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FINAL REPORT TO QUALITY SCHOOLS INTERIM COMMITEE, MONTANA LEGISLATURE
RETURN TO ESTANCIA VALLEY COMMUNITY CO-OPERATIVE - EDUCATION
FINAL REPORT TO THE QUALITY SCHOOL INTERIM COMMITTEE
STATE OF MONTANA
BY MONTANA VIRTUAL EDUCATION CONSULTANCY
AUGUST 22, 2005
1. OVERVIEW.................................................................................... 4
2. EDUCATIONAL SERVICES.................................................................. 4
2.1.Research relative to the status quo: ............................................ 4
2.2.New revenue: .......................................................................... 5
2.3.Educational script: .................................................................... 5
2.4.Community schools: .................................................................. 5
2.5.Montana Cyber School District: .................................................... 6
2.6.Home-based schooling: ............................................................. 6
2.7. “SEED” schools: ....................................................................... 6
2.8.Educational vouchers: ............................................................... 7
2.9.School-wide wireless network establishment: ................................ 7
2.10. Internet access at home: ....................................................... 7
2.11. Stakeholder communication via email: ...................................... 8
2.12.Community-wide deployment of Wi-Fi and Wi-Max: ......................8
2.13.Multi-media studio: ................................................................. 8
2.14.Master teachers and Ed Tech support: ........................................ 9
2.15. Wireless laptops for students: .................................................. 9
2.16. Cost of Ownership-- Laptops vs. handhelds: ...............................9
2.17. Focus on student motivation:................................................... 10
2.18. Blogging: ........................................................................... 11
2.19. Repositories of learning: ........................................................ 11
2.20. Private foundations:............................................................... 11
2.21. Start 'em young: .................................................................. 12
2.22. Families, schools and children: ............................................... 12
2.23.Computer support; help desk: ................................................. 12
2.24.School-based computer store/shop: ......................................... 12
2.25.Development of Pathways of Learning and teaching: .................. 13
2.26. Open source software programs: ............................................ 13
2.27. No Child Left Behind: ............................................................. 14
2.28. Magnet schools: ................................................................. 14
2.29. American Indian Educational opportunities: ............................. 14
2.30.Licenses, testing and evaluation: ............................................. 14
2.31. The “mega-classroom”: ......................................................... 15
2.32. Current research, studies and field trials: ................................. 15
2.33. Models: .............................................................................. 15
2.34. Financial management systems: ............................................ 15
2.35. Possible court mandate:......................................................... 16
2.36. Truancy, disinterest, drop-outs, addictive behavior:................... 16
3.MONTANA SCHOOL LAWS AND COURT DECISIONS.............................. 16
4.FUNDING ISSUES:.......................................................................... 17
4.1.Equity in funding: ................................................................... 17
4.2.Funding adequacy: .................................................................. 17
4.3.Regional cost differences: ........................................................ 17
4.4.Legal aspects of educational finance reform: ............................... 17
4.5.Issues related to preserving the cultural integrity of Montana’s
American Indians: ........................................................................ 18
4.6.Issues related to isolated, rural, and urban schools: ..................... 18
4.7.Issues related to the attraction and retention of qualified educators
and other personnel: .................................................................... 18
4.8.Relationships with school districts and State officers: ................... 18
4.9. Relationship with other stakeholders: ........................................ 19
5. IMPLEMENTAITON OF RECOMMENDATIONS....................................... 19
5.1. Communication devices: ........................................................ 19
5.2.Very fast start: ....................................................................... 19
5.3.Budgeting: ............................................................................. 19
6.Recommended course of actions: .................................................... 20
6.1.Existing studies: ..................................................................... 20
6.2.Analysis: ............................................................................... 20
6.3.American Indian education programs and costs: .......................... 20
6.4.Road map and cookbook approach:............................................. 20
7. WRITTEN FINAL REPORT................................................................. 20
7.1.Inventory: ............................................................................. 20
7.2. Cost of a quality education: ..................................................... 21
7.3.Funding formulas: .................................................................... 21
7.4. SB152 and NCLB: ................................................................... 21
7.5.Fee for services:....................................................................... 21
7.6. Additional services: ............................................................... 22
8. REFERENCES................................................................................. 22
8.1.References for James E. Miller........................................................ 22
8.2.References for Charles Bruce...................................................... 22
8.3.References for Montana Virtual Education Consultancy. ................. 23
8.4. Resumes/Company Profile and Experience. .............................. 23
TAB A -- RESUME OF JAMES E. MILLER - GENERAL............................... 24
TAB B -- RESUME OF CHARLES W. BRUCE........................................... 30
TAB C -- MEGA CLASSROOM ............................................................. 35
TAB D -- FUNDING OF MONTANA QUALITY EDUCTION PROPOSED
BY JAMES E. MILLER............................................................ 35
TAB E -- TEACHER RECRUITMENT....................................................... 37
TAB F -- EDUCATION’S DOUBLE WHAMMY........................................... 41
END NOTES...................................................................................... 45
1. OVERVIEW
Montana Virtual Education Consultancy [MTVEd] proposes several changes to
the control and funding of public education for the benefit of Montana
citizens. The goals are to create a new awareness of the use of technology
in support of quality education, to design and install the system, to provide
the necessary teacher and administrative training to best utilize the new
technology, to fund the initiatives, and to create the rubrics and metrics
which will indicate relative success or failure of any given initiative. We also
explore the expanding network of learning centers and educational resources
available on the Web. While traditional teaching methods are not to be
minimized, we advocate the adoption of “kindness in the classroom”
approaches which include multiple learning pathways chosen by the student.
Just providing the tools, will gain a considerable number of these goals.
Providing the incentives will greatly increase goal attainment. These
incentives include greater reliance on motivation among students, teachers,
administrators and a supporting public.
The funding must be substantial, if only to off-set the years of under-funding
of Montana public education (as found by three courts). Each of our
proposals must be tested for compliance with SB 152, NCLB, and the court
decisions. This final report attempts lay the foundation to do so. MTVEd
offers this report as guidance to the Committee and the stakeholders who
are interested in the long-term success of our student population in the
science and art of life. Due to the lack of a state contract and funding by
Montana, our final report does not include testing our proposed methods,
using the nine proposed test beds and many of the proofs of concept needed
to validate the recommendations as applied to Montana public schools.
2. EDUCATIONAL SERVICES
The MTVEd proposes the design and delivery of educational services via
the public schools in Montana, as follows:
2.1. Research relative to the status quo:
The State's RFP references “nationally accepted methodologies of
school finance.” MTVEd has sought definitions, rules and examples of
“nationally accepted methodologies of school finance” and found that
generic forms of real and personal property taxation, proceeds from
sales taxes and gaming revenues, general state funding and federal
funding have been, in the main, the focus of school finance. Other
special sources, such as revenue from school land trusts and special
levies have contributed to some school funding program. School
voucher programs, where adopted, have also provided some school
funding. Funding by other units of local government has been used in
joint exercise of powers agreements among cities, counties and other
local governmental entities to off-set school costs. In short, there is
no “nationally accepted methodologies of school finance” on a
national basis. To have reported otherwise, would be to mislead the
Committee.
There is a crisis of quality education in Montana, as attested by the
report, Schools in Crisis -- A Local Perspective published by the
Montana Quality Education Coalition. 1
2.2. New revenue:
MTVEd proposes that the State of Montana adopt, as an additional
source of funding, the enactment of a proposed Montana Education
Resources Act [MERA] which would impose a consumer retail tax on
goods and services sold at retail in Montana to non-Montana
residents. The objective is to make the operation of the act taxneutral
as to bona fide, permanent Montana residents. 2
2.3. Educational script:
MTVEd also proposes the creation of script which can be earned by
students, purchased by third parties and given to students as awards
and “compensation”. The script will be redeemable and used by the
student to enhance his or her digital educational domain. Basically,
the script would be used to upgrade the student's wireless laptop,
buy additional educational software applications and pay fees for
online courses which are not paid for by the school.
2.4. Community schools:
MTVEd proposes the wide-spread adoption of community schools,
charter schools and supplemental educational services, funded in part
of local agencies. A firm, long-term partnership must be formed
among the students, the extended family, community citizen groups
and units of local government, to organize and fund community
schools. 3 The expanded community school has no restrictive
intellectual or social walls. 4 Translating words into action takes time,
money and innovation; the end result is learning on a higher curve. 5
The “Buddy System” matches public and private venues and
resources for multi-tenant uses. 6
2.5. Montana Cyber School District:
MTVEd proposes the creation of a state-wide school district (to be
aptly named, Montana Cyber Schools). This school district will offer
enrollment to all Montana legal residents in any one or more online
courses. It will also offer online courses of study leading to a high
school certificate or GED. It will also act as the major purchasing and
evaluation agent for all computer hardware and software for all of the
other school districts. It will track licensure of programs it runs on its
servers. 7 Any Montana student, parent, teacher or administrator will
be able to gain privileges on this system. It is said that we are what
we eat. It is also true that we become what we learn. 8
2.6. Home-based schooling:
MTVEd proposes the expanded use of home schooling and its
integration with local brick and mortar public schooling. Home
schooling will be offered help through the Montana Cyber School. The
concept of home schooling will be expanded by include enlistment of
parents and other suitable family members, to aid students in their
home work. Interns will be assigned on an as need basis. Interns
will be university students doing their student teaching. Lessons can
be distributed as text, audio, video and interactive web pages. 9
Many schools place a high priority on getting the parents involved in
extending the learning to the home environment. Schools should
“enroll” the parents (and extended family) as participants. Broward
County Schools could serve as a good example for Montana Schools.
10
2.7. “SEED” schools:
An uncommon boarding school in Washington, D.C., is “Schools for
Educational Evolution and Development” and is a charter school.
Despite drawing students from high poverty neighborhoods, the
student's aspirations are college directed. 11
2.8. Educational vouchers:
MTVEd proposes the creation of a voucher system thereby giving
parents, guardians and students a wider selection of educational
services in Montana. Adequate safeguards will be proposed so that
the uses of the vouchers are in faith-neutral settings. Schools
accepting vouchers, should be required to meet the same standards
for student evaluations and teacher preparedness as do public
schools.
The U. S. Supreme Court in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, held that the
Cleveland school voucher system was constitutional. 12
The debate goes on in Milwaukee even after 15 years of providing
students and parents with vouchers (14,000 students received 83
million) and in Washington D.C. (1,600 students received 13 million).
13
2.9. School-wide wireless network establishment:
MTVEd proposes the deployment of wireless network systems in all
schools and the empowerment of students by entrusting wireless
laptop computers to every K-12 public school student in Montana.
Upon graduation from high school, the student’s laptop will be
awarded to him or her as part of the school’s educational incentive
program.
2.10. Internet access at home:
Internet access at school is not enough, given the amount of
homework students are required to perform. Internet access, least
dial-up, should be a goal of Montana's Quality Schools solutions. The
State of Maine is one of the leaders in this quest:
“Former Gov. Angus King, who launched the initiative that
put computers on the laps of middle schoolers, announced
yesterday another program aimed at eliminating the socalled
digital divide: free home Internet for kids who receive
free or reduced-cost school lunches.” 14
2.11. Stakeholder communication via email:
Email may not replace the telephone or teacher's notes home
anytime soon, but it is gaining ground as a preferred means of
keeping the flow of communication going among teachers, parents,
students and school administration. 15
2.12. Community-wide deployment of Wi-Fi and Wi-Max:
MTVEd proposes the adoption of Wi-Max when it becomes financially
feasible so to do. Wi-Max is a high band transmission service which
can be deployed over a 30 mile radius. It will be offered in support of
mainline schools, community schools, and public libraries. Some
cities have begun the distribution of Wi-Fi citywide for free.
h ttp : // w ww.insidebayarea.com / b usinessnews / c i _ 2922941
In the meanwhile,Wi-Fi broadband can be distributed in a community
by using “neighborhood nodes” or “hot spots of wireless transmission
and reception. 16
2.13. Multi-media studio:
MTVEd proposes for each high school, a fully developed multi-media
studio, thereby enabling students to learn both the artistic as well as
the digital sides of multi-media school project productions. 17 High
end PC’s and/or Macs will provide the OS and non-linear editing and
post-production effects available through several vendors. 18 The
editors of eSchool News have put together a list of video educational
sources for schools. See editorial and list:
http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/reports/video2005/index.cf
m
Video studios are high motivators, especially for talented students.
Basic video production should be a series of courses, starting in the
middle school grades and culminating during the senior year with a
completed video production which can be streamed via a webcast. 19
Software is available for three dimensional viewing which when
employed by authors creating visual components to lessons, will
greatly enhance the speed and depth of learning, especially for right
brain dominate students. 20
2.14. Master teachers and Ed Tech support:
MTVEd proposes the establishment of a “Corps of Discovery” of
master teachers whose mission is to teach classroom teachers the
use of digital resources and digital authorware for creating and
administering lessons and other learning experiences. 21
Ed tech support is just as important as tech support for hardware and
software. The editors of eSchool News express their concern and
have published a list of supporting vendors and websites.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/reports/overcomingtechissue
s/index.cfm
2.15. Wireless laptops for students:
MTVEd proposes the use by students and teachers of wireless
laptops, as a principal learning tool. The distribution of laptops will
start at the top end of middle school then progress to first grade.
Thereafter, laptops will be issued to all high school students starting
with seniors and progressing to the entry level high school students.
The deployment in schools will be preceded by the installation of a
complete wireless network system with security, backup, transmitters
and equipment RFID. Distribution will be on a school by school basis
as funding is made available and staff is trained.
MTVEd proposes the purchase of ruggedized laptop computers for K-6
students for under $500. Bulk purchasing will likely reduce the unit
cost. MTVEd will also track the efforts of MIT in its efforts to produce
an under $300 laptop. Most 7 -12 students will receive a basic model
of a wireless laptop costing in the range of $600 to $1500. By the
use of script, the basic model can be upgraded or traded-in on a
more robust laptop. Upon graduation, the seniors will be awarded
the laptop previously entrusted to them.
Significant educational progress has been well documented by the
numerous schools which are adopting the use of laptop computers as
educational tools. The Montana experience should be no less robust
than the best practices can provide. 22
2.16. Cost of Ownership-- Laptops vs. handhelds:
Some schools have saved capital costs by issuing hand held
computers, especially in the lower grades. According to Computing
Unplugged magazine, the total cost of ownership of typical laptops is
about $9,700 versus $2,100 for handhelds. 23 New on the scene are
the sub-laptops which fill a void between a seven pound laptop and
the handhelds. See discussion at:
http://www.lowendmac.com/misc/01/0806.html. MTVEd's proposal
for low cost, reliable laptops can be realized, using the prison industry
approach.
2.17. Focus on student motivation:
Ability to engage in rote memory is not, per se, “education”. A
trained monkey can learn to perform rote tasks. The best teacher is
the student who teaches himself or herself. Motivation to learn, thus
becomes the main focus of the MTVEd approach to education.
Laptops and online courses are substantial aids to self-directed
learning. 24 Motivation comes in all forms. Testing and grading is
generally considered negative motivations. So too is bullying and
negative peer pressure. A student code of conduct, together with
enforcement is necessary.
The Harbor schools approach, where kindness is the rule, merits
adoption by Montana. 25 Funding should be provided schools to add
arts and entertainment to the menu. Classes can study history
through the use of plays. 26 The amount and kind of entertainment
should be linked to the overall school performance in all areas:
academics, citizenship, attendance, and community involvement.
