A Variation (and/or Validation) of OUR Theme!

Building the School of the Future

By Lindsay Oishi
URL: http://www.schoolcio.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=192501205

Microsoft and the School District of Philadelphia have worked together for three years to create the School of the Future, an innovative model for incorporating technology into education that opens on September 7, 2006. Rob Stevens, the project’s architect for software solutions, and Mary Cullinane, group manager for Microsoft’s Partners in Learning program, spoke to School CIO about how IT leaders can learn from the School of the Future’s vision and approach.

Q. How much has the school cost so far?
A. The entire project is funded at $63 million, which is a traditional budget for the School District of Philadelphi. The money required toa operate a school is mostly spent on maintenance. But we’ve used LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification guidelines, so that the overall cost of maintenance will be less than the cost for schools that don’t follow these guidelines.

Q. What technologies are you providing students with?
A. Wherever these kids go, whenever there’s a learning opportunity, they have access to an infrastructure has been built to give them an appropriate environment. That means wireless throughout the school, experts from around the world coming in via streaming media, and infrastructure allowing them to communicate with teachers and parents. The collaborative environment will be very powerful. The other area that will be very powerful is the Virtual Teaching Assistant and Virtual Library. With these, we hope to foster a community of learning.

Q. Tell me more about the Virtual Teaching Assistant.
A. One of the principles of this school is to create an adaptive learning environment. When we went to school, every kid had to turn the page at the same time. With the Virtual Teaching Assistant, the class can have an individualized pace. As a teacher, you can put together a quiz, give it to your students, and immediately ascertain where your class is. The quiz comes up as a window on the students’ machines—they each have their own laptop computer. The results go back to the teacher right away, and if a student gets a certain pattern of questions wrong, the teacher can give them extra help in that area.

Q. How do you keep student data secure?
A. We’re relying entirely on credentialed access. Once you log into the operating system, we know who you are. You don’t have to remember multiple passwords. We have very secure passwords that allow, for example, parents to be identified only with their children, so parents will not be able to get information on another child. We’re not custodians of extremely sensitive information. But we do have the ability to protect it. It’s a well-bounded community of learners—people from the outside will have great difficulty getting information.

Q. Which technologies offer the highest return on investment?
A. First, the multimedia capabilities available through Windows Media services give students a wealth of resources that are visual and online. These are the most valuable in terms of the ultimate product, which is educational accomplishment. The Virtual Library, for example, is a repository for different types of digital media. It allows movies, documents, Web sites, and other content to be stored together. Second, we have automatic mechanisms for student enrollment. Whenever a student is added to the school, they automatically get a Windows account for school portals, e-mail, and a personal Web site. This translates into savings of time and administrative effort, which also reduces cost.

Q. How do school portals work?
A. The school has portals for students, the extended community, and faculty and staff. When you log in to your computer, you’re automatically logged in to your portal. If you’re a student, the portal knows what classes you have and shows you a picture of everyone in your classes. The extended community portals allow parents to be more familiar with their students’ teachers, and to find out what happened in the classroom. Faculty and staff can also use their private portal to communicate about students or even view pay stubs online.

Q. Do you have advice about making public-private partnerships work?
A. CIOs shouldn’t limit themselves to the most obvious asset a partner can bring to the table. When someone thinks about Microsoft, they think of software. But the School District of Philadelphia got to see how we hire people, motivate people, and create the culture of our organization. The other thing to remember is that money is great, but people are better. Individuals and their thinking are valuable resources. We’ve had over 45 people at Microsoft touch this project in various ways, and you can’t put a price tag on that.

Q. How can CIOs keep informed about the school?
A. Every step of the strategic planning has been documented on the Web site, for all schools that are interested in following a similar process. U.S. Partners in Learning will host quarterly briefings with schools across the country, and there is also an annual global forum where school leaders can get together and discuss the results of these innovations.

Lindsay Oishi is a graduate student in Learning Sciences and Technology Design at Stanford University.

