St. Vrain Valley Education assist teachers at all grade levels. Foundation in Colorado, an invited

here are to integrate these students into the mainstream and to CATCHING FUNDERS' EYESinvolve them particularly in math and science curricula." Focus on employment, career counseling, and the school-to- Trying to get the attention of funding organizations? You can work transition. "Helping students develop job skills through men- improve your chances by knowing the trends in what the fun- toring projects or role modeling and exposing them to different ders seek to support. Arlene Krebsa New York-based educa- career possibilities, with emphasis on math and science careers," tional telecommunications consultant and author of The says Krebs, "are examples of projects that organizations want to Distance Learning Funding Sourcebook (Kendall/Hunt Publishing fund." Co., 1996)has this advice for school leaders: Get communities onto the Internet and on-line services. Focus on content, not technology. "Foundations do not fund "Technology companies and technology vendors support projects technology per se, but do support those projects whose objectives that link community organizations, as well as those that educate closely relate to their individual priorities and goals," Krebs says. students to integrate online research into their curricular projects," "Nearly all foundations support school reform, restructuring says Krebs. "E-mail facilitates regional, national, andinternational efforts, and Goals 2000. Technology facilitates those efforts and contacts, allowing students and teachers to share their ideas and helps to foster community linkages. It's a means to an end." resources. Projects that link health and social service agencies Train preservice and inservice K-12 teachers in the effective through on-line communications with the school also are favored." uses of technology. "The biggest area of need that the corporate giv- Involve partners in the effort. "One of the greatest dilemmas ing programs, government agencies, foundations, and Bell operating is covering the ongoing operational costs of distance learning and companies recognize is the need for teacher training," says Krebs. technology-based instruction, particularly as federal and state fund- "They know we need to educate a new generation of teachers, as ing decreases," Krebs acknowledges. "Schools applying for grants well as assist existing classroom educators, in technology-based should address the problem and impress funders by partnering with instruction. Otherwise, schools will not be able to effectively imple- other groups that commit to supporting the program with funding, ment new equipment and services." in-kind contributions, and/or personal assistance, preferably Link K-12 with higher education for teacher training in tech- beyond the life of the grant. Funders want to see sustainability." nology use. "The funders want to see that partnership," Krebs says. For more information, call Krebs at New Orbit "And teaming up with higher education lets K-12 schools tap into Communications, (718) 857-3717, or send e-mail to her at fund- the services of higher ed's grant writers and development offices." [email protected]. You can reach Kendall/Hunt Publishing at Apply technology in certain curricular areas. "Math and sci- (800) 228-0810; or visit the book's site on the Internet's World ence are still favorites, and environmentalism andmulticulturalism Wide Web, http://www.technogrants.com. Additional Web sites with receive special attention," says Krebs. "Funders also like integrat- funding information include the Foundation Center (http://fdncen- ing arts education across the curriculum, as described in the new ter.org/), GrantsWeb (http://info-serv.rttonet.psu.edulgtveb.htm); the arts education standards." American Communications Association's Grants and Fellowship Address special populations. "Funders support projects that Online Index (http://umno.uark.eduklepts/comminfohounti/ work creatively with at-risk youth, particularly those that involve grants.htm 1); and the U.S. Department of Education parents and community health and social agencies," Krebs says. (http://wzmaed.gov/).A.W. "Many funders also support special programs for minorities, girls, and students who have physical or learning disabilities. The goals

