A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

Challenge Grants for Techonology In Education - FY95

Manchester School District

Manchester, New Hampshire

The Manchester Challenge

The Manchester Challenge is a large-scale education reform effort that is integrating instructional technologies into the curricula of elementary, middle, and high schools in the greater Manchester, New Hampshire area. The project is being implemented in collaboration with the Manchester municipal government, nearby school districts, colleges, businesses, industries and technology vendors. Project technologies include instructional television, satellite broadcasts, multimedia telecomputing, and administrative applications. The program addresses recommendations of the Goals 2000 Act, and has strong school-community and school-work components. Over 28,000 students benefit from project activities.

The program is designed to provide all students equitable access to information technology, facilities and training. All participating educators are provided the equipment, training, time and on-going support to enable them to use information technology effectively. All schools throughout the district are being interconnected with a state-of-the-art network for voice, video, and data. Educators and students enhance the learning process with two-way video and audio distance learning classrooms, workstations in all classrooms, instructional television via cable, video production/reception via building institutional loops connected to media centers, multimedia workstations, high speed telecomputing, and a variety of other learning technologies. There are four major program elements:

1) Professional Development

The first year of professional development activities is directed at the high school level, and the remaining years are directed at both middle and elementary school levels. The program offers teachers a series of sequential professional development programs leading to the successful operation of multi-media workstations for classroom instruction. Teachers form learning teams in which more proficient teachers provide instruction and support for the less experienced. Training activities include instruction in the use of the Internet, the World Wide Web, and other technologies.

2) Curriculum Development

University faculty and education consultants assist Manchester teachers with curriculum development. Teams of teachers work independently to carry out curriculum development needed for interdisciplinary, thematic student projects. Teams are developed around common planning time and common student course enrollments. Curriculum units and projects are shared among teacher teams in all participating schools.

3) Technology Implementation

Utilizing the Manchester Challenge telecommunication network, students at all project schools may participate in distance learning classes that would not otherwise be offered due to low enrollment. Each distance learning classroom is equipped with multiple cameras, video displays, and a teacher control station. These classes are augmented by data networks through which faculty and students can share text materials and access relevant databases.

4) Partnership Activities

Consortium members contribute to the Manchester Challenge in a number of ways. The Manchester School District and the municipal government have made a strong commitment to the purchase of new hardware and software. All the other project partners contribute funding and/or in-kind services.

Goals of the project include better teaching, increased learning, organizational efficiency, enhanced communications, improved accountability, and reporting, improved community development, support for life-long learning, access to learning programs by citizens, sustained partnerships between educational and business organizations, the exchange of information with other educational organizations, shared resources with business and public institutions, and an improved economic viability for the community.

PROJECT DIRECTOR:: Terry Bullard
Information Technology Coordinator
Manchester School District
196 Bridge Street
Manchester, NH 03104
Telephone:: (603) 624-6300
Fax:: (603) 624-6337

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