In New York, the American Ballroom Institute has brought trained
teachers to about 7,000 fourth and fifth grade students in 68
elementary schools. The kids learn the fox trot, merengue, rumba,
tango and swing. School teams compete in a dance off for an
enormous trophy. The dance-off was the focus of “Mad Hot
Ballroom”. 27
The fourth “R” in education, according to zookeeper Larry Kvamme, is
relationship. At his insistence, Washington's Office of Public
Instruction is to create a model family curriculum including conflict
management, communication skills, financial and parental
responsibilities. Florida and New Jersey have passed similar
legislation. The push for moral agendas is being mulled by other
states, according to Arnold Fege, director of public engagement and
advocacy for the Public Education Network. 28
“Pen Pals” takes on new meaning when students can email each other
across the world in seconds, exchanging text, music, and digital
pictures. KIDLINK has, over the years, facilitated digital pen pals in
schools throughout the country. http://www.kidlink.org/
The lack of and reduction of recess has created its own set of burdens
which militate against learning, especially in the lower grades. Active
recess energizes the body, brings fresh air to the lungs and allows
children to discharge their abundant energy. Fighting for playtime,
should be a high priority of any quality schools system. 29
2.18. Blogging:
Blogging offers students and teachers the ability to carry on a public
or private discussion of topics of interest. 30
2.19. Repositories of learning:
Online course repositories have provided “distance” learning to adult
populations for years – with considerable success. There are
hundreds of thousands of online courses and educational resources
available via the Web, many of which are free or low cost. 31
Overtime, Montana teachers can create their own courses for their
use in their classes. Some may be of such value that the teacher
could license the use by others, thus deriving a return on their time
and talent. 32
2.20. Private foundations:
Many private foundations and websites have become educational
activists and forged new bonds with public and private educational
systems. One example is the George Lucas Educational Foundation.
It publishes Edutopia. The website states:
“Time Out
Our education system's lockstep adherence to the clock -- at the
expense of quality and flexibility -- is the subject of the lead feature
in Edutopia magazine's upcoming first-anniversary back-to-school
issue. "Time Out" is the first in a series of essays discussing our
"Big Ideas for Better Schools," The George Lucas Educational
Foundation's roster of strategies for reshaping public education.”
http://www.edutopia.org/ 33
2.21. Start 'em young:
Kids 2-5 can lean to “mouse” around the screen and with some help
getting started, can surf the Web. Partners in the Community
Schools and home Ed can benefit by using a computer as an
educational tool for the very young. 34
2.22. Families, schools and children:
Each segment impacts the other. One cannot be blind to the fits and
starts of children from dysfunctional families. Indeed, what constitute
a “family” has changed and these changes have mighty impacts on
the ability of schools to educate the children. Our thesis is that public
school education ought to extend deeper into the family connections
and involve more community resources than is presently available. 35
The Community School approach engages more of the community
resources to further K-12 education than any other approach. See
Community schools: Para. 2.4
2.23. Computer support; help desk:
MTVEd proposes the establishment by the State of two related prison
industries: (1) the assembly, repair and upgrade of wireless laptop
computers, and (2) the establishment of a 7/24 help center for
computer hardware and software which will be available to teachers
and administrators (but not to students). Mr. Miller will draft the
proposed legislation establishing these prison industries.
2.24. School-based computer store/shop:
MTVEd proposes that in each school which joins the Montana Quality
Education project, that a “computer shop/store” be installed which
will function to issue, maintain, repair, replace, upgrade a track
laptop and PC computers, while providing redemption of script earned
by (or given to) students.
2.25. Development of Pathways of Learning and teaching:
MTVEd proposes the research and development of the three pathways
of learning: Left brain dominant, right brain dominant and kinetic
learning pathways. Lessons in math and science will be required to
be presented in all three modes so that the student can select the
mode which best suits his or her best learning mode. These modes
will reinforce the students best learning skills.
Dr. Mel Levine founded “All Kinds of Minds”. The learning approach is
to teach to the students' best skill sets. 36
The differentiation of brain dominance is based on how people index
their memories. RBD uses pictures and LBD uses sequential (word)
associations (simplified). Kinetic learners use touching as a means of
indexing. Thus, a RBD needs pictures to explain math and science
concepts because of the need to index and relate concepts by
pictorial means. A chemical formula written on the chalk board is
not a picture to the RBD learning; it is learned by the LBD learning as
a sequence of letters and numbers by rote memory. 37 This author
has yet to encounter a bubble test which contains a question framed
in terms of a true picture.
2.26. Open source software programs:
MTVEd will seek out, evaluate, test and recommend open source
programs, including operating systems, office suites, online
authorware systems, video and audio conferencing, white boards,
forums, databases, help center administration, archival services,
storage services, security services, and IT administrative services. 38
Open source programs most often greatly reduce the cost of
acquiring and maintaining software. 39 Open Office offers a free MS
Office clone which includes word processing, spread sheet,
presentation and other software. 40 This report was written in Open
Office Writer.
Browers are generally free. One of the best and most reliable is
Mozilla Fire Fox: http://www.mozilla.org/.
Search engines, while generally free, have progressed to the point
where the real values promote some limited commercialization. A
good example is the search engine, Grokker. 41
2.27. No Child Left Behind:
No Child Left Behind imposes substantial reporting requirements on
school districts. Software applications will greatly reduce the time
and money costs. 42
The high stakes for failing to make adequate yearly progress is
greater Federal/state oversight and possible cut of Federal funding.
Thus the “formative assessment” testing is used to predict
performance on the Adequate Yearly Progress rating test. The basic
motive for these tests is to allow teachers to spot, early in the year,
the probable test failing students. Among the many vendors, is
ThinkLink Learning which sells computer-based predictive versions of
state summative tests. 43
Wyoming's radical solution was to throw out its entire high stakes
testing. It offers formative assessment testing tools to all of its
school districts. 44
2.28. Magnet schools:
Duval County Public Schools in Jacksonville, FL, offers 30 magnet
programs to 20,000 students, including TV production, military
science and aviation, Spanish immersion, representing a total of 25
themes and 70 programs. The schools have long waiting lists of
students wanting to enroll. “The main attraction is that they offer
students a head start in a chosen career and the chance to discover
and develop innate skills and talents”. 45 Magnet schools are well
worth the extra budgeting normally required of traditional classroom
instruction. 46
2.29. American Indian Educational opportunities:
The approaches developed by Cradleboard should be used as
guidelines in developing courses for all Montana Students about
native American Indian culture and history, and course content with
which Montana's native American Indians can relate to and use in
everyday life. 47
2.30. Licenses, testing and evaluation:
MTVEd proposes to test the Montana Laptop Project by using nine test
beds. MTVEd will recommend and the State will acquire on behalf of
the schools, the necessary licenses and permissions to test hardware
and software in nine test beds. These beds are directed at
elementary, middle school and high school environments and will be
spread among small, medium and larger schools. MTVEd will select
the candidates after inviting all Montana school districts to announce
their interest in becoming a test bed. MTVEd will prepare the
protocols, rubrics, procedures, and deployment plan for the test beds
during the three month contract period and proposes a follow-on
contract to run the test beds for two years, beginning in the fall of
2006.
2.31. The “mega-classroom”:
MTVEd proposes the use of the “mega-classroom” where appropriate.
This classroom increases the ratio of students to the teaching
resource persons for such classroom. See TAB C.
2.32. Current research, studies and field trials:
Most of these proposals have been researched by competent,
independent researchers and have been in place in one or more
public and/or private schools. For example, the Singaporean math
text will be used as a model for teaching math. The research results
will be incorporated in the studies and reports to be submitted.
2.33. Models:
Where possible, cost models will be based on the actual costs
experienced by schools which have implemented a given technology
or educational standard. Cost estimates otherwise will be built on
factoids gathered from cost incurred and costs avoided as reported by
similar institutions and companies operating similar projects.
2.34. Financial management systems:
Financial management systems should fully integrate attendance,
budgeting, general ledger, banking, HR, payroll, payables and
receivables, bidding and contract management, contact management,
inventory, capital assets, and grant administration.48 Student debit
cards are useful for small monetary transactions and should be
implemented if educational script systems are adopted. 49
2.35. Possible court mandate:
Should the Montana Legislature decide to “do nothing” or propose few
improvements and minuscule funding, the Montana Supreme Court
could follow the lead of the Kansas Supreme Court and mandate
additional funding for Education. MTVEd's proposals will buy time in
face of further court challenges with the goal of blunting the attacks
or causing the attacks to subside. 50
2.36. Truancy, disinterest, drop-outs, addictive behavior:
Truancy, dismal academic performance, drop-outs and addictive
behavior cause losses to the individual, the school and the
community. One antidote is to make the education interesting and
relevant to the social, employment, and moral needs of the students.
Students who are prone to addictive behavior, including computeritis,
will need counseling and parent intervention. As part of the test bed
project, monitoring software will be used to detect computeritis.
3. MONTANA SCHOOL LAWS AND COURT DECISIONS
3.1.1. Dr. Miller is familiar with the State enactments relating to Montana
School Finance laws and is familiar with several studies published
which discuss Montana school financing. He has a well-developed
interest in school finance. While County Counsel of Imperial
County, he actively campaigned in school bond elections. He
acted as the legal advisor for many school bond and over-ride
elections in Imperial County, CA. He is willing to draft school
finance legislation such as the Committee may direct..
3.1.2. Dr. Miller holds a J.D. from Stanford Law School and is an expert
in school law. He has carefully reviewed the educational crisis
litigation in Montana and is generally familiar with similar litigation
in other states. He will continue to update himself as new cases
are filed and decided throughout the nation. He is willing to
prepare the initial draft of the report required to be delivered to
the District and Supreme Courts on or before October 1, 2005.
4. FUNDING ISSUES:
4.1. Equity in funding:
Dr. Miller will proposed amendments to MCA which sunset many of
the mill levies imposed on real property in support of school funding
as revenue from MERA becomes available to off-set the reduction in
real property taxation for school funding. Equity demands that some
relief be granted to real property tax payers.
4.2. Funding adequacy:
MTVEd proposes that the initial costs of implementation of its
recommendations be paid out of the new revenue generated by MERA
and available grants from federal and foundation sources. The
capital, start-up, training and operational costs for the digital program
suggested by MTVEd is expected to cost 150 million per year for the
first three years. Part of the funding can come from repositioning
costs saved by substituting ebooks for hard copy books.
4.3. Regional cost differences:
Regional cost differences will be taken into consideration which
includes differences based on costs of living, transportation costs,
small size classes, interest and ability level of the student population,
recruitment and retention rates for teachers and administrators and
other significant factors. The costing of school operations as
proposed in principle is set forth under TAB D.
4.4. Legal aspects of educational finance reform:
As part of the services to be offered by MTVEd, we will work with all
of the stakeholders in Montana Quality Education field to draft the
proposed report to the District and Supreme Court. Proposed draft
legislation which is designed to carry-out the plans will be attached
so that the drafts may be studied in preparation for the expected
special session of the Legislature in December, 2005. Proposed
drafts include MERA and prison industry legislation.
4.5. Issues related to preserving the cultural integrity of
Montana’s American Indians:
MTVEd recommends that all Montana Students be enrolled in one or
more courses which teach the history and culture of America's
Indians. Further, MTVEd will recommend the extensive
implementation of efforts to reduce the digital divide by offering
home PC's to all parents who agree to learn and apply home
schooling techniques relative to their respective children, in
cooperation with the local public school district. These PCs will be on
a loan basis initially. When funding becomes available after the
laptops have been deployed, the home PCs can be awarded to the
parent(s) on the basis of economic need and/or the use of script.
Each tribe will be heavily involved in the design and implementation
of the specific plans for its members.
4.6. Issues related to isolated, rural, and urban schools:
The issues relative to quality education are: teacher recruitment and
retention, distractions, attendance, learning ability, learning
motivation, adequate counseling and administrative services. The
tri-pathways of learning will greatly aid the learning in math and
science. Motivation will be enhanced by the use of the laptops, script
and the use of the mega-classroom.
4.7. Issues related to the attraction and retention of qualified
educators and other personnel:
Teacher recruitment issues are discussed under TAB E.
4.8. Relationships with school districts and State officers:
Mr. Miller, as County Counsel of Imperial County, CA, developed
extensive and pervading communications with the chief executive and
administrative officers of some 28 school districts. He developed a
teacher dismissal kit. He actively promoted the passage of school
bond issues (on his own time), and developed the legal means by
which relocatable classrooms were obtained by school districts
through the use of federal funds. As the legal counsel for all of the
school districts in Imperial County, he issued legal opinions, wrote
and approved contracts, settled tax issues and advised on the
implementation of California's extensive Code of Education. Dr.
Miller’s more passionate writing, Education’s Double Whammy, is
under TAB F.
4.9. Relationship with other stakeholders:
More recently, as part of the research for the paper, Legislative
Control and Funding of Montana Quality Education, he researched the
websites of all of the stakeholders and wrote to each stakeholder
organization, requesting copies of positions taken relative to the
issues of Montana's Quality Education crisis. Only one response was
received, indicating that more communication with other stakeholders
is needed.
5. IMPLEMENTAITON OF RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1. Communication devices:
To the greatest extent feasible, communication will be in written
form, via a forum to be established and maintained by MTVEd. This
service will be the “white board” approach, using a form of
Wikipedia, which allows any authorized user to edit any text. The
access is by any standard Web browser to a hosted site including a
Virtual Private Network with firewalls and adaptive security. The
Wikipedia approach is described under TAB G.
5.2. Very fast start:
Research will accelerate and produce drafts on-the-fly for each
element. Most of what MTVEd proposes is already in written form,
thus allowing for a very fast start. Extensive use of hyperlinks will
facilitate navigation of the Web resources. Much of MTVEd’s IT
work product is online and can easily be hyperlinked.
5.3. Budgeting:
Budgeting format for the study will be via Excel. Three
demonstration budgets will be provided for each of three
hypothetical (composite) school districts for each of three arenas of
interest: K-6,7-9, 10-12 grades in small, medium and large
districts. The line items include staff costs, capital costs,
infrastructure costs, student support costs, IT costs, and
administrative overhead.
6. Recommended course of actions:
6.1. Existing studies:
We will review the rubrics used by existing studies and recommend
a course of action, with associated costs, to update such studies.
6.2. Analysis:
MTVEd will provide both statistical analysis and cognitive analysis of
evidence-based methodologies, an analysis of the cost structure
and the efficient use of resources for small schools, remote schools,
home based education and urban schools.
6.3. American Indian education programs and costs:
MtVEd, working with each tribe's leaders, will provide an analysis of
effective and efficient use of resources for American Indian
education programs. Extensive use of cyber resources will be
recommended, to reduce the digital divide. Also courses in
Montana’s American Indian history and culture will be available to
all Montana students.
6.4. Road map and cookbook approach:
Each of the proposals listed in paragraph 2 will be fully stated and
costed. A road map and a cook book will be provided for each
proposal. The proposals will be ranked as to priority.
7. WRITTEN FINAL REPORT
MTVEd would have been able, as the Committee's consultant, to present
to the Quality Schools Interim Committee by September 1, 2005, a final
report, including an executive summary, that:
7.1. Inventory:
Creates an inventory of the assessment of educational needs for
Montana's public schools based on the definition of a basic system
of free quality public elementary and secondary schools as provided
in Senate Bill No. 152;
7.2. Cost of a quality education:
Articulates the findings regarding the costs of providing a basic
system of quality schools;
7.3. Funding formulas:
Makes recommendations for development of a funding formula that
is based on the costs analysis and that ensures the equitable
distribution of the State's share of the costs of a basic system of
quality schools; and,
7.4. SB152 and NCLB:
Provides the means by which the funding formula, based on the
educationally relevant factors identified by the Montana Legislature
in Senate Bill No. 152, can be modified by such factors as inflation,
stagnation, depression, and economic growth and increased student
aspirations. MTVEd's report will cover an assessment of the
educational needs of Montana's public schools, based on SB 152,
the applicable court opinions, and NCLB. Each element shall be
addressed as to needs, proposed solutions, cost and schedule.
MTVEd's report will articulate, by line item, the findings and
associated costs for a basis system of quality schools, using the
proposed test bed methodology, where applicable, and the historical
costs experienced by schools which have implemented a specific
program. MTVEd will present the proposed draft of the Montana
Eduction Resource Act as part of the report. Included in the act will
be the formula for an equitable distribution of funds to provide for a
quality school system for all Montana public school students.
7.5. Fee for services:
MTVEd proposes to conduct the studies listed above and prepare
the a comprehensive report including the protocols for the test
beds, for $95,500.
7.6. Additional services:
Dr. Miller and Mr. Bruce offer to testify before the Committee via
electronic means.
