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

Investing in Partnerships for Student Success

Snapshots of Business/Education Efforts
Illustrate that Using This Tool Can Guide
Educational Partnership Development and Management

Snapshot #3

The IBM REINVENTING EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM forms the centerpiece of IBM?s commitment to education. Through Reinventing Education, IBM is working with school partners throughout the world to develop and implement innovative technology solutions designed to meet the goals of higher student achievement and enhanced academic productivity.

Reinventing Education was launched in the United States in 1994, in an effort to help spur and support fundamental, systemic change in the nation?s public schools. In the United States, Reinventing Education has evolved into a $35 million initiative encompassing 21 sites—15 school districts and 6 states. As a global company, IBM is now expanding the program internationally to Ireland, Italy, Vietnam, the State of Rio in Brazil, and British Columbia in Canada.

Each of the projects is working to overcome a specific barrier to school reform, such as the length and structure of the school day and year; how learning is measured; and how language, math, and science are taught. Collectively, the projects address nearly every aspect of the education agenda—from home-school communications, to data management and analysis, classroom instruction, teacher training, and student assessment.

To each grant site, IBM is contributing more than just money; they are dedicating their world-renowned researchers, educational consultants, and technology. The goal of these partnerships is not to deliver a simple list of equipment, but instead, to join with educators and help them figure out how technology can solve existing problems or even lead to entirely new approaches to traditional school operations.

IBM Reinventing Education Grant Program
Step 1: Recruit and Organize Education, Business, Family, and Community Stakeholders

Identify/Recruit Stakeholders

Recruitment Strategies

Group/Individual

Contact Information (name, title, affiliation)

Contact Address
(phone, fax, E-mail)

Committed Member of Steering Committee

Education
 

Request for proposals

District teams: superintendents, principals, teachers

    

Signed letters of agreement

Family
 

Trainings, opening of school events

Parents

    

Parents and volunteers

Business
 

Trainings, opening of school events

Volunteers

    

Volunteers

Community
 

Trainings, opening of school events

Volunteers

    

Volunteers

Other

 

Step 2: Create a Vision for the Partnership

Potential Priority Areas

Priority for Partners Rank 1-5 (high)

Partnership Goals

Order of Priorities (based on rankings)

Customer(s)

Educators

Family

Business

Community

Other

Academic Areas

Reading

The goal of Reinventing Education and our Partners is to help all students master the skills necessary to achieve high academic standards--whether they are moving on to college or the world of work. Thus, we are interested in raising the overall quality of the public education system by using innovative technologies to help spur and support fundamental systemic reform

Systemic reform; higher student achievement; innovative uses of technology

  

Students,
business,
parents

Math

  

Preparing Students for College

  

School-to-Career

  

Other

  

Academic Supports

Technology

While students must learn to use technology to succeed in work and life, Reinventing Education does not focus on technology proficiency as a skill students must master. Rather , we are interested in the ways that technology can be integrated into academic learning to help students master necessary skills.

Family involvement is a critical component of our Reinventing Education grants. Numerous studies reveal that students whose parents are involved and active in their schools have greater chances for succeeding. We also know that parents want to participate in their children's learning, but need innovative ways to do so.

    

Students,
business,
parents

After School

    

Family Involvement

    

School-Based Management

    

Other

    

 

Step 3: Taking Stock Based on Partnership Vision

Priority Areas

Alignment of Stakeholders? Goals Re. Education

Where Are You Now? (assessment)

Current Approaches Used to Achieve Goals

Level(s) of Success

Academic Areas

Reading

Our district and state education partners share our commitment to helping students achieve at higher levels through the innovative use of technology. Each grant partnership hinges upon mutual signed agreements toward this end.

Our first-round Reinventing Education grants were awarded on a staggered basis beginning in 1994. Each grant was designed to last for a period of 3-5 years. Our second-round grants were awarded in October 1997 for a 2-3 year period.

We are still involved in each of our grant sites, either through ongoing project work or in a more limited partnership phase in which we are providing technical assistance on project scale-up.

In each of our Reinventing Education sites, we are developing cutting-edge technologies designed to overcome specific barriers to school reform, such as the length and structure of the school day and year, how learning is measured, and how language, math and science are taught. Collectively, the projects address nearly every aspect of the education agenda -- from home-school communications, to data management and analysis, classroom instruction, teacher training, and student assessment.

The Center for Children & Technology (CC&T), an arm of the not-for-profit Education Development Center, is in the midst of an independent , three-year, outcomes-based evaluation of Reinventing Education. Their initial findings show improvements in attendance, achievement, teachers' attitudes, and parent involvement. Importantly, CC&T also concluded that if IBM walked away from these sites tomorrow, many of our early projects, already institutionalized within the system, would be sustained and grow.

Math

Preparing Students for College

School-to-Career

Other

Academic Supports

Technology

    

Through each of our grants we are developing cutting-edge technologies to help students achieve at higher levels

  

Family Involvement

    

In each grant site, we are inviting parents to join our projects as volunteers. In a number of sites, where parent involvement is a explicit goal of the project, we are training parents on new technologies.