22 BEST COPY AVAILABLE 26 Volunteerism permeates these Nobel Prize cowinner for his discovery with the superintendent," says Riordan. groups, particularly in the hands-on of split genes. Meanwhile, area banks "They say it's a real eye-opener when work of fundraising. "Our chief beggars make their own direct contributions to they see what the schools do with the are our board members," says student scholarshipsthe foundation's funds. About 50 percent who participate Pendleton County Assistant original goal. sign up to do it again." Superintendent Larry Sutton. Both Direct solicitation is the key to None of the foundation representa- holding fundraising events and balanc- Saratoga's success. The foundation tives interviewed for this article strayed ing the books depend in large part on raised $48,000 last year from a fundrais- far beyond their own locality for funds, the generosity of interested supporters, ing letter mailed to each local property but all expressed interest in acquiring including school staff members. owner. "Seven out of 10 parents in the the skills and assistance to do so. "We Similarly, school foundations might district donate," reports Riordan. A need somebody on our board with some forgo such amenities as stationery and one-day telephone solicitation raised connections," muses Niwot High descriptive brochures so as to funnel $67,000, giftwrap sales brought in School's Mary White. CETA aims to funds directly into schools. $52,000, and pledges for a middle hire someone to write grants someday, To make the most of their funds, school jogathon yielded $17,000. Sales and Pendleton is "still looking for ideas some foundations create an endowment. of grocery store certificates and retail- of how to approach corporations and At St. Vrain's Niwot High School, for ers' scrip brought in $43,000 last year, seek out those groups that have larger example, one-half of all contributions is adds Riordan, who calls this a great sources of funds," says Sutton. (See invested to enable the foundation to be fundraising strategy "since people use sidebar for tips.) self-perpetuating. [certificates and scrip] on something Whether the fund-raising method an they buy anyway." education foundation uses is up close Where the money Tapping the resources of Silicon and personal or based on a proposal comes from Valley businesses takes several forms in sent to a distant, unknown corporate Saratoga. "We have a lot of Hewlett- executive, the goal is the same: finding Local style and tradition have much to Packard parents," Riordan says, one of the money that will help educators do with how school foundations raise whom launched an e-mail campaign make optimum use of technology and, their funds. Memorial giving is at the within the company thattogether with in the end, help young people learn. As core of fundraising in Kentucky's the efforts of the foundation's grants they target parents' concerns and strive Pendleton County, where the largest committeenetted the district three of to form new alliances, foundations such townFalmouthhas a population of the four servers used for school net- as the ones profiled here are discovering just 3,000. Early in the foundation's his-works. Hewlett-Packard triple-matches how to focus community pride and tory, one family started the trend by any contributions its employees make tonational interest on the needs of their donating a $500,000 amphitheater to the school district and, with other busi- own schools. the school system as a memorial to a nesses, made $50,000 worth of in-kind loved one. Now, memorial donors to donations of software, hardware, and Anne Ward ([email protected]) is publications the foundationmost of whom are expertise last year. manager of The National School Board school staff membersare recognized A separate business partnership pro- Association's Technology Program in on a list posted on a district wall. gram uses a personal approach to get Alexandria, Va. Reprinted from Electronic Visitors to funeral parlors find donation local entrepreneurs involved, bringing School, June 1996. envelopes printed with the foundation's in $7,700 last year. "For those who con- name. The personalized style carries tribute as much as $1,000, we put their over to other fundraisers: golf outings, names and photos in the local paper, shopping spree raffles, a dinner buffet which donates half [what the space featuring graduate Phillip Sharp, a 1993 would cost], and we treat them to lunch