© School CIO

	Posted on Fri, Sep. 08, 2006
	High-tech high Phila.’s School of the Future opens with laptops, smart cards, and almost no books. By Susan Snyder Inquirer Staff Writer Philadelphia's $63 million "School of the Future" - built under the guidance of Microsoft Corp. and hailed as a first-of-its-kind model for technologically advanced schools worldwide - opened to its first 170 freshmen yesterday in West Philadelphia, as hundreds of parents, dignitaries, and local and national reporters looked on. First announced three years ago, the new school and its technology left students in jaw-dropping awe: A laptop for every child. Lockers that open with the swipe of a smart card. A fully wireless building. Virtually no textbooks. Not even an encyclopedia in the library. Post Your Comment "It's going to be as close to a paperless school as we can manage," said Ellen Savitz, the district's chief development officer and manager of the project. Plasma screens, ceiling projectors, interactive white boards, and laptops abound, and classroom furniture is on wheels to allow for group work in varying configurations. "This is ours! This is ours! We have to set an example," Ryan Wheeler, 14, said as she passed under the School of the Future banner at the entrance. Just off Girard Avenue, near the Philadelphia Zoo, the Future school was one of four new high schools that opened in the district yesterday. The others were two schools done in partnership with the National Constitution Center and the Franklin Institute and an academic magnet patterned on Central High. As if its technology, attractive finish, and abundance of windows for natural light weren't enough to distinguish the three-story Microsoft school, get this: Students will be required to apply to at least one college, says principal Shirley Grover, a former Milan, Italy, private-school principal originally from Maine. No other high school in the city has such a requirement. "We're raising the bar," said Grover, who added that she would also propose that every student score proficient on state math and reading tests to graduate. "In looking at 21st-century skills, kids are not going to be successful unless they go to university. We just know that." Standing outside the entrance with students huddled before him, Street echoed Grover's call for higher standards at the Future school, which will incorporate technology in nearly every way - from having students swipe cards to eat in the cafeteria to art and music instruction to sports teams that will use electronic-play diagrams. "You won't be able to say, 'I didn't have the computers. I didn't have the technology. I didn't have the teachers. I didn't have mentors,' because the young people who go to this school will be in the premier educational environment in the entire country, maybe even in the entire world," Street said. "So the bar for you is raised." Shortly before Street's speech, Jeffrey Sessoms, 14, seemed to have already heard the message. He boldly told the mayor he wants his job. "It's something I can achieve," the teen said later. "I can be something in life." Sessoms, who like the rest of his classmates has been attending summer sessions at district headquarters to learn about the school, said he was impressed with the willingness of the district and Microsoft - "how they joined as one, with unity." "It made me feel wonderful," he said. "You can be in an environment that cares." The district broke ground on the construction 18 months ago and had to authorize an overtime crunch in the end to be ready for opening day. The performing-arts area wasn't finished, but Savitz said it should be ready within a month. District officials said the school cost slightly more per square foot than some others, such as Lincoln High, because of its land purchase and energy-efficient design. But the efficiency qualities should yield 20 percent operational savings, said Patrick Henwood, the district's director of capital programs. Photovoltaic panels in the windows and roof will convert sunlight into electricity. The building also will catch rainwater and convert it for non-potable uses, such as toilet and boiler water. Students are admitted by lottery. Seventy-five percent were from the neighborhood, the rest from the city at large. "We won the lottery. Big," said parent Carmen Thomas, whose son, Sekou Thomas-Bamba, is enrolled. She plans to volunteer at the school and learn the technology. "This is just absolutely amazing," she said, standing in the gym. "It's like a fresh start, new dreams, new adventure, hope. For him to walk in and be a part of the first graduating class is exciting." The school is Microsoft's biggest venture in a school to date. The company donated $100,000 to name an area in the building, but did not provide equipment or software or otherwise fund it. It instead gave personnel time, best practices, and access to its network of "international thought leaders." The company has a local office and will continue to assist, Grover said. Microsoft mogul Bill Gates greeted students in a video clip and said he, too, would visit. The school district already is spreading what it has learned from Microsoft. It has borrowed design features for other new schools being planned, said Paul Vallas, district chief executive. And it has modernized more than 1,000 classrooms with others in planning, he said. "I want people to say, 'I may not be in the building of the future, but I'm in the classroom of the future,' " Vallas said. The district's hope that a donor would step forward with $5 million for naming rights has not come to fruition, but officials say they haven't given up. Microsoft will not make the bid, said Microsoft's Mary J. Cullinane. "This is really about let's devote human capital and provide the district with access to our organization," she said. Several groups, in addition to Microsoft, have given money for naming rights of areas or classrooms within the building, including the Bowland foundation, a United Kingdom-based charity headed by a technology businessman. It will give the largest amount - $2 million, Savitz said. Vanguard agreed to fund a community outreach position for three years. The school also has established partnerships with local universities. Two University of Pennsylvania professors will teach classes - one in robotics, the other in urban design. Drexel University will provide staff and student resources. About 200 honor students from Villanova University will serve as online tutors. Teachers were hand-picked by the principal. The curriculum is traditional academic with a focus on projects and interdisciplinary learning. Even the bathrooms got rave reviews from students, used to attending a district where the average building is 71 years old and leaking toilets are plentiful. "They have those sinks that you just put your hands like that and the water comes out," said Sandra Nelson, 14. "Mirrors for girls," said Brittney Glass, 14. "Toilets flush by themselves. It's all just so nice," agreed Bianca Gibson, 14. "I want to give a shout out to Bill Gates and tell him, 'Thank you, so much.' " Contact staff writer Susan Snyder at 215-854-4693 or ssnyder@phillynews.com. What Makes It Different? Some unusual features at the high school: 1. No textbooks. Nearly all learning materials will be accessed by computer. 2. Technology aplenty. A laptop for every student. (They will be traded in for computerized tablets soon.) White boards. Plasma boards. Ceiling projectors. Smart cards that track student movement throughout the school. Virtual teaching assistants. Software that will allow parents to track students' progress from home. 3. A later start. School will begin at 9:15 a.m., acting on research that says teens think better a little later in the day. 4. Energy-efficient building design. Rainwater will be converted for toilet and boiler use. Solar power will be garnered. 5. Higher standards. To graduate, students must apply to at least one college and demonstrate 11 "adult competencies," including "managing relationships," "creativity," "valuing diversity," "dealing with ambiguity," and "taking courageous action." The school also proposes to require that students score "proficient" on standard reading and math tests. At a Glance: School of the Future Location: 4021 Parkside Ave. Number of students: 170 freshmen (will grow to 750 and grades nine to 12 over four years) Number of applications: More than 1,500 Racial breakdown of student body: 95 percent African American. Gender: 54 percent female, 46 percent male Economic background: 85 percent come from low-income families. Special-education population: 12 percent Entrance requirements: 75 percent of students are from the neighborhood and 25 percent from the rest of the city. Students currently in eighth grade must apply by Nov. 17 to the district for entrance in the 2007-08 school year. Enrollment is determined by lottery.