  

 

Step 4: Set Up Steering Committee to Guide and Monitor the Partnership

Steering Committee Members

Contact Information

Priority Area(s) (interests/focus)

Title/Affiliation

Address

Phone/Fax

E-Mail

Education
 

In each Reinventing Education grant site, Letters of Agreement were signed with the district superintendent or the state commissioner of education. They in turn assigned a high-level grant project manager to work with an IBM project manager to help direct the grant work. Each grant site has a team of education and technical specialists assigned to work on the project.

      

Higher student achievement; systemic reform; technology

 

Step 5: Collaboratively Set and Prioritize Short- and Long-Term Objectives

Goals

Objectives

Short-Term (semiannually)

Long-Term (annually and beyond)

Priority Area

Higher student achievement

Improve teacher/student attitudes, parent involvement, attendance, use of technology

Customers; students, teachers, parents, business, community

Higher academic achievement witnessed through test scores

Priority Area

Developing technology to be used in the project and eventually scaled up throughout the grant site in the service of higher student achievement

Assessment of technology developed-- its ease of use, actual usage, integration in learning

Customers; students, teachers, parents, business, community

Successful scale-up throughout the grant site

Priority Area

Greater business involvement in education reform efforts

Greater business/education acknowledgement of the importance of business/education partnerships and involvement in working on school reforms issues; leveraged grant moneys

Customers; students, teachers, parents, business, community

Greater business/education acknowledgement of the importance of business/education partnerships and involvement in working on school reforms issues; greater corporate philanthropic dollars contributed to system education reform projects

 

Step 6: Create Action Plans and Teams Organized Around Priorities

 

 

Action Committees

Committee Members (contact information)

Committee Objectives

Tasks/ Activities Assigned

 

Time Frame

Resources

Requested

Available

Additional Needed

Operations

Manage daily tasks

Grant site and IBM project managers; overall supervision from district superintendent or state commissioner

Technology development; training;

Systemic reform

Day-to-day management and project implementa-tion

1st round grants: 3-5 years

2nd round grants: 2-3 years

  

Grants range from $850,000 to $2 million

$ for grant scale-up and ongoing systemic reform efforts

Funding/managing resources

Monitoring quality of operations

Development

Recruiting partners

Grant site project manager; IBM project manager

Systemic reform

Identify and secure other grant moneys

Ongoing

    

$ for grant scale-up and ongoing systemic reform efforts

Recruiting resources

Allocating resources

Community

Marketing/PR

Grant site and IBM project managers

Systemic reform

Hold school events; media placements

Life of grant

      

Outreach to: home, school, community

Networking

Program Evaluation

Monitoring

Center for Children & Technology

Measure success of Reinventing Education in contributing to higher student achievement

3-year, outcomes-based evaluation: site visits, interviews, surveys, data analysis.

Three years

  

Evaluation provided to each site independent of grant award

  

 

Step 7: Implement Action Plans

Action Committee Objectives

Activities/
Tasks

Classification of Activity

Activity Completion

Resources Allocated

Activities Accomplished

Comments

Low (supple-mental)

Medium (program-matic)

High (strategic/ systemic)

Expected

Actual

Yes

No

Operations
 

Day-to day management; technology development; training

    

3

1st round grants: 3-5 years

2nd round grants: 2-3 years

On target

Grants range from $850,000 to $2 million

    

Ongoing

Development
 

Secure other monies

    

3

1st round grants: 3-5 years

2nd round grants: 2-3 years

ongoing

On target

Grants range from $850,000 to $2 million

    

In each site, outside grant monies have been secured

Ongoing

Communication
 

Publicize grant progress through school events and media placement

    

3

1st round grants: 3-5 years

2nd round grants: 2-3 years

On target

Grants range from $850,000 to $2 million

    

Ongoing

 

Step 8: Measure and Report Progress

Short-Term
Objectives

Baseline
Measure(s)

Outcomes Achieved
Mo. --- Yr. ---

Check Points

Next Steps

Outcomes Achieved
Mo. --- Yr. ---

Check Points

Next Steps

Priority Area

Teachers' attitudes; attendance; parent involvement; technology development

In February 1997, the Center for Children & Technology conducted an interim evaluation of our first-round sites

CC&T found improvement in all short-term priority areas

Site visits, interviews, data analysis

Higher student achievement; systemic education reform

Evaluation: in the midst of 3-year outcomes-based evaluation

CC&T's initial findings show improvements in attendance, achievement, teachers' attitudes, and parent involvement.

Site visits, interviews, surveys, data analysis

CC&T will issue interim evaluation to enable programmatic improvements before publishing its final 3 year assessment

 

Step 9: Review Annual Results and Plan for the Future

Short-Term
Objectives

Long-Term
Objectives

Baseline Measures

Annual Outcomes
Date ---------

Measurement
Tools

Next Steps

Action Committee Members (contact information)

Priority Area

Teachers' attitudes; attendance; parent involvement; technology development

Higher student achievement; systemic reform

Surveys, interviews, school attendance records, assessments of technology, student test scores

3-year evaluation with interim progress reports

CC&T evaluations

Through ongoing feedback from CC&T, make necessary programmatic changes in each site to ensure ongoing progress

CC&T; IBM overall management; district superintendent or state commissioners; IBM project managers; grant site project managers

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