Respectfully submitted,
MONTANA VIRTUAL EDUCATION CONSULTANCY
By___/s/ James E. Miller_____
James E. Miller, J.D., Partner
MTVED report#1 open office 8-21-05
8. REFERENCES.
8.1. References for James E. Miller
8.1.1. Dr. Geoffry Gamble, President, Montana State University,
President's Office, 211 Montana Hall, Bozeman, MT 59717-2420,
406-994-2341 | 406-994-1893 (fax)
8.1.2. Dr. Nancy Callan, MSU Western Agricultural Experimental Center,
Professor of Horticulture; Telephone: (406) 961-3025 FAX: (406)
961-3026 e-mail: ncallan@montana.edu Mailing address: Montana
State University; Western Agricultural Research Center; 580 Quast
Lane; Corvallis, MT 59828
8.1.3. Dr. Martin J. Frick, Associate Professor, Agricultural Education,
Department of Agriculture, Montana State University, Bozeman,
MT 59715. Telephone: 406-994-5773; email:
uadmf@montana.edu.
8.2. References for Charles Bruce
8.2.1. Mr. Guy Savage, Deputy Chief Information Officer - Information
Technology Department, County of San Luis Obispo (CA); 805-
781-5071
8.2.2. Ms. Jan Lane, Operations Manager, Electronic Data
Systems/Washington Mutual Bank, Northridge, CA, 818-775-6528,
jan.lane@eds.com
8.2.3. Mr. James Browarski, Information Technology Specialist, Veeco
Corporation (Automotive Systems), 805-737-6961.
8.3. References for Montana Virtual Education Consultancy.
Montana Virtual Education Consultancy (“MTVEd”) is a newly formed
partnership between James E. Miller and Charles Bruce, and as such has
no history of providing a needs assessment and cost analysis to clients
within the past five years. As such, the references for the company are
the same as for its partners. We are actively seeking additional partners
who have broad educational and business backgrounds.
8.4. Resumes/Company Profile and Experience.
The relevant past services performed by the partners of the MTVEd, their
respective skills, and their proposed contributions, are as follows:
8.4.1. James E. Miller
Dr. Miller has conducted research in the field of digital education during
the past four years and is attending Montana State University. He has
taken a Capstone course [similar to Senior thesis] in agricultural education
and produced a paper entitled, Legislative Control and Funding of Montana
Quality Education, spring, 2005. Digital copies are available on request.
Please see Dr. Miller’s resume under TAB A.
8.4.2. Charles Bruce
Mr. Bruce is an information technology expert and is currently starting a -
commercial children's center in Oxnard, CA. He has written on a variety of
subjects, including recruitment and retention of teachers.
Please see Mr. Bruce’s resume under TAB B.
TAB A:
RESUME OF JAMES E. MILLER - GENERAL
EDUCATION:
Santa Ana Senior High School, 1953; Stanford University, A.B. 1957:
Majors: economics, political science, history; Stanford University School of
Law. J.D. 1959. Moot Court award. Continuing education in law and
computer science.
LICENSES AND MEMBERSHIPS:
Member of California State Bar since January 1960. Previous licenses:
California Licensed Real Estate Broker, California Collection Agency, and
California Talent Agency License
EMPLOYMENT AND PRACTICE
Private law practice, 1973 to 2001. Emphasis on commercial, real estate,
business law, and construction defect litigation. Substantial experience in
public and private school law, Intellectual Property Law and Entertainment
Law. Owned licensed Talent Agency with offices in Los Angeles and San
Diego.
Project Manager, Mt. Israel Recreation Project, 1991.
Rohr Industries, Inc. Corporate staff counsel, 1969-1972. Corporate and
securities law, labor relations, litigation and advanced technology
contracting.
County of Imperial. County Counsel, 1965- 1969. General counsel to County
Board of Supervisors and departments, 28 school districts and five special
districts.
County of San Diego. Deputy County Counsel, 1960-1965. Real property
legal counsel, including eminent domain litigation, public works contracts and
highway law.
United States Air Force, 1959 -1964. Staff Sergeant, Medical Corps.
Del Mangles Tile, 1953- 1957. Tile setter's helper and apprentice tile setter
(summer job)
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATIONAL SERVICES
County Counsel, Imperial County, CA, 1965-1969. Chief legal advisor for
28 school districts. Advised on Calif. Education Code and applicable federal
laws. Wrote and approved construction, maintenance and repair contracts.
Prepared teacher dismissal kit. Develop legal means by which districts
acquired relocatable classrooms. Represented school districts in litigation,
including eminent domain. Attended course at Imperial Valley College.
Wrote student handbook for Imperial Valley College. Issued opinions on
school taxation matters.
Produced a video in the form of a documentary of the use of community
and school swimming pools in Imperial County which was part of Dr. Miller’s
campaign to pass school bond issues for swimming pools for Central Union
High School District, El Centro, CA. Supervised legal aspects of school
bond issues and tax over-ride elections. Supervised legal aspects of
unification of school districts. As County Counsel of Imperial County, CA,
Mr. Miller drafted proposed tax legislation, legislation affecting the cemetery
industry, testified before committees of the California Legislature, and
assisted staff. While a law student at Stanford Law School, he worked for
the California Law Revision Commission.
Deputy County Counsel, San Diego County, CA, 1960-1965. Represented
school districts of San Diego County in real property matters, including
leasing, purchasing, sale, quite title and eminent domain. Researched and
wrote formal legal opinions.
CONSTRUCTION EXPERIENCE:
Planned Unit Development. Developed three unit planned unit development,
Chula Vista, CA, including purchase, planning, PUD legal work, annexation to
City of Chula Vista, contracting for engineering, contract administration,
major grading, extension of utilities, financing, supervision, landscaping and
fire protection. 1972 - 1974.
House construction. Planning for 3000 sq. ft. single story, residence, Chula
Vista (Bonita), financing, bidding, contract administration, supervision,
billing, fund control and labor employment. Performed construction work,
including landscaping, concrete, irrigation, tile installation, carpentry and
miscellaneous work.
Office building projects: Planned, financed and executed tenant
improvements in four different office projects. Manager and part owner of
10,000 sq. ft. office building, Hillcrest, San Diego, mid-80's. Executed energy
conservation plan: employed energy engineer, installed new temperature
controls and a fire alarm system. Managed extensive remodeling of office
building.
Project Manager:
Ivy Tower, San Diego, CA (1975-79) Formed limited partnership and
purchased a 10,000 sq. foot, three office building in San Diego, CA. Mr.
Miller as GP, remodeled the building, installed an executive suite, upgraded
the HVAC system and installed a fire alarm system. Sold the building and
forwarded the proceeds to the Anchor building project.
Anchor Office Building project, San Diego, CA (1979) Above partnership
purchased office space parcel in Pacific Beach. Mr. Miller, as GP, directed
efforts of architect to design building. Involved heavily in design decisions:
structural, communications, HVAC, security, lighting, fenestration and
elevator. Sold parcel with substantial profit to Mr. Miller and his wife and
other partners.
Mt. Israel Recreation Area, for Olivenhain Municipal Water District,
CA, 1991. Employed as Project Manager by Bellfree Contractors, Inc.
Supervised construction of riding and hiking trails, picnic areas, horse
tethers, fences, gates, landscaping and irrigation systems. Designed and
prepared all job cost spreadsheets; prepared progress billing; kept books,
did banking; hired employees and subcontractors; supervised execution of
work; acted as owner's representative to owner's staff; resolved fire damage
and property claims; and operated heavy equipment.
El Campito, Descanso, CA, 2000. Employed as Project Manager for the
development of a 63 acre horse ranch. Duties included due diligence review
of project prior to close of escrow, planning and permits, construction of an
extensive irrigation system ($30,000 plus); refitting well with pump and
electrical service; brushing and grading; fencing; planting of 300 fruit trees.
Trail construction: Designed and build hydraulically operated mini-bull dozer.
Extensive studies in hydraulic operating systems. Own and operate tracked
excavator and maintained the same, including rebuilding hydraulic rams.
Designed and built riding and hiking trails. Designed and built 8' wide by 20
foot long equestrian bridge. Wrote and obtain grants for trail construction.
Supervised reconstruction of California Riding and Hiking Trail ($75,000
grant).
Equipment operation: Proficient in operating a skiploader, backhoe, and skidsteer
loaders. Operated attachments including breakers, augers, and flail
mowers. Have experience in operating a tracked front-end loader, CAT D4
bulldozer, compactors, trenchers, air tools, dump trucks, air compressor
powered tools, power saws, most construction tools and engineering tools.
Housing project: Designed housing project, including 3000 sq. ft. house,
three car garage and 640 sq. ft. apartment. Obtained permits and installed
black and gray waste water systems, metal framing, metal roofing, finish
plumbing, finish flooring, domestic water supply system, and fire water
supply system. Designed, made and installed cabinets. Performed all
contract administration, financing, employment of labor and supervision of
work of others. Designed and installed leach field. Installed landscaping and
irrigation systems.
Hydronic heating and cooling research: Conducted extensive research into
hydronic heating and cooling systems, including, technology, regulations,
licensing, design, parts and equipment supply, labor costs and availability,
marketing, competition, job cost accounting, and financing. Studied design
manuals, including Wirsbo. Pursued legal and political avenues toward
modification of current regulations affecting the use of used oil for extraction
of energy. Prepared extensive business plan for Alpine Applied Hydronics.
ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL EXPERIENCE
Conducted nationwide search for job cost accounting software and evaluated
13 packages. Selected Master Builder by OMWare as best fit.
Used, sold and installed One-Write Plus, entry level business accounting -
three businesses (office building, bread jobber, horse ranch).
Installed SBT Job Costing for blind and drapery business ($50k - 72k/mo.
gross sales); accomplished data conversion, prepared financials for
two years and trained bookkeeper.
Used QuickBooks.
Used Unix based, multi-terminal, debt collection software, including trust
accounting, for collection agency.
Litigated numerous contractor cases involving accounting issues
Litigated several partnership dissolution cases involving accounting issues
Setup and operated job cost system for Bellfree Contractors for the Mt.
Israel project (see above).
Setup and used several different accounting systems for law practice.
Two quarters of accounting, Stanford University
Evaluation of several software packages for use by the Company. Selection,
review and evaluation of Master Builder software for the Company.
Bibliography. See End Note
COMPUTER LITERACY:
Conducting search for and evaluation of enterprise-wide business
information systems. Focusing on relational databases and distributed
computing with "best" technology. Examination includes LAN and WAN
networks, Intranets and Extranets using browsers, and dedicated
circuits. Evaluating enterprise level contact and sales managers
including ACT! 2000, Telemagic Enterprise, Goldmine Front Office 2000
and Lotus Organizer.
Operated dedicated word processor (NBI 3000), 1979-1991
Operated CP/M, computer system, multi-task, system 1982-1989
Operated DOS based system; applications included MS Word, Word Perfect,
Excel, and other office software. 1986-1991. ACT! user from 1988 to
present.
Southwestern College courses in operating system (Sperry-Univac) and
business information systems.
Operated collection agency with service bureau (mainframe) collection
software 1982-1986.
Operated Throughbred (Unix clone) computer system, multi-task debt
collection system. 1986 -1990.
Purchased and operated UNIX system, 1989-90, with dual station monitors.
Completed UNIX class, 1991, at Palomar College.
Installed STB job cost accounting for client, did data conversion and
produced two years of financial reports.
Purchased several computers running Windows with office suites. 1991 to
present. Proficient in Word Perfect, Excel, ACT! Know many other office
applications.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Books and Articles:
Long, Mark; FINANCING THE NEW VENTURE; Adams Media Corporation;
Holbrook, MA; 2000.
Lowry, Albert J., Ph.D; HOW TO BECOME FINANCIALLY SUCCESSFUL BY
OWNING YOUR OWN BUSINESS - A Step-by-Step Guide to
Independence and Profits, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1981.
Ruff, Howard, MAKING MONEY - Winning the Battle for Middle-Class
Financial Success; Simon and Schuster, New York, 1984.
Small Business Resource Web Sites:
California Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency;
Liraz Publishing Co.; Managing a Small Business:
First Union, Small Business Resource Center:
National Information Clearing House, Small Business Development Center
[Market Research, Business Counseling and more]:
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Energy Star site, "Find Money":
Small Business startup and venture capital financing & money finders web
sites:
Enviro Tech Financial Inc.:
Early Bird Capital:
Small Business Administration, Business Plan
TAB B
RESUME OF CHARLES W. BRUCE
Charles W. Bruce
6901 Heron Street - Ventura, California 93003 – (805) 642-1596
C hick_ b ruce@bigfoot.com
Employment History and Achievements
January 2003 - Present
SENIOR DATA ENGINEER/DIRECTOR OF SECURITY – DolphinSearch,
Inc.
Departing EDS after eight years, I pursued short-term contract-type
opportunities with businesses in the Southern California area until I accepted
an excellent position with DolphinSearch. This company is a software
development start-up, specializing in a web-based client litigation support
application used by major law firms in the US. My tasks are varied, mostly
involved with the management of over 100 file servers, including WWW,
development and production servers. The environment is primarily open
source (Apache web servers running on Red Hat 7.3 Linux) with a mixture of
Windows 2000 and Linux. I manage the DNS tables, server builds,
fiber/RAID configuration, SAN administration, MySQL table maintenance (via
Python scripts), and specialize in Microsoft products problem resolution.
My primary responsibilities are related to introduction of client data to the
local file system. These tasks utilize my familiarity with various operating
systems, network operating systems and email systems to restore data from
client backups and archives. I work closely with the project manager and
executives to anticipate technical needs and develop a smooth process that
accomplishes the goal of timeliness and quality. My other activities include
assisting the production engineers with network and desktop process issues,
as well as learning and using the DolphinSearch software and processes to
produce searchable and relevant data specific to the client’s and court’s
needs.
After six months, I received a new assignment, Director of Security. In this
position, I am responsible for all areas of company security, including data
handling and protection, physical building security, implementing video
surveillance, and meeting with client representatives to provide security
assurance.
December 1994 – April 2002
INFRASTRUCTURE ANALYST - Electronic Data Systems (EDS)
My career at EDS began as a desktop support technician for the Delco
Defense Systems client (a division of General Motors). I was part of a team
that provided technical data and voice services to a large engineering and
manufacturing environment. The campus featured approximately 1300
nodes running various platforms, eleven file servers, several UNIX servers,
and a large international WAN. Within a few months, I began working closely
with the networking and project teams, providing technical assistance with
server consolidations, operating system and email system conversions,
network protocol and topology changes, technology refresh deployments,
and physical re-locations. I became the on-site manager of the AppleTalk
network used for promotional and technical documentation.
When the contract expired with this customer, I began performing project
work for another EDS client, Washington Mutual Bank, as well as continuing
technical consulting activities with several EDS Technical Resource Centers
around the country. My work with the bank included leading projects to
implement Automated Teller Machine processing systems at centers
throughout the US. I also led or participated in several projects involving
systems used for transaction imaging, item and check processing, customer
research, and acquisition conversion efforts. During these projects I was
responsible for managing large teams of technicians, administrators, system
engineers, developers, as well as outside vendors. In addition to the
successful systems implementations, I also provided executive-level support
for the EDS management staff.
During this time, I received formal training in all of the Microsoft Office Suite
products, including MS Project, and attended advanced Macintosh repair,
troubleshooting and networking classes. I became a Microsoft Certified
Professional, and took all of the courses required for MCSE and CLNA
certifications. I also received training in Cultural Diversity and Corporate
Cultural Management. In April of 2002, EDS re-organized its divisions, and
the technical center in Goleta, CA., where I was based was closed.
April 1993 - November 1994
SYSTEMS COORDINATOR - BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY
In an attempt to become more involved with emerging client/server
technology and customer support, I took a position as Systems Coordinator
working with the IT Director to design and install a corporate WAN and
provide daily technical user support. In addition to building and maintaining
the network and deploying PC’s, remote support of international consultants
was also required. While with this company, I fine-tuned my strengths with
customer service and ability to translate business requirements into technical
and process solutions. In November of 1994, I left BST amicably to pursue
an even better opportunity in the Information Technology field.