27

23 SCHOOL BOARDOF TOMORROW

Let the Sunshine In Using e-mail for board business? Check open-meeting laws

By Andrew Trotter

/f you send an e-mail message to a system is between the board and the as "any kind of gathering, convened to member of the Seminole County administrative staff, rather than among discuss public business, in person, by (Fla.) school board, you're also board members. For example, the telephone, or other means of communi- sending one to Mike Barry, a administration will send e-mail to the cation." Even though the board mem- reporter for the Orlando Sentinel. board with the latest developments on a bers are not on a conference call "Any e-mail that goes to the board goes land purchase. together, Hall told Electronic School, a to me," Barry says. But Robinson says the board Mem- board is holding deliberations without In December, at the education bers are "painfully aware" that the sun- public involvement and oversight when reporter's request, the school board shine law bars them from discussing "someone gets on [voice mail] and says, arranged to forward all of its e-mail among themselves in private "any issue `I think such and such about this issue,' automatically to Barry and to his editor. that may come up for a vote." In elec- and then two or three call back and say, Far from an invasion of privacy, the tronic communication, they err on the `I agree with that." arrangement is really openness in gov- side of caution: "If there's any concern, The Rocky Mountain Times agreed: ernment, says Seminole County's board we just usually stop the conversation." "The Jeffco controversy shows how president, Sandy Robinson. Florida's information technologies can be abused "Sunshine Law" gives the press the Out of the public eye to short-circuit the public's ability to right to riffle through school board monitor and influence government mail, and the Legislature has explicitly When board members take fewer pains, decision making," said an editorial in included electronic documents under trouble can follow. In April 1995, two that newspaper. that law. members of the Jefferson County DiGiacomo, an attorney who has Like their counterparts elsewhere (Colo.) school board accused then board served on the board for five years, says who are taking advantage of e-mail and President David DiGiacomo of violat- his voice-mail messages were simply voice mail, Seminole County board ing state open-meetings law by leaving informing his colleagues, not soliciting members are working out the rules for voice-mail messages for other board their opinions. "I'm convinced there's the electronic age. They're weighing members. The messages reportedly said no violation," he says. And, DiGiacomo the implications of "sunshine" and that DiGiacomo would testify, in his adds, a written opinion by the board's open-meeting laws, as well as confiden- role as board president, in opposition to attorneys backs him up. The opinion tiality and protocol. a school governance bill at a committee states that board members could "share Using district-owned comput- hearing of the Colorado General information [electronically] about ers, the county's five board members Assembly, according to the Rocky where we've been and what we've seen," can check their e-mail from home. "I've Mountain News. he says. Indeed, aside from creating a found personally it has cut down a The two board members, Jeffe Hall brief public furor, his colleagues' accu- tremendous number of phone calls," and Terri Rayburn, planned to testify sation never went anywhere. Hall says Robinson says. "It allows me to work on in support of the bill as private citizens. she decided not to file a complaint school board things on the weekend." To them, DiGiacomo's voice-mail against DiGiacomo. She says most of the of informa- messages amounted to a meeting But even if no one complains, a tion via e-mail and a new-voice mail defined by the state open-meetings law school board's electronic communica-