June 1989 - April 1993
SYSTEM MANAGER - VENTURA COUNTY NEWSPAPERS
Beginning as a typesetter and compositor, I grew with this company as it
expanded from one into five daily newspapers over three years. I became
the Group Leader of the Display and Classified Typesetters, managing daily
tasks and maintaining strict deadline adherence and quality control. I
managed the computerized typesetting systems made up of PC workstations,
Macintoshes, color and black and white imaging units, and interface to
AS/400 business system. I worked on projects that introduced full-page
pagination, electronic image scanning, and expanding the LAN to a WAN to
accommodate the newly acquired papers. Needing to choose between
continuing a career in graphics arts and newspaper production, or explore
the growing field of information technology, I chose to leave the newspaper
in April of 1993.
June 1991 - June 1992
FEDERAL GRAND JURY/7th DISTRICT - U.S. DEPT. OF JUSTICE
Grand Jury Secretary
August 1988 - June 1989
COMPUTER SPECIALIST - ANR FINANCIAL SERVICES
During this year, I accepted and completed a unique contract to build and
support a small PC network that would be used by a specialized team of
accounting professionals to reconcile and collect outstanding loans for
Arabian horses. Although I worked mostly independently with the team,
there was also interface required with divisions of large corporations and
banks. The project included gathering requirements from the financial team,
and learning the note amortization process to develop specialized
spreadsheets to perform the calculations.
June 1987 - August 1988
GENERAL MANAGER - HANDS & HEART PRODUCTIONS
Developed and produced promotional materials including a weekly radio
broadcast. Wrote, produced and sold advertisements, and performed the
weekly broadcasts.
November 1986 - June 1987
ASSISTANT SUPERVISOR - PRODUCTION ART - ACORN NEWSPAPER
Performed paste-up and camera work for a small, weekly newspaper.
Supervised the composition staff of five people.
February 1984 - March 1987
PRODUCTION CONTROL ANALYST - TERADYNE INC.
GROUP LEADER/STOCKROOM - TERADYNE INC.
As Group Leader, I supervised a multi-shift staff of fifteen in an electronic
components stockroom. I worked with system developers to help implement
a successful MRP system. I transferred to Production Control and became the
master scheduler for software shipments that accompanied large semiconductor
test devices.
Summary of Education and Training
1980 - Saddleback College – Mission Viejo, CA
12 Units Completed – Computer Information
Science/General Business
1987 - Compugraphic, Inc. – Los Angeles, CA
Certification – Photo-Electronic Typesetting
1990 - Dewar Information Systems – Chicago, IL
Certification - PC-Based Computer Typesetting
1995, 1996, 1998, 1999 - Computer Focus – Goleta CA
Certifications –
MS Project; Supporting Windows 95;
MS Exchange 5.0;
IIS 4.0;
NT Core Technologies
CompTIA Network+
Supporting Windows NT Workstation; Administrating NT Server
1996 - Productivity Point International – L.A. CA
Supporting Macintosh;
Adv. Macintosh Troubleshooting
1997, 1998 - New Horizons Training Center – Oxn. CA
Professional References:
Mr. James Browarski – Professional Colleague
527 West Alamar #66
Santa Barbara, CA
805-569-6905
mistersports@earthlink.net
Mr. Jerry Colyer
Systems Administrator
Computer Sciences Corp.
Goleta, CA
805-961-7743
jerry.colyer@csc.com
Mr. Art Drummond
PC Support Manager
Electronic Data Systems/Avista
Spokane, WA
509-495-2591
art.drummond@avistacorp.com
Ms. Jan Lane
Operations Manager
Electronic Data Systems/Washington Mutual Bank
Northridge, CA
818-775-6528
jan.lane@eds.com
Mr. James Knox – Professional Colleague
Raytheon
Goleta, CA
805-570-5750
Mr. Guy Savage
Deputy Chief Information Officer
Information Technology Department
County of San Luis Obispo
805-781-5071
gsavage@co.slo.ca.us
TAB C
MEGA CLASSROOM
[Omitted for this report but available on request.]
TAB D
-- FUNDING OF MONTANA QUALITY EDUCTION
PROPOSED BY JAMES E. MILLER
Funding of a free, quality education for all Montana children attending K-12
schools could easily consume $150 million per year over and above current
spending levels, during the first three years, for capital costs, basic
education services and enhanced educational services. The funds need
would be raised by enacting the Montana Education Resource Act (MERA).
In summary, MERA would impose a tax of five percent on the sale at retail of
all tangible goods and services, subject to exceptions and limitations, sold,
Copyrighted 2005, James E. Miller Page 35 All rights reserved.
FINAL REPORT TO THE QUALITY SCHOOL INTERIM COMMITTEE
STATE OF MONTANA
BY MONTANA VIRTUAL EDUCATION CONSULTANCY
AUGUST 22, 2005
used or delivered in Montana. The act would not apply to bona fide,
permanent, full-time legal residents of Montana. To the extent that parttime
residents paid the levies, they could obtain either a proportional refund
or could elect to off-set the refundable tax against real or personal property
tax paid or income tax paid to Montana.
The cost of collection would be paid out of the revenue. Retail merchants
would be allowed to retain from remittances, the reasonable cost of
collection, to be determined by regulation. The net remittances would then
be exclusively dedicated to support of Montana public education costs.
Allocation of funding would proceed along the following formulas:
1.1. Personnel costs. “Personnel costs” would include salaries, benefits,
retirement, recruiting, retention, continuing education and
training, and similar costs. Personnel costs would be estimated per
pupil per year, based on average daily attendance, and would be
the same for all districts. A salary cap would be imposed so that no
district employee would be paid more than four times the lowest
paid district employee.
1.2. Structure costs. “Structure costs” would have three components:
1.2.1. New Construction. New Construction would be based on
pupil growth with emphasis on the use of relocatable classrooms.
Funds would be allocated on a “new” per pupil basis.
1.2.2. Replacement, repair and reconstruction. Replacement,
repair and reconstruction would be based on the number of
square feet, modified by the age and condition of the structures.
An annual assessment would be created by each district
and funding sought according to regulations developed
by competent building engineers and system maintenance experts.
1.2.3. Maintenance and operation. Maintenance and operation
of structures would be based on square feet and would be the
same for all districts.
1.3. Transportation costs. “Transportation” costs would have two
components:
C allowances would be based on the probable
annual costs by type of vehicle used by the districts, on a
uniform basis.
1.3.2. Maintenance and repair. Maintenance and repair costs
would be individually submitted by each district, based on actual
or probable costs.
1.3.3. Additional new and replacement vehicles. Additional
new and replacement vehicles would be at cost of the district
based on competitive bidding. Caps would prevent overcharging
by districts. Specifications would be approved by a
state agency.
1.3.4. Overhead and general administrative expenses. Overhead
and general administrative expenses would be based on
the annual pupil attendance which in turn is based on the average
daily attendance. A 15% cap would be imposed.
1.4. Exceptions. All calculation of costs would be subject to an “exceptions”
clause which would allow for special circumstances of dire
need, such as a fire, storm, flood or other disaster.
1.5. Local property taxes. Local real property tax levies (including
renewals, extensions and adverse changes) by school districts
would be allowed only upon a majority vote of all of the voters of a
district voting at the election.
1.6. Voter approval. The MERA would be submitted to the voters of
Montana at the next general election. A majority vote of those voting
would pass the issue.
TAB E -- TEACHER RECRUITMENT
The Ability Of School Districts To Attract And Retain Qualified
Educators And Other Personnel
By Charles W. Bruce
Introduction
A basic factor in any effort towards improving student achievement is the
recognition of the importance of the capability, knowledge and instructional
skills of the teachers and the supporting staff. Success in any program of
motivating and capturing the attention of modern students primarily rests
with well-educated, highly-skilled, experienced and practical professionals –
at all levels - that have been provided with the necessary resources for their
tasks. Montana VEd recognizes the vast issues involved with the ability of
school districts to attract and retain qualified educators and other personnel.
These issues can be begin to be addressed by looking at core components of
school leadership, organizational structure, exploration of previously
overlooked resources, atypical compensation programs to attract and recruit
the highest level of talent, and a declaration of a common vision of a positive
future.
Leadership
Research and experience clearly shows all successful endeavors have a
common core in the strength and capabilities of its leadership – particularly
the ‘building-level’ leaders. To address this need, Montana VEd promotes all
efforts at attracting and retaining the highest level professionals for
educational leadership roles. Montana VEd supports rewarding the highest
achieving instructors not only with compensation, but by recognition of
results, and by creating paths to leadership opportunities and encouraging
the successful to follow these paths and serve as leaders. This path of
leadership ensures the best and most successful ideas can carry forward into
the future.
Montana VEd would encourage the State of Montana to address its
immediate gaps in education leadership with a deliberate and conscious
conviction to facilitate change in current policies and practices. The State
must not be afraid to seek results-oriented individuals from outside the
academic sector for leadership positions, whom are likely to infuse the
system with new ideas and techniques. These new leaders would be tasked
with creating an atmosphere that embraces changes that can produce
positive results, to upgrade school support processes and internal
infrastructures, and to create momentum going in a forward direction.
This approach is especially important at the local district/school levels.
Superintendents and principals of the future must be open-minded,
motivational visionaries who can fully endorse new ideas and organize his
staffs into efficient, cooperative functional teams. These leaders must accept
and embrace technology and incorporate it as wholly as possible into their
solutions. They must be willing to encourage teamwork not only within their
walls, but to promote their success to their peers in other schools. The
leaders will be challenged to discover and document the commonalities of
seemingly unique issues. They will be willing to communicate these
weaknesses, be receptive to consultation and collaboration with elements
that may have previously been considered competitors. They must have a
view towards the future, and not be restrained by subjective notions; be
open-minded towards ideas traditionally believed to be ‘outside the box’. By
placing qualified, talented, forward-thinking, tech-savvy executive-level
professionals who are have an intense interested in educational achievement
and have a proven track record of success with implementing tested
methods and ideas, the seeds are sown for continuous, perpetual,
improvement.
Organization
In addition to attracting the “best in field” professionals from around the
world to become involved in academic efforts, Montana VEd strongly
supports intelligent, thought-out and well-documented organizational
change. Being receptive to new ideas is essential to implementing successful
change. Montana VEd is not suggesting complete, immediate restructuring or
organizational structure. A phase-in program needs to be employed.
Resources
Montana VEd also endorses the exploration and utilization of previously
untapped resources to assist problem schools and issues, including the use
of cross-age assistants and internships. Recognizing the teachers are not
alone in the efforts of improving student performance, Montana VEd also
promotes a strong, technically-sound, cooperative internal infrastructure that
provides the necessary support to education’s ‘front lines’. By focusing
attention and effort into facing towards the future, modernizing current
teaching tools and resources, and introducing modern technical experience
and methodologies into the classroom, schools, districts and throughout the
state, a revolution in learning the learning environment is made possible.
Compensation
Montana VEd encourages promotion of results-driven, business-tested
methodologies, including more horizontal-hierarchy, peer collaboration and
cross-functional teams that encourage positive change by empowerment the
participants.
Expectations from ‘Task’ Phases
In addition to the minimum staff identified on the evaluation committee,
Montana VEd would include at least one Information Technology Analyst to
inform the committee on current levels of technology services being
provided, and, to advise on feasibility of future technology-oriented
programs. These IT Analysts must be knowledgeable with current technology
services and funding for education, and should be familiar with any
educational programs currently being considered by the state.
Montana VEd promotes an educational future where the focus is technologyoriented.
It is recognized that the students of Montana’s public schools
deserve to be provided with the best, most talented professionals in
education, and that these teachers and leaders deserve to be compensated
appropriately for their efforts. Montana VEd supports requiring all
practitioners to demonstrate subject-matter knowledge, and possess
necessary credentials.
In order to address the needs of recruiting and retaining the ‘best in field’
professionals, Montana VEd strongly supports methods to attract
knowledgeable, qualified, non-traditional candidates, such as persons
changing careers, retirees, and others with non-education backgrounds. This
is particularly true with attracting technology teachers from the private
sector. Special emphasis should be made to attract and retain specialty
teachers, including Native-American instructors and technology educators.
Programs must be developed to identify and encourage talented students to
pursue teaching opportunities. Institutions that provide teachers and leaders
must establish better, cooperative relationships with the local districts,
allowing both to share resources, technical infrastructure and knowledge.
Better use of existing resources, such as internships, teachers aides, and
student ‘cross-age’ assistants are also promoted. Montana VEd also
encourages expansion of technology resources, such as Web Learning
Centers and inter-school/district collaborative efforts. By promoting such
methods, and being receptive and taking a positive approach towards other,
new ideas will strengthen the ability of school districts to attract and retain
qualified educators and other personnel.
Respectfully submitted,
Charles W. Bruce
TAB F
EDUCATION’S DOUBLE WHAMMY
-- If Educators don’t know what the problem is, how can they fix it?
By Jim Miller
Up font: My thesis is that the folks who populate the world of education
(with few exceptions) are either unaware of or ignore the different learning
abilities of left-brain dominant (LBD) versus the learning (“dis”)abilities of
right-brain dominant students (RBD). You want proof? I got proof.
The main difference between the learners is how they index their memories.
This is not a course on the subject, but the reader should know that the
RBD’s, as they acquire information and later attempt to recall it, index in
terms of visual images (a formula on the blackboard is not a visual image –
a picture of an object is) in a relational mode. LBD tend to index using key
words and symbols, in a sequential mode. Don’t argue with me on these
simplified premises – just accept them for the time being.
Students who are tested for a variety of reasons, perform differently, based
on racial background. Study after study in all different fields have shown
that the Afro-Americans, American Indians, and Latinos, as academic
learners, under-perform the Caucasian and Asian students. 51 What is the
causal connection between brain dominance and educational aptitude? Is it
that the Caucasian and Asian students have genes which promote a higher
level of intelligence? Possible, but unlikely since on a broad level, all human
genetic stock derived from African ancestors.
First the facts:
From High School to College, by Kirst and Venezia (2004) reports studies on
K-16 integration (more so the lack of integration) of academic services. 52
The recommendations made relate to increasing the coordination among
institutions of higher learning (IHL) and 8-12 schools so as to increase the
quality of student performance not only for admission to IHL but more
importantly, the “success” rate, i.e. graduation, from IHL’s. The study
included taking field data as well as review of field data studies by other
researches. The Texas Education Agency reported results of students taking
SAT, ACT and TAAS (Texas Assessment of Academic Skills) tests for an
unnamed high school. Some findings were:
The answer is that the vast majority of African American and Latino students
are RBD. The SAT, ACT and TAAS tests are intentionally or negligently
constructed to benefit LFD learners and to prejudice RBD learners. This
explanation fits as no other explanation has ever fitted.
myMoreover, the “under performing” RBD students come from the low
economic strata of our general population. Not only are they “under
performing” because of the skew against RBD learners, but their
opportunities and motivations are much less in force than in the high
economic levels. Because many students from low economic strata are Afro
American or Latino, they suffer the double whammy. Lack of parental
education has some influence on the lack of the child’s motivation and
exposure, thus giving them a triple whammy. Is this fair?
Why? Simple. The vast majority of educators and educational regulators
are LBD or subscribed to the policies formulated by LBD teachers, professors
and administrators. The LBD educators typically account for over seventy
percent of those employed in public education in academics. These folks
have depended mostly on rote memory themselves to get their degrees and
positions. They assume that “rigorous academic preparation” exclusively
means the ability to commit information to rote memory and mark the
correct bubble on the machine read answer sheet. Some of the LBD policy
controllers grudging admit that the arts should be permitted limited testing
by means of essays.
Fixation with machine testing. The entire education industry is so fixated
with testing by machine, the actors cannot understand why the essay should
be the principal means of testing, despite the fact that the vast number of
rote memory tests administered each year in the United States. When
President Eisenhower signed the 1954 enactment of the Internal Revenue
Code, he held up a copy for the TV cameras and announced that the new act
was really the “Attorneys and Accountants’ Employment Act of 1954”. In a
sense, the widespread use of the essay would have the same effect (good
for the student, “bad” for the taxpayer, but “good” for our highly complex
society). Apart from the economic consequences, the fairness doctrine
should kick-in and drive demand for at least equal parts of testing between
rote memory and relational thinking.
Consider this possibility: the student is given the choice of taking a rote
memory, machine graded test in each of three areas or can write essays in
one or more of the areas. That would stand testing as we know it, on its
head. A disruptive solution, no doubt.
What to do?
The English Departments should be separated from the “Creative Authorship
Departments. English teachers are, by and large, mostly LBD and teach
English as if it were exclusively a LBD subject – a multiplicity of “rules”.
Creative writing, on the other hand, demands putting ideas together in terms
of relationships, relevancy, pictures and flow of ideas. Descriptive language
is intended to create a “picture” of the scene either in still form or in action
form. LBD English teachers are so taken with applying the rules of grammar
and style, that they ignore or dismiss the relatively more important
“creative” side of the use of the English language. RBD learners deserve to
apply their skills under the tutelage of RBD teachers. 54
It is time for a change in the education industry in favor of fairness for the
“learning disability” of RBD students, especially including genetically Afro
American and Latino students.
Respectfully submitted,
James E. Miller, J. D.
jimmiller5417@yahoo.com
Copyrighted 2005, James E. Miller Page 44 All rights reserved.
END NOTES, Page 45
1 A Local Perspective published by the Montana Quality Education Coalition:
http://mqec.org/testimonial2.pdf; accessed June 3, 2005. Teachers,
administrators and other learned persons vent their opinions and personal
experiences in several very moving testimonials. Jack Copps' summary is right
on point. A MUST READ.
2 The State of Montana created the Montana K-12 Public School Commission to
study the quality of education issues. The Commissions report recommended:
“Using a balanced taxation approach that includes existing statewide taxes such
as property taxes, income taxes and natural resource taxes and also
considering new revenue such as a general statewide sales tax to be used as a
mechanism for funding quality public schools.”
Montana K-12 Public School Commission Findings and Recommendations,
September 15, 2005, para. 9(e), pg. 7;
http://www.bpe.state.mt.us/pdf/finalreport.pdf; accessed June 3, 2005
[hereinafter referred to as the “K-12 Commission Report”]
3 No community can hope to develop the learning potential of its citizens,
especially children, without heavy, persistent involvement.
“Consider community from your child’s perspective. Who belongs in their
community? What does their community look like?
Community is a critical component in the development and growth of a child.
Children need supportive parents, safe neighborhoods, adult mentors, and
caring teachers. They need role models who will help them to develop a sense
of civic and social responsibility. Most of all, children need to feel that they
belong.”
For more on this theme, see: http://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/index.php;
accessed June 4, 2005.
4 A checklist for developing the community partnerships follows:
A Checklist for Schools
Making Your Family-Community Partnership Work
Following are examples of practices and programs that schools and districts can use to encourage
family and community support of children’s learning. They are meant to be advisory and should be
adapted to each school’s or district’s needs.
END NOTES, Page 46
Parenting and Family Skills
o 1. We sponsor family learning workshops on topics suggested by parents, and held at times and places easily accessible to all
parents.
o 2. We ask families what types of workshops or
informational events they would be interested
in attending and what session times are most convenient for them.
o 3. We provide families with information on child development.
o 4. We lend families books and tapes on parenting and parent workshops.
o 5. We provide families with information about
developing home conditions that support school learning.
o 6. We survey parents to determine their needs, assign staff members to help address those needs, and work to link parents with
community resources.
o 7. We have a family center or help parents access other resource centers in the community.
o 8. We have support groups for families with special interests and needs.
o 9. We train staff members and support them in reaching out to all families.
o 10. Other: ____________________________________________
__________________________________________________
Communicating
o 1. We schedule parent-teacher-student conferences to establish student learning goals for the year.
o 2. We listen to parents tell us about their children’s strengths and how they learn.
o 3. We follow the “Rule of Seven:” offering at least seven different ways that parents and community members can learn about what
is happening in the school and comment on it.
o 4. Teachers have ready access to telephones to communicate with parents during or after the school day.
o 5. Staff members send home positive messages about students.
o 6. We make efforts to communicate with fathers.
1. 7. Staff members make home visits.
2. 8. Parents know the telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of school staff members and the times teachers are available to take
phone calls from parents.
o9. We involve families in student award and recognition events.
o 10.We encourage and make provisions for staff members to communicate with parents about the child’s progress several times each
semester.
o 11.We communicate the school’s mission and expectations for students to parents.
o 12.The school has a homework hotline or other kind of the telephone system.
o 13.We provide parents with structured ways to comment on the school’s communications, for example, with mailed, phone, or
take-home surveys.
o 14.We have staff members available to assist and support parents in their interactions with the school (i.e. home-school liaisons).
15.We send home communications about
o student academic progress
o meetings at school
END NOTES, Page 47
o how parents can be involved in student activities
o Parent Association
o student discipline
o child development
o the curriculum
o how parents can be involved as volunteers
o how parents can be involved in school
governance
o how parents can help with homework and
encourage learning at home
o community resources available to families
o how parents can communicate with school staff
o the school’s philosophy of learning.
o 16.We directly speak to parents (does not include leaving messages on answering machines) if students are having academic
difficulty or causing classroom disruptions before a crisis occurs.
o 17.We provide copies of school textbooks and publications about the school to the public library.
o 18. Other: ___________________________________________
__________________________________________________
Learning at Home
o 1. We have specific goals and activities that keep parents informed about and supportive of their children’s homework.
o 2. We offer learning activities and events for the whole family.
o 3. We invite parents to borrow resources from school libraries for themselves and their families.
o 4. We link parents with resources and activities in the community that promote learning.
o 5. We give parents materials they can use to evaluate their child’s progress and provide feedback to teachers.
o 6. We help parents understand student assessments, including report cards and testing, and how to help students improve.
o 7. School staff and school communications help parents link home learning activities to learning in the classroom.
o 8. We include parents and other community members in developing children’s learning outside of school activities.
o 9. Other: _______________________________________
___________________________________________
Volunteering
o 1. We encourage families and other community members to volunteer their support by attending school events.
o 2. We offer youth service learning opportunities for students who want to volunteer in the community.
o 3. We help school staff learn how to work with parent and community volunteers.
o 4. We ask family members how they would like to participate as volunteers at their child’s school or in the community, and we
respond in a timely manner to their offers of assistance.
5. We encourage family and community members to become involved as
o participants in site-based management councils
o presenters to students on careers and other topics
END NOTES, Page 48
o assistants with art shows, read-aloud events, theater workshops, book swaps, and other activities
o tutors/mentors
o chaperones on field trips and other class outings
o instructional assistants in classrooms, libraries, and computer labs
o non-instructional assistants
o from-the-home contributors of baked goods, assembling materials, typing, etc.
o 6. We offer volunteer opportunities for working and single parents.
o 7. We have a program to recognize school volunteers.
o 8. We gather information about the level and frequency of family and community participation in school programs.
o 9. Other: ___________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Governance and Advocacy
o 1. We encourage parents to attend school board and site council meetings.
o 2. We assign staff members to help parents address concerns or complaints.
o 3. We invite staff and parent groups to meet collaboratively, providing space and time to do so.
o 4. We help families advocate for each other.
5. We involve parents in
o revising school and district curricula
o planning orientation programs for new families
o developing parenting skills programs
o establishing membership for site-based councils
o hiring staff members.
o 6. Other _________________________________________
_________________________________________
Community Collaboration
o 1. We act as a source of information and referral about services available in the community for families.
o 2. We use a variety of strategies to reach out to adults, families, and children of all ages, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds in
the community.
o 3. We encourage local civic and service groups to become involved in schools in a variety of ways such as mentoring students,
volunteering, speaking to classes, and helping with fund-raising events.
o 4. We encourage staff and students to participate in youth service-learning opportunities.
o 5. We open our school buildings for use by the community beyond regular school hours.
o 6. We work with the local chamber of commerce or business partnership council and public library to promote adult literacy.
o 7. We have a program with local businesses that enhances student work skills.
o 8. We widely publish and disseminate school board meeting notices, summaries, and board policies and agendas, and encourage the
feedback and participation of community members.
o 9. Other: ____________________________________________
___________________________________________________
END NOTES, Page 49
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Families in Education Program
Revised March 1998
http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dltcl/bbfcsp/im
5 Take a look at: http://www.anccommunity.ca/
“Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC) is a project about engagement –
engagement of residents and the public, private and voluntary sectors in
five neighborhoods across Canada in developing visions for their futures.
It is a project about learning – learning how to work together better and
differently, both horizontally and vertically, across sectors and interests, to
understand neighborhood dynamics and create the best possible
environment in which neighborhoods and their residents can flourish.”
6 “Community agency partnerships may result in a multiple-use building that
includes a school and other facilities. These community-based schools become a
true center of community life in their areas. For instance, St. Paul's Johnson
Elementary was created out an old high school that had closed in1962. The
district realized it needed to acquire land around the building to add parking onto
it, for instance, because the site only had spaces for 10 cars. Located in a
formerly blighted area, the school today also houses medical clinics, a dental
clinic, social service agencies and a housing office.”
Kendler, Peggy Bresnick; Site Seeing; District Administration, August 2005, pgs.
51, 56.
7 Creating a repository of online courses, tracking licenses and collecting strategic
information can be done by the likes of Open Text's Livelinks:
“Open Text featured in CMP Guidebook...
"With Open Text's Livelink®, the world's most comprehensive
enterprise content management solution, organizations can seamlessly
combine collaboration with content management." as stated in CMP
Guidebook to Next-Generation Content Management.”
See: h ttp:// o pentext.com / bridging/cmp-guidebook.html.
Open text is one of several approaches to content management. Another likely
candidate is askSAM:
END NOTES, Page 50
“Just Released: askSam 6
It's never been easier to organize, search, and manage your information. askSam 6 is a flexible
and powerful way to organize information and create searchable databases from Web pages,
Email, PDF files, texts, and Word documents. For over 20 years askSam has been the choice of
researchers and other information professionals. See why over 350,000 businesses,
organizations, and individuals rely on askSam.
More Info Watch Tour Upgrade to 6 New in askSam 6”
Source: http://www.asksam.com
8 The good news is that good nutrition and “distance learning” are partners.
“DISTANCE LEARNING INSERVICE, APRIL 11, 2005
Goal:
Promote dialogue and suggest opportunities across CCE program and issue
areas leading to comprehensive responses for CCE engagement with
farmers' markets.
Objectives:
* Increase knowledge and skills as to how farmers'
markets increase a community's capacity to...
- Involve young people and adults working
together in partnerships that benefit the
community
- Increase food and nutrition and food selection
knowledge
- Improve farm profitability, agricultural economic
development and food and agribusiness vitality
- Take action to create regional food security and
sustainable food system
* Re-frame Extension's engagement with farmers' markets
View Selected Program Sections in Real-Player
O rder a DVD of the complete I nservice program
A ccess Related Inservice m aterials
Participant Contact List”
END NOTES, Page 51
Source: h ttp://fnec.cornell.edu/April_11_05 . cfm
9 One of many examples of software available for webcasting is F5. Here is a
talking head edition:
http://www.accelacast.com/webcasts/f5_enterprise_architecture/
10 Broward County School's website announces:
“There are lots of ways for parents to be involved in their child's education -
keeping track in the classroom, at home and throughout the school district.
“Broward County Public Schools encourages all their parents to be actively
involved with, and committed to, their child's education. Here are a few
ways that parents can have a real voice and make a real difference for their
student.”
Source: www.broward.k12.fl.us/esol
“The several ways parents can get involved include:
“DISTRICT ADVISORY COUNCIL (DAC)
The District Advisory Council advocates and promotes the highest quality of
public education for students within our schools, areas, district and state by
sustaining an effective network of parents, students, business, government,
school, district staff and the community.
PTA WEB SITE
Broward County has a dynamic PTA which is connected to the state and
national PTA. It is an important advocacy group for children's education
issues. Many schools have PTAs which work to support and advance school
improvement at individual schools and also have a structure where concerns
and issues are discussed at the district level and with the Superintendent.
To find out more call you local school.
PTO
END NOTES, Page 52
Some schools have independent PTO organizations which function to
support individual schools and their school improvement efforts. These
organizations are independent and work within a particular school setting.
“SCHOOL ADVISORY FORUM
Every school has an advisory forum which acts as a proactive group which
addresses various educational issues. Their ideas and concerns are
forwarded to both area and district advisories which meet regularly with key
staff and the Superintendent. Advisories do outstanding work on behalf of
kids. If you wish to join this group, call your local school for more
information.
“SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL (SAC)
School Improvement is an absolute priority for all Broward schools. To
make it happen, every school has a school Advisory Council which studies
the school's track record and comes up with an annual plan to improve
education in vital areas such as: student achievement, curriculum, safety
and discipline. These plans are on file at every school. Call your local school
to be a part of this great team.
“ESOL Leadership Council
This is a district wide forum for Limited English Proficient (LEP) parents and
interested community members to assist the District in identifying the
educational needs and priorities of LEP students. The ESOL Leadership
Council meets on the first Wednesday of each month during the school year
at the K.C. Wright Administration Building. For more information, contact
Yvette Fernandez in the Bilingual/Foreign Language/ESOL Education
Department at 754-321-2951; or visit the department website at
www.broward.k12.fl.us/esol
“VOLUNTEERS
Our kids count on volunteers in their schools who do it all - helping
teachers, tutoring students, assisting in the front office and acting as Youth
Motivators. You can volunteer at your child's school or another school via a
number of ways. Call the Volunteer Services Office at 754-321-2040 and
sign up today.”
END NOTES, Page 53
Source: http://www.browardschools.com/involved/
11 “Adler, who spent eight years teaching physics and working as dean of
students in a Baltimore prep school, and Vinnakota, whose parents were
teachers, built SEED on the premise that kids need a safe, stable place where
they can concentrate on learning. They believe these kids have the best chance
of succeeding and going on to college if they are nurtured before they get to high
school.”
Eric Adler and Rajiv Vinnakota raised 12 million in donations across the country
and sold 14 million in bonds to remodel a vacant elementary school is southeast
Washington. The buildings include separate dorms for seventh and eight grader
boys and girls, a gym, academic buildings, and a couple of playing fields. Wakeup
is at 5:45 a.m., classes begin at 8:00 a.m. and last until 4:00 p.m. and
includes an hour's study hall in the evening. The school servers grades 7
through 12.
Bacon, Jr., Perry, Urban Preppies; Time Magazine, January 12, 2004, pg. 61.
12 Mauro, Tony: Supreme Court's voucher ruling dramatic, not surprising,
http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=16487
A listing of state voucher cases is found at:
http://www.au.org/site/PageServer?pagename=legal_decisions_vouchers
13 Bob Peterson, editor of Rethinking Schools, has tracked the Milwaukee school
voucher program and reported: “Schools don't have to administer any
standardized test, don't have to report out basic data like expulsions. Teachers
don't have to have a high school degree”. Montana's use of voucher should
require the same accountability of voucher supported school as befits publically
funding, traditional schools. NCLB mandates the adoption of such rules.
Silverman, Fran; Big Voucher Testing Grounds Find Pros and Cons; District
Administration, August, 2005, pg. 16; www.districtadminstration.com.
14 The Associated Press article continues:
“King raised $850,000 through the Maine Learning Technology Foundation
and worked with Great Works Internet to create the program aimed at
placing low-income middle school students on equal footing with others who
already have Internet access.
“The Internet service provider also agreed to offer discounts for high-speed
service for seventh- and eighth-graders and teachers who are part of the
laptop program.
END NOTES, Page 54
“'It helps to realize the promise of equity that was one of the great ideas at
the beginning. Now every seventh- and eighth-grader in Maine not only has
access at school but also access to the Internet and all of the information it
contains at home,' King said.
“The program applies to all of the state's 35,000 middle schoolers, as well
as some ninth- and 10th-graders who have laptops issued to them at
schools.”
Read the full article at:
http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050812/REP
OSITORY/508120366/1001/NEWS01
15 eSchool News reports:
“eMail Stakeholder
Communications
“As technology plays a greater role in education, it can also change the way
those inside school buildings address key stakeholders on the outside. State
officials, district board members, the local press, and students' parents are
just a few of the groups that desire constant information and updates. And
there is no faster or more inexpensive way to reach a vast number of
individuals than via eMail or the web.” For more, read:
http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/reports/stakeholders/
16 “Neighborhood nodes” have taken a life of their own. Local residents have
created Wi-Fi hot spots for Internet access and have invited their neighbors to
participate.