24 28 tion can raise public questions. The even worldwide. The Westside and no case law has directly addressed ques- board of the Westside (Neb.) Seminole County boards both avoid tions of electronic communication Community Schools, near Omaha, had confidential or sensitive information on among public officials, although that used e-mail for just four months, says e-mail. "There is some access to [e- might soon change, according to legal board President Helen Kelley, when mail] that's out of your control," says experts. "the newspaper called us up and said Kelley. "Whatever you have on there Another word of practical advice we're all breaking the law. be sure it is something you wouldn't comes from Bruce Douglass, superin- "I was quoted as laughing," she says, mind on the front page of the newspa- tendent of the Suffield (Conn.) schools, but counters, "I don't think, 'Hey, I've per." who suggests that board members put got e-mail, so I can do something electronic communication into a broad- illegal." A useful tool er context: "E-mail isn't an entity by The call from the Omaha World- itself; it's part of a communications Herald led Kelley to research Nebraska Even with restricted use, e-mail is valu- process. You have to have some kind of law on the matter. The relevant statute able, board members who use it agree. communications management system." was "really hard to find," she says, but Kelley forwards her official correspon- Such a system, Douglass suggests, "it did say you can't use electronic dence via e-mail to the board secretary, would include guidelines for what infor- means to meet." A newspaper story next who prints it on school board sta- mation should be transmitted by differ- alerted the community to the theoreti- tionery. And like Seminole County's ent technological methodsand to cal possibility that the school board Robinson, she limits messages to other whomas well as how to ensure that might violate the state's open-meetings board members to scheduling future information is accurate. "The worst law by using e-mail. And after that "red events or alerting her colleagues to such thing is to be uncommunicative; the flag," the six Westside board members events as a recent television appearance next-to-worst thing is to put out bad took a serious look at its use of e-mail, by their superintendent. information," Douglass says. Kelley says. Legal counsel advised the Most of her exchanges of substantive Finally, as with anything else, board board that the law prohibits members information are with district adminis- members who use e-mail and voice mail from exchanging opinions among them- trators, she says. And to avoid the must respect public perceptions of their selves outside of a public meeting. charge of using e-mail as a back-door activities. "As a publicly elected offi- Conducting board business out of route to meddling in administrative cial," says Westside's Kelley, "I would- the public eye might have a place, how- decisions, she forwards to her superin- n't want to do anything to raise ever, when it comes to matters that tendent a copy of any message she sends questions about how I operate. You just must be kept confidential. Jefferson to a staff member. don't want to jeopardize the reputation County's Di Giacomo points out that In a countywide district that has of the district." Colorado law does allow board mem- 5,000 children and 35,000 residents, bers to use e-mail and voice mail for Kelley says electronic communication Andrew Trotter is a former associate editor of "some other areas that are absolutely might eventually help her colleagues Electronic School. Reprinted from Electronic screened from public scrutinymatters stay in contact with their constituents. School,June 1996. of contract, personnel matters." His The efficiency of the board's twice- board, for example, has discussed elec- monthly meetings might also be tronically a recent problem with a high increased, she says, if the board presi- school principal"whether he's doing dent and the superintendent can his job" and whether the superintendent exchange drafts of the meeting agendas should intervene. via e-mail. But other board members balk at dis- "Wired" board members advise oth- cussing confidential matters electroni- ers to seek legal guidance to determine cally, due to the ease with which how to stay in compliance with state messages can be forwarded to others open-meeting laws. To date, virtually

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29 25 SCHOOL BOARDOF TOMORROW

The good, the bad, and the ugly Technology consultants come in all varieties

By Kathleen Vail

About $2.2 billion is coming tant can bring expertise and specialized consultantsElectronic School sought your way to connect your knowledge that might be lacking on advice from a number of technology classrooms to the Internet your staff. Houston technology consul- consultants and school technology coor- and keep them hooked up. tant Stuart Herbst compares consultantsdinators. Here's what they told us: The 1996 Federal to architects. If you were building a new Make sure the consultant is not Telecommunications Act promised school, Herbst says, you would select working for a hardware or software schools "universal service," which a fed- the best architect you could find to vendor. Consultants associated with eral and state board recently translated design it. "You need to follow the same vendors often are less expensive than into deep discounts for telecommunica- path through the maze of technology independent ones; they make their tions and Internet services. The dis- planning," he says. money through a percentage of the sales counts will be paid for by Consultants will do as much or as lit- of the products they sell you. Some big- communications companies (and passed tle as you're willing to pay for. Their ger companies, like IBM, will throw in along to the consumer). services run the gamut from drawing up the consulting for practically nothing, Suddenly, you're standing on the a technology plan for the district to says Herbst. Vendor consultants won't Information Superhighwayunexplored helping evaluate and select hardware tell you if their products aren't going be territory for many school board mem- and software, arranging for teacher and appropriate for your plan or your bers. Technology that seemed out of administrator training, managing bids, school. Instead, they'll fit the plan to reach may now be affordable with the and overseeing installation of systems. their products. telecommunications discounts. And if Consultants can work with your archi- "It's a biased opinion," says James your school district is like many, you're tect to make sure a new or renovated Carlini, a technology consultant in already plunking down millions in hard- school building can handle the technol- Chicago, "Your solution will be tied to won bond money to get new technology ogy you've chosen. Also, they can audit their service." into the hands of your teachers and stu- your current technology plan to see if If you're aware that the consultant is dents. it's working as you intended. also a vendor and you're sure that the Now your fledgling technology pro- But before you run out and sign on district wants to go with a certain prod- gram is poised to explode. Dozens of the dotted line, beware: Not all technol-uct, that's fine. If not, choose an inde- decisions face you: cable or wireless, ogy consultants are created equal. As pendent consultant, who will give you a connections, video, software, hardware, school technology has grown, so has the range of vendors to make sure you get wide-area networks, local-area networks, number of people who want to tell you the system you want at a competitive long-distance learning. ...You're a deerwhat to do with it. Not all of them price. in the scopes of technology salesmen, know what they're doing, and not all of If you ask, most consultants will tell who want to convince you their prod- them are right for your school district. you if they are affiliated with vendors. ucts are just what you need. "There are a lot of bad apples out As a precaution, Herbst suggests look- What should you do? You might there," says Herbst. ing at the last three jobs the consultant consider hiring a technology consultant To help you find the good apples performed to see if he or she had been to help steer you through the labyrinth and protect yourself against unscrupu- repeatedly selling the same brands. And of techno choices. A technology consul- lous or incompetent if you're really concerned, you can write