“The Fourth Street hotspot is part of a communal wireless project called
Neighbornode, started by then New York University grad student John Geraci as
a way to add a community-building aspect to the common practice of using a
neighbor’s Wi-Fi network to get online. Anyone with a broadband connection
can start a Neighbornode. When someone uses the node to access the Web, he
is first directed to a home page with a message board, classified section and
photo page to help locals recognize one another. (You can use a second router
to maintain a private and secure Wi-Fi network for your home.) New York City
currently has 18 such hotspots, and eight other nodes have appeared in such
remote areas as Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. Launch
a node in your ’hood with the steps below.”
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/how2/article/0,20967,1090205,00.html
END NOTES, Page 55
17 Apple – Pro Music:
“A bus arrives in Columbus, Ohio. Kids from a struggling community arts
program hop on board and discover to their delight that they’re in an
honest-to-goodness recording studio. Their task is to write and record a
song and make a music video — in just one day. Because tomorrow, the
bus will be moving on.
“When the kids got off the bus — even though they’d never played together
before — they were destined to become a unique pop group called Fatty
Koo, with a big-time New York manager, a recording contract with Sony
BMG Music and an album poised to hit the charts. Read more.
“Preview Fatty Koo’s debut album, “House of Fatty Koo,” at the iTunes Music
Store and watch the group’s video 'Bounce.' “
http://www.apple.com/pro/music/fattykoo/
John Lennon Educational Tour Bus Tour:
“The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus is a non-profit, mobile recording
studio outfitted with traditional musical instruments as well as current
technological advances. Since 1998, the Bus has provided free hands-on
programs to hundreds of high schools, colleges, Boys and Girls Clubs, music
festivals, concerts, conventions and community organizations. Working
together with some of the biggest names in music, the Lennon Bus
encourages students to play music, write songs, engineer recording
sessions and produce music video projects using the latest audio, video,
and live sound equipment.” http://jlsc.com/bus/index.php
MCSD School Profile - Lewistown Area High School / lahs114
2 Manor Drive, Lewistown, PA 17044
Voice: (717) 242-1401 Fax: (717) 248-5805
http://www.mcsdk12.org/visit/lahs/lahstour/pages/lahs114.htm
Morning announcements are broadcast from the media studio desk.
Full sail: http://www.fullsail.com/swf/index.cfm offers degrees in full studio digital
production and animation design and programming.
END NOTES, Page 56
18 Several vendors offer a wide variety of hardware and software for digital
production. Here's a small sample:
Visable Light: http://www.visiblelight.com/
• V isible Light introduces the VKube line of portable systems for digital video
professionals.
• N ew version of M PEG4.net goes live featuring a new design and RSS 2.0 news feeds.
• V isible Light unveils newly expanded online catalog of professional Digital Video
Products
Redshirt: http://www.redshirt.com/
digital scrapbooks
digital presentations
computer & web based training tutorials
EmediaLive:
http://www.emedialive.com/Newsletters/EMediaXtra.aspx?NewsletterI
D=69
Tapematic Introduces MediaCreation Station with Ulead's
StudioQuartet
Ulead StudioQuartet Now Available
Kano Brings Compact, Plug-and-Play RAID Storage to PC and Mac
Desktops
SanDisk Starts Selling New miniSD
F lash Memory Cards D VD6C Adds Seven New Patent Licensees
Leitch Releases dpsQuattrus OEM Resource CD for OEM Developers
Macromedia Announces Authorware 7
Pinnacle Ships Edition 5
19 eSchool News three part story, Video Goes to School,
Students, teachers become expert video producer:
“Editor's Note: This is the final installment of a three-part series on the use of video in education.
Part One of the series, which appeared in April, examined the impact video is having on schools.
Part Two, which appeared in May, focused on the use of streaming video and other applications to
enhance. Following this month's report, we announce the winners of our first-ever Student Video
Discovery Awards”
END NOTES, Page 57
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=5689
The seven finalists productions for the Student Video Discovery Awards are
paraded at: http://www.eschoolnews.com/vrc/ .
20 “NeuronFarm developed 3D-Readers to handle each of these requirements,
providing students with a mix of 2,000-word stories and flash animations that
describe key facts in the story. Students then fill out "constructive text responses"
and vocabulary lists the system evaluated based on clarity, completeness and
understanding of the information.”
http://wistechnology.com/article.php?id=1782
Comment: The flash and interactive features of 3D-Reader lends credence to the
contention that we need to design learning systems which favor (and do not
disfavor), right brain domanent students. Please see my attached article
Education's Double Whammy.
21 Introducing digital media to the classroom teacher will require acquisition of
suitable software which is used to create lessons and to administer the storage
and distribution of digital training materials. Suites of digital design programs
include:
Macromedia: Suite 8 for K-12 schools:
“Studio 8 is the essential software suite used to design, develop and
maintain interactive online experiences.”
Demo:
http://www.macromedia.com/resources/education/special/studio/overview_
presentation/?trackingid=BVWZ
Blackboard: Academic Suite: http://blackboard.com/products/as/
“The Blackboard Learning System™ is a world-class software application
for institutions dedicated to teaching and learning. Intuitive and easy-touse,
this product has powerful capabilities in three key areas: Instruction,
Communication and Assessment.”
END NOTES, Page 58
Demo: http://blackboard.com/products/as/demo.htm
[Author's note: Blackboard's demo failed to run after installing required
Apple Quicktime plugin.]
22 The River's Edge Charter School of Florida implemented its laptop project by
providing take-home laptops to its students. River's Edge joins national trend
toward technology, by BY KIMBERLY C. MOORE, a reporter for FLORIDA TODAY,
reports:
“The school is the first in the district to implement widespread, take-home
technology into its middle school curriculum. School officials said they plan
to train students and their parents on the machines and, by Christmas,
hope to allow the students to take them home. They are also trying to
broker a deal with Bright House Communications to install Internet access
in the students' homes. Bright House officials declined to comment on the
project but acknowledged they are working with River's Edge officials.
“Research shows a smattering of schools around the state are issuing
laptops to students. Manatee County Schools began a program several
years ago to provide every student in the district a laptop, and, so far, more
than 5,200 of the computers have been handed out.
“In San Diego, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is helping to fund High
Tech High, a science and technology school where 100 percent of the
students advance to college.
“In 2002, Maine began an initiative to give laptops to every student in the
state. The goal was to make Maine students the most technologically savvy
in the world. Has the Maine Learning Technology Initiative worked? Studies
by the Maine Education Policy Research Institute show it has.
" 'As the students begin to use the laptops more within their classes, they
report an increase in interest in their school work and an increase in the
amount of work they are doing both in and out of school,' one report states.
“So far, the school has spent about $40,000 on the electronic equipment for
about 150 students.
Source:
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050529/NEWS0
1/505290336/1006
END NOTES, Page 59
23 Pascopella, Angela; Digital Days; District Administration; August, 2005, pgs.
43, 44. Jerry Crisci, Director of Scarsdale Public Schools Technology, disagrees.
“Laptops are so much more powerful. You can store a lot of information on a
laptop and the software on the laptop is more robust. The screens on laptops are
bigger and you can do anything from editing a video to working with sophisticated
databases”. However, Cathie Norris, professor at University of North Texas, feels
handhelds can do 80% of what laptops do now at ten percent of the cost.
Further, GoKnow advocates handhelds as evolutionary, not revolutionary. Id. at
44. GoKnow's website is at: http://www.goknow.com/ [“GoKnow is the premier
provider of educational software, curriculum, and professional development for
handheld computers.”] Substantial capital and operating costs for laptops can be
achieved by implementing the prison industry recommendation and the Montana
Cyber School District recommendation.
24 The River's Edge Charter School of Florida implemented its laptop project
by providing take-home laptops to its students. River's Edge joins national trend
toward technology, by BY KIMBERLY C. MOORE, a reporter for FLORIDA TODAY,
reports:
“River's Edge has a high percentage of impoverished students, with 85
percent of the school's 450 students receiving free or reduced price lunches.
In addition, 30 percent are special education students and need extra help
throughout the day.
“FCAT scores show many River's Edge students struggle academically, with
only 35 percent of the school's eighth-graders reading at or above an
eighth-grade level.
“Administrators are hoping the computers entices kids into loving school.
'It's a tool, but it's a tool to get kids engaged in the learning process,'
Sartori said.
“One student said he is excited about the prospect of having his own laptop.
'I hope I would get a lot of education out of the laptop and get all my work
done and I hope to experience all these computerized things for your work
and stuff,' said 14-year-old Derrick Black, who will be an eighth-grader at
the school in August.
“His mom, Racquel, said she is also pleased the school is taking this giant
technological leap. She said her son has gone from C's to straight A's at
River's Edge and she is looking forward to seeing what computers will do for
her son.
END NOTES, Page 60
'It prepares them for the work force at that age and it prepares them for
college,' said Black.
“She has her own computers at home, but can't allow her children to use it
because she fears they would download a virus. She uses her laptop for
nursing school at Indian River Community College.
“Soon, he won't have to borrow one -- he'll have one of his own.”
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050529/NEWS0
1/505290336/1006
25 The better approach is to create a very positive, kindness-reinforced
atmosphere in schools. The Harbor school approach exemplifies this proactive
approach:
“Fans of Idaho's Harbor schools say the schools cultivate a "culture of kindness"
where bullying is banned and peer pressure is non-existent — schools that are
literally protective "harbors" where children can learn.
Critics insist Harbor schools are cultures of rigidity where children march
silently and single-file in the hallways and suffer humiliations disguised as
discipline.
This homegrown teaching method has spawned the fastest-growing charter
school network in Idaho. The Harbor Method will be used at one in every three
charter schools next school year. Seven of the 10 charters approved by the
Idaho Charter School Commission have been Harbors. “
For more of the story, see:
http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050522/NEWS0
104/505220340/1001
26 Whittier School:
“Fourth-graders in Nikki Weirs' class at Whittier School did their best to
bring the wild frontier to life on Friday with a musical, “The Burley Crew”.
The title is taken from a line in Lewis and Clark's journals about the hardy
soldiers who made up the expedition. Nineteen students sang and acted
out highlights from the journey, which helped America lay claim to the
West.”
END NOTES, Page 61
“Weirs, a Whittier teacher for five years, said the musical, which was
handed down to her, provides a great springboard for teaching about
Montana history. Students really remember anything they learn with music,
she said.” Bozeman Daily Chronicle, June 4, 2005, pg. C-1.
27 “Mad Hot Ballroom cuts back and forth among three public schools in
different parts of the city, each with a distinct personality. **** But the wonder of
Mad Hot Ballroom is that these kids embrace dance and even get to love it.
“It's like a sport that hasn't been invented yet,” one boy enthused about the
ballroom's so-old-it's-new charms. **** What does matter is that we literally can
see these young people start to feel better about themselves as their dancing
skills improve.”
For the full story see: A film to make you feel like dancing. By Kenneth
Turan, Los Angeles Times, appearing in This Week for July 1-7, supplement to the
Bozeman Daily Chronicle, pg. TW3. See:
http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/turan/cl-et-mad20may20,2,7313520.story
28 Scarpa, Steven; Is the Fourth “R” Spreading Too Far?; District Administration,
August 2005, pg. 15; www.districtadministration.com
29 Ron Schachter took a look at recess and lack thereof, in his article, The end of
Recess, published in District Administration, August 2005, pg.36.
“And at Pyrtle Elementary School, Principal Ann Jablonski is holding on to it
[recess] tightly, even though she sees the concerns growing among some of
her fellow principles in Lincoln. 'They're worried a bout their test scores', she
observes. 'They feel like “We can't waste a minute.” It's getting that intense,
and they feel like more time in the classroom—more time on task—is going to
produce those scores. And I think it might have the opposite effect.”
http://www.districtadministration.com/page.cfm?p=1187
30 Example:
“Blogging in the Classroom: A Response
By Will Richardson on June 23, 2005 in Emerging Technologies. Discuss it
below
“So I think we can safely say that thousands of teachers are now using
blogs in their classrooms. As Tom points out, most have started at the
digital organizer stage, the easy to update class portal model with, in some
END NOTES, Page 62
cases, the ability for students to comment and discuss topics of the day.
Some have gotten to the point where they're letting students create content
in their own spaces in an e-portfolio type of way. And let me just say, in
response to Tom's little jab, that blogs can fit a whole bunch of different
pedagogical aims, all of which, if they work well, would earn a 'seal of
approval.' "
http://www.eschoolnews.com/eti/2005/06/000875.php
31 Educating.net: Education portal for all quality educational services on the
Internet, including distance education, homeschooling, K-12, college & university,
professional re-training, continuing education, fun learning and more.
http://www.educating.net/
Grade school to high school:
“Chat Rooms/Forums GED/High School Diploma Organizations College
Preparatory Gifted & Talented Special Education College Test Preparation
Homeschooling Teacher Resources Field Trips Homework Help/Tutors”
Others: http://www.educating.net/grade.asp
Safari Books Online, LLC is a joint venture between O’Reilly Media, Inc., and
The Pearson Technology Group.
“Safari offers a robust collection of e-reference libraries to programming
and IT professionals, business managers and general knowledge workers.
Leveraging it’s powerful repository of thousands of leading technical,
business and text books, Safari recently launched two new products:
SafariX Text Books Online which allows students to subscribe to web
versions of their text books at a significant savings versus the print edition
and SafariU an education portal for creating custom print textbooks and
other online learning tools.” http://www.safaribooksonline.com/
AMSER - Applied Math and Science Education Repository - “The National Science
Digital Library (NSDL) program aims to build and sustain a national digital library
that supports science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
education. NSDL funded projects form an integrated network of STEM learning
environments and resources for a wide variety of learners, all the way from
children in grade school up through graduate students and life long learners.”
http://channels.lockergnome.com/search/archives/20050630_amser_applied_ma
th_and_science_education_repository.phtml
EdNA Online
END NOTES, Page 63
Search 20,000 quality assured education and training resources for school, early
childhood, VET, ACE and higher education focused on Australia.
http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/search?SearchMode=Advancemode
MERLOT
“Search the Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online
Teaching - USA. MERLOT is a free and open resource designed primarily for
faculty and students of higher education. Links to online learning materials
are collected along with annotations such as peer reviews and
assignments.” http://www.merlot.org/Home.po
Developing Educational Standards: This World Wide Web (WWW) site is
designed to be a repository of information found on the web related to
education standards. http://edstandards.org/Standards.html
Education-line: Education-line is a freely accessible database of the full text of
conference papers, working papers and electronic literature which supports
educational research, policy and practice. http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/
Online Braille Music Repository:
“Welcome to the Online Braille Music Repository. This is an experimental
service provided by the Shodor Education Foundation as a part of its BRL:
Braille through Remote Learning program. The purpose of this site is to
provide downloadable music files for the use of musicians, teachers,
transcribers, parents, and others.” http://braille.brl.org/music/online/
University of Amsterdam:
“The Digital Academic Repository
The Digital Academic Repository of the Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvADARE)
is a service which is part of a national and international network of
scientific and scholarly information services. Through UvA-DARE, a digital
repository managed by the Library of the Universiteit van Amsterdam, you
can safely store the electronic version of your publications for future use.
The repository also makes sure that references to your publications become
available within this international network of information services, hereby
increasing the visibility of your publications.” http://dare.uva.nl/en
Multiple Media Components for Multiple Learning Styles:
“People process information differently. Some students learn best by reading,
writing and telling stories; others prefer to experiment, ask questions and solve
problems. Still others rely on sounds and images to fully comprehend the content.
END NOTES, Page 64
At NexLearn, we maximize the advantages offered by various media components
to successfully teach to multiple learning styles.
“NexLearn designers combine rich, instructionally-sound material with interactive
strategies and multimedia options to create alternative means for learners to
access information. In short, we capitalize on web-based interactivity to create
the most effective learning experience possible for every learner.
“To accommodate diverse learning styles, we developed the NexLearn Learning
Style Continuum. By incorporating this model into our development process, our
designers identify the most effective methods for teaching to each learning style.”
http://nexlearn.com/lng_styles_one.htm
Alcary: eTutor is a Web-based Learning Content Management System (LCMS)
designed with accessibility and adaptability in mind. Administrators can install or
update eTutor in minutes, and develop custom templates to give eTutor a new
look. Educators can quickly assemble, package, and redistribute Web-based
instructional content, easily retrieve and import prepackaged content, and
conduct their courses online. Students learn in an adaptive learning environment.
http://www.alcary.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=60&Itemid=94
“Empowering Courseware Authors: Enterprise learning can be constructed
from a wide variety of source material, such as legacy text documents,
word processing documents, graphics, streaming media, flash animation
files, PowerPoint presentations, etc., . When content is packaged and added
to the Virtual University Appliance central database as 'Learning Objects',
your organization in effect creates a 'Knowledge Repository'. Using the
Learning Content Management Systems (LCMS) that is an integral part of
the eLearning Appliance this Knowledge can then widely distributed as
either structured e-learning or as a free form, company-wide knowledge
base used for just-in-time learning or a combination of both.”
http://www.vusonline.com/elearning-applianceinterface/
elearning_content_repository.htm
ENC ONLINE: Lessons & Activities:
“Sites with teaching materials that may include teaching units, activity books, and
lab manuals categorized by math and science subject area.
Math Topics
Lesson plan sites categorized by math topic.
Science Topics
END NOTES, Page 65
Lesson plan sites categorized by science topic.
Search Lessons & Activities
Use this basic search to find web sites with lesson plans.
Frequently Asked Questions”
http://enc.org/
Distance Education Clearinghouse: Journals, Readings, Articles and Books
Some journals are available entirely online, others provide links to further
information available in print or by subscription.
List of Journals and Readings I Collections of Articles I Bibliographies of Books and
Journals
http://www.uwex.edu/disted/journals.html
The Franklin Institute Online:
“The Center for Innovation in Science Learning (CISL) at The Franklin
Institute is a premier center for science learning research, program
development, and educational services. Founded in 1995, CISL has
sustained cumulative research and programs in four areas of national focus
in science education: teacher development, educational technology, gender
and family learning, and youth leadership. In keeping with the mission of
The Franklin Institute, the core philosophy of all Center for Innovation
programs is the commitment to inquiry learning in science.”
http://www.fi.edu/cisl/about.html
32 JER GROUP: “JER Group, Inc. (JER) is a national provider of over 600 online
courses that range across 30 subject areas. From the lifelong learner to the
workforce employee, JER's course catalog embodies a wealth of content-rich
courses that result in a high degree of learner satisfaction.”
http://www.onlineworkshops.com/
eLearning:
“eLearning allows companies to provide advanced computer based training
to their partners, clients, customers, and employees easily and quickly.
These online education tools and information sites will help you create the
best online training courses possible”
http://webdesign.about.com/cs/elearning/
Online Courses available through Online-Education.net
END NOTES, Page 66
“Online-Education.net has partnered with the Jer Group, Inc. a leader in the
business of continuing education, online course development and
professional training and delivery since 1994. We are pleased to offer 450
courses throughout Online-Education.net in many categories and subject
areas.” http://www.online-education.net/jergroup/
33 The foundation advocates project-based learning and assessment:
“ Teaching in the Digital Age
For a limited time, GLEF offers this four-cassette profile of exciting and
exemplary K-12 programs, plus interviews with national and program
experts in project-based learning and assessment, teacher preparation,
emotional intelligence, and school leadership, for $59.99; that's 25% off
the regular price. Click here for more information or to order now.”
http://www.edutopia.org/
34 An AP report appearing in the June 5, 2005 edition of the Bozeman Daily
Chronicle, uncatalogued the usefulness of early computer training. According to
the U. S. Department of Education, kids 2 -5, 23 percent go online and by
kindergarten, 32 percent have used the Internet.
“At school and home, children are viewing Web sites with interactive stories
and animated lessons that teach letters, numbers and rhymes.” ****
“At Arnold& Porter Children's Center in Washington, 4- and 5-year olds have
the option to spend time on a computer, working in small teams. They learn
basic problem-solving and hand-eye coordination, but the social component of
working with classmates on computer exercises is just as important, said Sally
D'Italia, director of the center....”
(Id. p. A2)
35 The Stanford Lawyer recently reviewed Private Lives: Families, Individuals,
and the Law, by Lawrence M. Friedman, Marion Rice Kickwood Professor of Law,
Stanford School of Law, published by Harvard University Press, 2004. Friedman
writes:
“Modern life, like life in all human societies and all periods of time, is family life.
But the family today is far different from the family of yesterday. It is
essentially a coming together of individuals; it is an arrangement of individuals,
for individuals; it is much more brittle, malleable, friable than in the past. And
the family, as such, no longer has much legal status or meaning.”
END NOTES, Page 67
After reviewing some of the profound changes in gender rights and family control,
Friedman concludes:
“The story should not be read as an account of the decline and fall of the
family. The family has not dissolved. It has changed and broadened. It has
become more elastic. In some ways, it is a much weaker institution. But it still
has a vast reservoir of strength.”
Discovery, Stanford Lawyer, Spring, 2005; pgs. 37, 42.
36 All Kinds of Minds Website promotes the neurological approach to
understanding how learning takes place:
“A Neurodevelopmental View
The human brain is like a complex orchestra, with many different instruments
playing many roles. These roles, or neurological functions, desperately need to
be coordinated, integrated, and synchronized. As with any orchestra, each
player's role varies depending upon the situation. Just as the strings or
woodwinds may be highlighted in music, different neurological functions take
the lead when students study English or math, have to write a report, or take
part in athletic activities. And, just as instruments create harmony in an
orchestra, the different neurodevelopmental functions interact to enable
students to acquire certain knowledge, skills or sub-skills, or to accomplish
specific school tasks, such as being well-organized, efficient, or strategic
planners.
When students are having difficulty with a particular academic skill, the task of
parents, teachers, and clinicians is to pinpoint the areas of difficulty, to specify
the weak sub-skills, and to create a plan for strengthening strengths and areas
in need of improvement.
There is a need to ask: Where is the breakdown occurring? Which sub-skill is
not playing its role? And within that sub-skill, which related functions are not
operating well? For example, students with strong vocabulary skills and
memory abilities may still have problems remembering words. In this case, the
difficulty might lie with their word retrieval ability, a very specific sub-skill that
enables students to remember words on the spot. “
Read About Observable Phenomena
Read About the Profile
Read About Recurring Themes
END NOTES, Page 68
http://www.allkindsofminds.org/about_neuroview.aspx
37
“Left Vs. Right
Which Side Are You On?
Take The Hemispheric Brain Dominance Test
Basic Ri ght Brain and Left Brain Characteristics
In general the left and right hemispheres of your brain process information in
different ways. We tend to process information using our dominant side.
However, the learning and thinking process is enhanced when both side of the
brain participate in a balanced manner. This means strengthening your less
dominate hemisphere of the brain. Listed below are information processing styles
that are characteristically used by your right or left brain hemisphere. Read the
information below to help you understand how your brain processes information.
Pay attention to your less dominant style so that you can learn how to improve it.
Linear Vs. Holistic Processing
Logical Vs. Intuitive
Sequential Vs. Random Processing
Verbal Vs. Nonverbal Processing
Symbolic Vs. Concrete Processing
Reality-Based Vs. Fantasy-Oriented Processing”
http://brain.web-us.com/brain/LRBrain.html
38 Linux is a stable, low cost, reliable operating system and is open sourced.
“Not only did the Linux-based labs cost half as much as the Windows-based
labs to equip--but system upkeep is much easier, too, Waller maintains.”
Read more:
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStorysr.cfm?ArticleID=5662
39 Globewide NetworkAcademy:
END NOTES, Page 69
“We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose purpose is the research and
development of open source tools that promote distance learning and online
communities. We are happy to share our research, and code and to provide
support services to other open source projects and non-profits.”
http://www.gnacademy.org/
Welcome to MIT's OpenCourseWare:
“A free and open educational resource for faculty, students, and selflearners
around the world. OCW supports MIT's mission to advance
knowledge and education, and serve the world in the 21st century. It is true
to MIT's values of excellence, innovation, and leadership.”
http://ocw.mit.edu/index.html
Moodle: “Welcome to Moodle!
“Moodle is a course management system (CMS) - a free, Open
Source software package designed using sound pedagogical
principles, to help educators create effective online learning
communities. You can download and use it on any computer
you have handy (including webhosts), yet it can scale from a
single-teacher site to a 40,000-student University. This site
itself is created using Moodle, so check out the Moodle Features demos, the
Demonstration Courses or read the latest Moodle Buzz.” http://moodle.org/
CanOpenER – CanadianOpen Source Education and Research:
“Unbranded albeit but otherwise solid open source alternatives to online
applications and websites.” http://canopener.ca/
School Forge:
• A Tutor
• e PICE
• K Turtle
• G AMGI - General Atomistic Modelling Graphic Interface
• A nagramarama
• C entre School Information System
• A symptopia Math Crossword Builder
• P avlov
• K Sociograma
• C ueCard
http://www.opensourceschools.org/index.php?topic=advocacy
“There are several kinds of software needed in a school environment: network security
and monitoring to keep the school networked and safe, grade and timetable tracking
software for teachers, educational software for classes, general network clients for
email and web access.
END NOTES, Page 70
The SEUL/edu Educational Application Index is a directory of school-related open
source software.
The Debian Jr. project has education-related software packaged for use with the
Debian GNU/Linux operating system.
The LinuxForKids site/project promotes free software reviewing and rating available
software, with a target audience of children under 10.
BlueEDU is a distribution of the Linux operating system focused on educational
packages.
K12LTSP - the K12 Linux Terminal Server Project is an easy to install, Linux-based
terminal server package designed for schools.
The KDE Edutainment Project aims to create free educational software based on KDE,
the K Desktop Environment.
The Free Software Foundation hosts the Savannah software development foundry. It's
both a good place to look for free software and to host new projects. It helps
developers offering stable network and software resources needed to spread their free
software and form a community around each project.
OFSET's Freeduc maintains an index of educational free software.
Freshmeat is a broader index of all kinds of open source software.”
http://www.opensourceschools.org/staticpages/index.php?page=20030407
02495477
Maricopa Community Colleges, Web Central:
“To foster student success, the Maricopa Center for Learning and
Instruction (mcli) at the Maricopa Community Colleges, is dedicated to
supporting and advancing teaching and learning by working collaboratively
with faculty, administrators, and district-wide groups to provide quality
services, programs, and resources. (more...)”
http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/
Adobe Systems, Authorware and Macromedia:
Read the background and the merger of the companies:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authorware
40 Open Office is at www.openoffice.org.
41 Grokker produces a “map” which allows for drill-down. It is found at:
http://www.groxis.com/releases/2_4/resources/Start_screen.html Rather than
presenting a list of 200,000 “hits” such as Yahoo and Google, Grokker creates
related blobs on a map for each group of sub-subjects.
“Visual learners comprise slightly more than half of the population, so the use
END NOTES, Page 71
of visual information display tools makes online teaching and learning more
effective. But the graphic representation of content is also a powerful way to
communicate with all learners and brings dimensions to schools that have
never before been possible.”
Dyrli, Odvard Egil; On Visual Search Tools; District Administration; August, 2005,
pg. 67; http://www.districtadministration.com/page.cfm?p=1200
42 Great Schools reports:
“Technology to the Rescue. With the expansive reporting requirements set
forth by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, schools are working to
improve and streamline their data collection and assessment methods. A
number of software companies, including Power School, SchoolNet,
Maximus and Chancery, have jumped in to provide comprehensive
programs to assist schools with their data collection and analysis.
“These Student Information Systems (SIS) come in a variety of formats and
all require a technology professional to work with both the school and the
provider. Many of the programs are Web-based and not only assist schools
in reporting their minimal Adequate Yearly Progress stats, but often include
nifty features geared toward parents and kids. For instance, Chancery's K12
Planet has the capability to capture cafeteria school lunch purchases for
parents concerned about their children's food choices. By logging onto
SchoolNet, a student (or his parents) can view homework assignments for
the entire week.
“Of course, every technology improvement comes with costs. Training of
school personnel is an important component to any school's success in
using such products. Schools and districts that purchase these programs
have likely prioritized the expense, and may have had to sacrifice other
needs or been unable to fund other programs in order to implement this
technology.
http://us.f606.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter?Search=&Idx=1&YY=91308
&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a
43 ThinkLink Learning; www.thinklinklearning.com; Students take the ThinkLink
test three times a year. Other Websites: Center for Performance Assessment;
www.makingstndardswork.com. The Assessment Training Institute;
www.assessmentinst.com. SAS; www.sas.com. Wyoming's formative
assessment sponsored by EdGate.org; www.wyoming.edgate.org. Renaissance
Learning; www.renlearn.com/assess.
END NOTES, Page 72
44 Sausner, Rebecca; Making Assessment Work; District Administration; August
2005, pgs. 31, 33; www.districtadministration.com
45 Patton, Carol; Choice Encounters; District Administration, August 2005,pg.
26; www.districtadministration.com
46 Connie Skinner, principal of LaVille School of Arts, says that budget
management is her biggest problem, given then needs of her magnet programs.
With 1,100 students and 7.5 teachers, and big ticket items such as pianos, she is
aided by booster clubs which annually raise thousands of dollars for ancillary
expenses. “But Skinner says magnet programs are well worth the budgeting
effort. 'The challenges are so outweighed by the incredible joy of watching these
children perform.' “ Budget Busters, District Administration; August, 2005, pg.
28; www.districtadministration.com.
47 Teaching about Montana's American Indians and teaching to Montana's native
American Indians, require new approaches:
“The Cradleboard Teaching Project turns on the lights in public education
about Native American culture - past, present, and most important for the
children - the Future. It comes out of Indian country, and reaches far
beyond, into the mainstream classroom and into the future of education.
“Backed by lesson plans and an excellent curriculum, the Cradleboard
Teaching Project is also live and interactive, and totally unique; children
learn with and through their long-distance peers using the new technology
alongside standard tools, and delivering the truth to little kids with the help
of several American Indian colleges. Cradleboard reaches both Indian and
non-Indian children with positive realities, while they are young.
“This is the way of the future when it comes to offering a cultural study unit
to a child, because it's alive! This is the future when it comes to offering the
cultural "real deal" to youngsters half a globe away, in time, we hope, to
benefit the lives of Indian children who wonder "Who am I?...and who do
others think I am?"
“During the five years that Buffy Sainte-Marie spent as a semi-regular on
'Sesame Street', it was always her hope to convey in the Native American
episodes one message above all: Indians Exist. We are alive and real, and
we have fun and friends and families and a whole lot to contribute to the
rest of the world through our reality.
“It's our hope at Cradleboard that we can joyfully replace the old
inaccuracies, with reality, delivered by teams of experts; to the lifelong
END NOTES, Page 73
benefit of Indian children; and that every mainstream child will have access
to an enriching Native studies unit provided by Indian people, including
children of his or her own age.
“Cradleboard (krad-l-bord) a frame, made of natural materials, used by
North American Indians to carry a child. The cradleboard style varies from
tribe to tribe. It is flexible in use, protective and decorative; a Native
American invention much appreciated by other cultures who have adapted
the idea to their own uses.
“The Cradleboard Teaching Project
is a project of the Nihewan Foundation for American Indian education, which
was founded by Buffy Sainte-Marie in 1996 with a non- profit registration
number of LA:E069-1-177. code 421 ED”
http://www.cradleboard.org/2000/mission.html
48 TENEX Systems, Inc. offers a Web browser-based online financial system,
including toll-free and online technical support for schools. Hosting can be on the
school's server or by Tenex. Costs run $8 and up per student per year. Website:
http://www.tenexsys.com/
49 The “One Card” system is offered byDiebold Card Systems Division, found at:
http://www.diebold.com/opccsol/
“College and university campuses now rely on Diebold Card Systems for a
variety of functions, including fee payment, book purchases, meal
purchases and building access. The cards provide positive ID, control
access, allow electronic payments and deliver many other conveniences on
and off campus.”
Blackboard also sells a complete university, educational, authorware, accounting
and financial system, including a debit card. See Website:
http://www.blackboard.com/products/as/
Blackboard also offers K-12 products and services:
“Through a network of state, regional and local districts, Blackboard serves
over 1,200 U.S. schools in 46 states. Blackboard has become the
recognized standard for helping K-12 schools accomplish their e-Learning
objectives including:
“ Instructional Delivery
Blackboard offers innovative e-Learning delivery solutions that enable
districts to provide a range of alternatives, from virtual schools to
END NOTES, Page 74
visionary blended and hybrid learning solutions.