26 30 into your contract with the consultant a well. If you expect the consultant to level of comfort with technology and clause specifying that the designer of make site visits, sit in on technology their needs in the classroom. An expen- the technology plan cannot sell the committee meetings, make board pre- sive technology system with all the lat- equipment for it. sentations, and talk to community est bells and whistles is worthless if the Get references from the last members, you should spell out those teachers won't use it. three of the consultant's jobs. Calling expectations right away. That way, too, Do hire a consultant with a school people who have worked with a the consultant can give you an accurate background in education. Education consultant before is a good idea for sev- estimate of what to charge you for ser- is a specialized field, and consultants eral reasons. For starters, you can find vices provided. need to know something about what's out how long the consultant has been in "Talk about the goals of the superin- going on the classroom before they can business, an important factor when tendent and the board members," says design an appropriate technology plan. you're considering whether the consul- Richard Hardt, a technology consultant "You can't impose the business model tant will go the distance with you or dis-in Prairie Village, Kan. "Identify where on education," says Herbst. Consultants appear halfway through the job. a consultant can take you." Some schoolwho work with banks or insurance com- Reference checking also gives you the districts want an ongoing relationship panies won't understand curriculum chance to find out if the consultant is a with their consultant, says Hardt. issues. "Find someone who knows good fit with your district. And, you can Others want the consultant to come in school culture," says Noble. "Schools find out if the consultant was comfort- for one purpose, such as installing a local sometimes want to hire IBM, but they able working with a technology com- area network in a building. won't know the culture." mittee and if he or she got along with Find out whether the consultant On the other hand... the district's technology coordinator. specializes in a single area of technol- Don't hire a consultant with a Ask references if the consultant's ogy. Like a vendor consultant, a single- background in education. A consul- work was done on time, suggests note consultant is apt to suggest using tant from the business world will bring Herbst. Find out if the district encoun- the technology he or she knows best, a fresh eye and new ideas to the schools, tered any surprises when the plan was rather than considering other options says Carlini, who dissented from the being put in place, particularly surprises that might be less expensive or easier to other three consultants on this subject. that cost extra money. Did the consul- use. "Look at the depth and breadth of "You won't have that creativity if some- tant save the district money? Was the what they've worked on," says Carlini. one has focused 30 years in education," consultant a help or a hindrance? "You should get a person looking at the he says. "You might have a better Would the district consider hiring this overall needs of the district." chance of getting someone good if you person again? Don't hire a "techno twit." go outside education." While you talk to other school peo- That's what Gil Noble, assistant super- When it comes to putting a school ple, keep in mind that you want a plan intendent for technology at Plano, technology plan in placeas these last that will fit your school, not a rehash of Texas, schools, calls someone who two points showauthorities don't nec- what was done at a district across town. knows all about technology except how essarily agree on the best way to go. Some consultants, says Carlini, take a to make it work with people. A school And what works well in one school dis- cookie-cutter approach to school tech- technology plan is not just about nuts, trict might not be the answer in anoth- nology. "If he applies what was done at bolts, and hardware, Noble saysit's er. In the end, it's up to your board and another school, it will be a lot less work also about people. Herbst agrees. "The staff, perhaps with a consultant's help, for him," says Carlini. most successful technology planners are to chart the right course. Make sure you and the consul- the ones who are more concerned about tant understand each other. When professional development and training," Kathleen Vail ([email protected]) isan associate you interview, have a fairly complete he says. A consultant should take the editor of Electronic School. Reprinted from idea of what you want the consultant to time to understand the culture of your Electronic School, March 1997. accomplish, remembering that the con- school district. That includes talking to sultant will be able to suggest things, as teachers and administrators about their

2731 SCHOOL BOARDOF TOMORROW

The electronic village Telecommunications is changing the school board's role

By Arthur D. Sheekey

your role as a school board might argue that the job will become not worth the investment because they member is about to change: more demanding as parents and students provide limited services to a limited num- The Telecommunications Actgain greater access to teachers. How does ber of families. Garnering wide public of 1996 is carving out a new that increased access factor into the support in such a situation is difficult. As a role for school boards as ser- teacher contract? Will teachers have to consequence, you have to recognize that vice providers or brokers of on-air and be paid more if they are spending more people who are not directly associated online programming that will support an time interacting with parents and students with the schools are nevertheless impor- expanded community of learners. In des- outside the confines of the usual school tant constituents. ignating public schools as a focal point for day? That's a policy issue you and your One approach is to offer education and networking communities, Section 254 of fellow board members will need to exam- information services to adults who no the Telecommunications Act compels ine closely. longer have children in school, to senior school boards to take a leadership role in You'll also need to give serious consid- citizens, and to parents who send their ensuring that all households, as well as all eration to the socioeconomic ramifica- children to private schools. Show them schools, have access to educational ser- tions of establishing greater technological that they, too, can benefit from the power vices. Before long, in other words, an links between home and school. Many of an electronic village. By bringing these entire communitynot just its school-age poor families cannot afford to buy the constituents into the fold, you will help kidswill have hands-on access to the technology that allows their children to transform them from technological cynics new technologies. work on school projects at home. Clearly, into cyber cheerleaders. But it will take Already, the wired school is becoming kids from wealthier families will have the policy leadership to make that happen. an accepted notion: The public seems edgenot only because they will be more willing to spend time and money to wire likely to have access to telecommunica- Your policy role schools and equip them with modern tions at home, but because their parents, computers linked to advanced telecom- by and large, are more technologically Where can school boards find answers to munications networks. States are shoul- savvy than poorer parents. the difficult policy questions surrounding dering much of the financial burden, and As a policy maker working to bridge technology? Two recent publications technology companies are also pitching the technological gap between home and offer help. The firstCreating a Learning in. And when the wired school is com- school, you cannot ignore this imbalance. Society: Initiatives for Education and monplace, the wired community won't be You must find ways to increase the oppor- Technology, a report from the Aspen far behind. tunities for poorer kids, being careful not Institute's Forum on Communications Still, in the midst of all this ferment, to limit the power of those who already and Societyprovides an analysis and a several legitimate policy questions remain have the technology in the name of right-, set of recommendations about the power unanswered or even unacknowledged ing the imbalance. of telecommunications technologies to especially regarding plans to create fully Equally important, you must recognize challenge the traditional ways of teaching networked communities or electronic vil- that the voting public can make or break a children. Participants at the Aspen forum lages. What assurance is there, for exam- good technology initiative. In many com- urged local communities to use emerging ple, that advanced networked services will munities, there is a growing and reason- networks for interconnecting families and make teachers' jobs any easier? Some able concern that electronic networks are creating greater cooperation among corn-

28 32 munity-based organizations. Ensuring other services, which may be more enter- hours, but beyond the traditional con- equitable access to electronic services, tainment-oriented than educational. That straints of time and place. Making such they say, may require the creation of new is why you need to meet the grand visions choices is not an easy task, but it must "access points" to education and public of commercial entrepreneurs with consid- become one of your top priorities. information services. Such access points erable foresight and planningeven, per- No one network solution is right for might include local libraries or communi- haps, some skepticism. all schools and communities. But a num- ty centers equipped with computer work- Your board's first step should be to ber of guidelines are available to help your stations. (For more information, call Amy engage a wide range of community-based district avoid making mistakes. The EPIE Gamer at 202-467-5818.) organizations in an effort to strengthen report, for example, provides a snapshot The second publicationCreating the community's learning resources, of do's and don'ts, and its authors urge Learning Communities: Practical, Universal including resources available in schools, school boards not to take on this task Networking for Learning in Schools and community access points, and individual without the help and support of other Homes, a report from the EPIE Institute households. Also, people throughout the community leaders and groups. An inte- in Hampton Bays, N.Y.provides a long community must gain hands-on experi- grated "community server" of public ser- list of realistic suggestions for achieving ence with network technologies. vices has a greater chance to survive and the full benefits of networked services. Otherwise, the opportunity to foster a compete than an education server or This report pays particular attention to a wide range of public supportand to school web page. Other resources in the number of major concerns, including how build community expertisewill be lost. community can lend assistance, and local networking can be effectively used to businesses may underwrite some of the strengthen at-home learning for students; Your advocacy role operational costs. how parents can support at-home learn- Techno advocates say, "If you build it, ing; and how teachers can involve parents The typical student spends more than they will come." That kind of faith might in their kids' learning. In addition, the 5.6 waking hours a day at homemany of be necessary to proceed with networked authors challenge local school boards to those hours in front of a television set. services, but it is not enough. Mechanisms ensure that electronic enhancements of The private telecommunications sector should be in place to monitor the techni- at-home learning are accessible to all stu- has its eye on these kids: Marketing sur- cal performance of networks and deter- dents and parents. (For more information, veys suggest that the major educational mine who's benefitting from them. For call Ken Komoski at 516-728-9100.) software providers expect greater profits example, if a network is available solely to In addition, the 1994 report by the from the home market than from the classrooms and households with advanced National Education Commission on Time school market. A predictable outcome of work stations, it will have little or no and Learning, Prisoners of Time, serves as a advanced universal service, then, will be a effect on equalizing educational opportu- good reminder that educational services deluge of interactive games and home- nities for all children. can no longer be limited to the school site shopping channels. Neither federal nor Actively creating new visions for a or constrained by the requirements of 180 state agencies are seriously considering learning community or electronic village days a year and six hours of classroom the importance of identifying and making makes a whole lot more sense than sitting time a day. In most local communities, available worthwhile and affordable edu- back and waiting to measure the benefits many educational resources and sources ofcational services. and outcomes of a wired school or class- public information currently lie fallow. That leaves the field open for commu- room. For the sake of our children, let's Each community has a wealth of educa- nity leaders and school boards to step in. admit that wiring a school is a worthwhile tional services that can be up-linked to an Extending public education services to objective but not a remedy for inadequate intranet or local web site. For example, households must become a higher priori- learning. What we really need to do is local public television stations typically ty. And who better than local education examine the needs and resources of our offer online services. Such local entities, leaders like you to be strong advocates for communities and plan to network the ser- which offer education programs and valu- directing the benefits of electronic ser- vices that are most needed. able public information, could merge with vices to individual households? school programs to integrate services for You will continue to be responsible for Arthur D. Sheekey (sheeky @apt.org) is presi- local families. deciding what educational materials and dent of the Public Service Telecommunications Of course, the local service providers services will be available to students, not Corporation in Falls Church, Va. Reprinted will have to compete with a cascade of only in the classroom during school from Electronic School, January 1997. The School Board of Tomorrow

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