“ Communication & Community
Blackboard enables K-12 districts and schools to deliver instructional
content, third-party resources and essential information – anytime,
anywhere. Blackboard’s powerful role-based portal helps K-12
schools deliver the right information, to the right person, at the right
time.
“ Professional Development
Blackboard enables districts and education service agencies to offer
effective new solutions. These address the need for continuous
professional learning, collaboration and curriculum sharing. “
http://www.blackboard.com/inpractice/k12/
50 As reported by Education Week:
“Additional funding must be made available for the 2005-06 school year to
assist in meeting the school districts’ immediate needs,” the court said in
explaining why it was ordering an additional $143 million for next school year.”
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2005/06/15/40kansas.h24.html
51 Yet many folks in the minority groups perform jobs as well as majority folks,
and sometimes out perform the whites and Asians. Basketball is a good example
for Afro Americans. Take a good look at the winners in the Olympics. The
current academic methods appear to favor LBD Anglos over RBD Blacks and
Hispanics.
52 Kirst, Michael W., and Venezia, Andrea (Editors), (2004) From High School to
College: Improving Opportunities for Success in Postsecondary Education, Jossey-
Bass; San Francisco, CA, www.josseybass.com; ISBN 0-7879-7062-X.
53 Id. At 96.
54 As interesting and as well document as is From High School …, no mention was
made of the right versus left brain dominance as having an influence on test
scores. Only slight mention was made of the use of essays which are beginning
to creep into testing for measuring for admission and predicting success in
college.
TAB G
WIKIPEDIA
END NOTES, Page 75
See MtVEd's fledgeling Wikipedia site:
http://mtved.wikicities.com/wiki/Main_Page
FINAL REPORT TO THE QUALITY SCHOOL INTERIM COMMITTEE
STATE OF MONTANA
BY MONTANA VIRTUAL EDUCATION CONSULTANCY
AUGUST 22, 2005
Table of Contents
1. OVERVIEW.................................................................................... 4
2. EDUCATIONAL SERVICES.................................................................. 4
2.1.Research relative to the status quo: ............................................ 4
2.2.New revenue: .......................................................................... 5
2.3.Educational script: .................................................................... 5
2.4.Community schools: .................................................................. 5
2.5.Montana Cyber School District: .................................................... 6
2.6.Home-based schooling: ............................................................. 6
2.7. “SEED” schools: ....................................................................... 6
2.8.Educational vouchers: ............................................................... 7
2.9.School-wide wireless network establishment: ................................ 7
2.10. Internet access at home: ....................................................... 7
2.11. Stakeholder communication via email: ...................................... 8
2.12.Community-wide deployment of Wi-Fi and Wi-Max: ......................8
2.13.Multi-media studio: ................................................................. 8
2.14.Master teachers and Ed Tech support: ........................................ 9
2.15. Wireless laptops for students: .................................................. 9
2.16. Cost of Ownership-- Laptops vs. handhelds: ...............................9
2.17. Focus on student motivation:................................................... 10
2.18. Blogging: ........................................................................... 11
2.19. Repositories of learning: ........................................................ 11
2.20. Private foundations:............................................................... 11
2.21. Start 'em young: .................................................................. 12
2.22. Families, schools and children: ............................................... 12
2.23.Computer support; help desk: ................................................. 12
2.24.School-based computer store/shop: ......................................... 12
2.25.Development of Pathways of Learning and teaching: .................. 13
2.26. Open source software programs: ............................................ 13
2.27. No Child Left Behind: ............................................................. 14
2.28. Magnet schools: ................................................................. 14
2.29. American Indian Educational opportunities: ............................. 14
2.30.Licenses, testing and evaluation: ............................................. 14
2.31. The “mega-classroom”: ......................................................... 15
2.32. Current research, studies and field trials: ................................. 15
2.33. Models: .............................................................................. 15
2.34. Financial management systems: ............................................ 15
2.35. Possible court mandate:......................................................... 16
2.36. Truancy, disinterest, drop-outs, addictive behavior:................... 16
3.MONTANA SCHOOL LAWS AND COURT DECISIONS.............................. 16
4.FUNDING ISSUES:.......................................................................... 17
4.1.Equity in funding: ................................................................... 17
4.2.Funding adequacy: .................................................................. 17
4.3.Regional cost differences: ........................................................ 17
4.4.Legal aspects of educational finance reform: ............................... 17
4.5.Issues related to preserving the cultural integrity of Montana’s
American Indians: ........................................................................ 18
4.6.Issues related to isolated, rural, and urban schools: ..................... 18
4.7.Issues related to the attraction and retention of qualified educators
and other personnel: .................................................................... 18
4.8.Relationships with school districts and State officers: ................... 18
4.9. Relationship with other stakeholders: ........................................ 19
5. IMPLEMENTAITON OF RECOMMENDATIONS....................................... 19
5.1. Communication devices: ........................................................ 19
5.2.Very fast start: ....................................................................... 19
5.3.Budgeting: ............................................................................. 19
6.Recommended course of actions: .................................................... 20
6.1.Existing studies: ..................................................................... 20
6.2.Analysis: ............................................................................... 20
6.3.American Indian education programs and costs: .......................... 20
6.4.Road map and cookbook approach:............................................. 20
7. WRITTEN FINAL REPORT................................................................. 20
7.1.Inventory: ............................................................................. 20
7.2. Cost of a quality education: ..................................................... 21
7.3.Funding formulas: .................................................................... 21
7.4. SB152 and NCLB: ................................................................... 21
7.5.Fee for services:....................................................................... 21
7.6. Additional services: ............................................................... 22
8. REFERENCES................................................................................. 22
8.1.References for James E. Miller........................................................ 22
8.2.References for Charles Bruce...................................................... 22
8.3.References for Montana Virtual Education Consultancy. ................. 23
8.4. Resumes/Company Profile and Experience. .............................. 23
TAB A -- RESUME OF JAMES E. MILLER - GENERAL............................... 24
TAB B -- RESUME OF CHARLES W. BRUCE........................................... 30
TAB C -- MEGA CLASSROOM ............................................................. 35
TAB D -- FUNDING OF MONTANA QUALITY EDUCTION PROPOSED
BY JAMES E. MILLER............................................................ 35
TAB E -- TEACHER RECRUITMENT....................................................... 37
TAB F -- EDUCATION’S DOUBLE WHAMMY........................................... 41
END NOTES...................................................................................... 45
1. OVERVIEW
Montana Virtual Education Consultancy [MTVEd] proposes several changes to
the control and funding of public education for the benefit of Montana
citizens. The goals are to create a new awareness of the use of technology
in support of quality education, to design and install the system, to provide
the necessary teacher and administrative training to best utilize the new
technology, to fund the initiatives, and to create the rubrics and metrics
which will indicate relative success or failure of any given initiative. We also
explore the expanding network of learning centers and educational resources
available on the Web. While traditional teaching methods are not to be
minimized, we advocate the adoption of “kindness in the classroom”
approaches which include multiple learning pathways chosen by the student.
Just providing the tools, will gain a considerable number of these goals.
Providing the incentives will greatly increase goal attainment. These
incentives include greater reliance on motivation among students, teachers,
administrators and a supporting public.
The funding must be substantial, if only to off-set the years of under-funding
of Montana public education (as found by three courts). Each of our
proposals must be tested for compliance with SB 152, NCLB, and the court
decisions. This final report attempts lay the foundation to do so. MTVEd
offers this report as guidance to the Committee and the stakeholders who
are interested in the long-term success of our student population in the
science and art of life. Due to the lack of a state contract and funding by
Montana, our final report does not include testing our proposed methods,
using the nine proposed test beds and many of the proofs of concept needed
to validate the recommendations as applied to Montana public schools.
2. EDUCATIONAL SERVICES
The MTVEd proposes the design and delivery of educational services via
the public schools in Montana, as follows:
2.1. Research relative to the status quo:
The State's RFP references “nationally accepted methodologies of
school finance.” MTVEd has sought definitions, rules and examples of
“nationally accepted methodologies of school finance” and found that
generic forms of real and personal property taxation, proceeds from
sales taxes and gaming revenues, general state funding and federal
funding have been, in the main, the focus of school finance. Other
special sources, such as revenue from school land trusts and special
levies have contributed to some school funding program. School
voucher programs, where adopted, have also provided some school
funding. Funding by other units of local government has been used in
joint exercise of powers agreements among cities, counties and other
local governmental entities to off-set school costs. In short, there is
no “nationally accepted methodologies of school finance” on a
national basis. To have reported otherwise, would be to mislead the
Committee.
There is a crisis of quality education in Montana, as attested by the
report, Schools in Crisis -- A Local Perspective published by the
Montana Quality Education Coalition. 1
2.2. New revenue:
MTVEd proposes that the State of Montana adopt, as an additional
source of funding, the enactment of a proposed Montana Education
Resources Act [MERA] which would impose a consumer retail tax on
goods and services sold at retail in Montana to non-Montana
residents. The objective is to make the operation of the act taxneutral
as to bona fide, permanent Montana residents. 2
2.3. Educational script:
MTVEd also proposes the creation of script which can be earned by
students, purchased by third parties and given to students as awards
and “compensation”. The script will be redeemable and used by the
student to enhance his or her digital educational domain. Basically,
the script would be used to upgrade the student's wireless laptop,
buy additional educational software applications and pay fees for
online courses which are not paid for by the school.
2.4. Community schools:
MTVEd proposes the wide-spread adoption of community schools,
charter schools and supplemental educational services, funded in part
of local agencies. A firm, long-term partnership must be formed
among the students, the extended family, community citizen groups
and units of local government, to organize and fund community
schools. 3 The expanded community school has no restrictive
intellectual or social walls. 4 Translating words into action takes time,
money and innovation; the end result is learning on a higher curve. 5
The “Buddy System” matches public and private venues and
resources for multi-tenant uses. 6
2.5. Montana Cyber School District:
MTVEd proposes the creation of a state-wide school district (to be
aptly named, Montana Cyber Schools). This school district will offer
enrollment to all Montana legal residents in any one or more online
courses. It will also offer online courses of study leading to a high
school certificate or GED. It will also act as the major purchasing and
evaluation agent for all computer hardware and software for all of the
other school districts. It will track licensure of programs it runs on its
servers. 7 Any Montana student, parent, teacher or administrator will
be able to gain privileges on this system. It is said that we are what
we eat. It is also true that we become what we learn. 8
2.6. Home-based schooling:
MTVEd proposes the expanded use of home schooling and its
integration with local brick and mortar public schooling. Home
schooling will be offered help through the Montana Cyber School. The
concept of home schooling will be expanded by include enlistment of
parents and other suitable family members, to aid students in their
home work. Interns will be assigned on an as need basis. Interns
will be university students doing their student teaching. Lessons can
be distributed as text, audio, video and interactive web pages. 9
Many schools place a high priority on getting the parents involved in
extending the learning to the home environment. Schools should
“enroll” the parents (and extended family) as participants. Broward
County Schools could serve as a good example for Montana Schools.
10
2.7. “SEED” schools:
An uncommon boarding school in Washington, D.C., is “Schools for
Educational Evolution and Development” and is a charter school.
Despite drawing students from high poverty neighborhoods, the
student's aspirations are college directed. 11
2.8. Educational vouchers:
MTVEd proposes the creation of a voucher system thereby giving
parents, guardians and students a wider selection of educational
services in Montana. Adequate safeguards will be proposed so that
the uses of the vouchers are in faith-neutral settings. Schools
accepting vouchers, should be required to meet the same standards
for student evaluations and teacher preparedness as do public
schools.
The U. S. Supreme Court in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, held that the
Cleveland school voucher system was constitutional. 12
The debate goes on in Milwaukee even after 15 years of providing
students and parents with vouchers (14,000 students received 83
million) and in Washington D.C. (1,600 students received 13 million).
13
2.9. School-wide wireless network establishment:
MTVEd proposes the deployment of wireless network systems in all
schools and the empowerment of students by entrusting wireless
laptop computers to every K-12 public school student in Montana.
Upon graduation from high school, the student’s laptop will be
awarded to him or her as part of the school’s educational incentive
program.
2.10. Internet access at home:
Internet access at school is not enough, given the amount of
homework students are required to perform. Internet access, least
dial-up, should be a goal of Montana's Quality Schools solutions. The
State of Maine is one of the leaders in this quest:
“Former Gov. Angus King, who launched the initiative that
put computers on the laps of middle schoolers, announced
yesterday another program aimed at eliminating the socalled
digital divide: free home Internet for kids who receive
free or reduced-cost school lunches.” 14
2.11. Stakeholder communication via email:
Email may not replace the telephone or teacher's notes home
anytime soon, but it is gaining ground as a preferred means of
keeping the flow of communication going among teachers, parents,
students and school administration. 15
2.12. Community-wide deployment of Wi-Fi and Wi-Max:
MTVEd proposes the adoption of Wi-Max when it becomes financially
feasible so to do. Wi-Max is a high band transmission service which
can be deployed over a 30 mile radius. It will be offered in support of
mainline schools, community schools, and public libraries. Some
cities have begun the distribution of Wi-Fi citywide for free.
h ttp : // w ww.insidebayarea.com / b usinessnews / c i _ 2922941
In the meanwhile,Wi-Fi broadband can be distributed in a community
by using “neighborhood nodes” or “hot spots of wireless transmission
and reception. 16
2.13. Multi-media studio:
MTVEd proposes for each high school, a fully developed multi-media
studio, thereby enabling students to learn both the artistic as well as
the digital sides of multi-media school project productions. 17 High
end PC’s and/or Macs will provide the OS and non-linear editing and
post-production effects available through several vendors. 18 The
editors of eSchool News have put together a list of video educational
sources for schools. See editorial and list:
http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/reports/video2005/index.cf
m
Video studios are high motivators, especially for talented students.
Basic video production should be a series of courses, starting in the
middle school grades and culminating during the senior year with a
completed video production which can be streamed via a webcast. 19
Software is available for three dimensional viewing which when
employed by authors creating visual components to lessons, will
greatly enhance the speed and depth of learning, especially for right
brain dominate students. 20
2.14. Master teachers and Ed Tech support:
MTVEd proposes the establishment of a “Corps of Discovery” of
master teachers whose mission is to teach classroom teachers the
use of digital resources and digital authorware for creating and
administering lessons and other learning experiences. 21
Ed tech support is just as important as tech support for hardware and
software. The editors of eSchool News express their concern and
have published a list of supporting vendors and websites.
http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/reports/overcomingtechissue
s/index.cfm
2.15. Wireless laptops for students:
MTVEd proposes the use by students and teachers of wireless
laptops, as a principal learning tool. The distribution of laptops will
start at the top end of middle school then progress to first grade.
Thereafter, laptops will be issued to all high school students starting
with seniors and progressing to the entry level high school students.
The deployment in schools will be preceded by the installation of a
complete wireless network system with security, backup, transmitters
and equipment RFID. Distribution will be on a school by school basis
as funding is made available and staff is trained.
MTVEd proposes the purchase of ruggedized laptop computers for K-6
students for under $500. Bulk purchasing will likely reduce the unit
cost. MTVEd will also track the efforts of MIT in its efforts to produce
an under $300 laptop. Most 7 -12 students will receive a basic model
of a wireless laptop costing in the range of $600 to $1500. By the
use of script, the basic model can be upgraded or traded-in on a
more robust laptop. Upon graduation, the seniors will be awarded
the laptop previously entrusted to them.
Significant educational progress has been well documented by the
numerous schools which are adopting the use of laptop computers as
educational tools. The Montana experience should be no less robust
than the best practices can provide. 22
2.16. Cost of Ownership-- Laptops vs. handhelds:
Some schools have saved capital costs by issuing hand held
computers, especially in the lower grades. According to Computing
Unplugged magazine, the total cost of ownership of typical laptops is
about $9,700 versus $2,100 for handhelds. 23 New on the scene are
the sub-laptops which fill a void between a seven pound laptop and
the handhelds. See discussion at:
http://www.lowendmac.com/misc/01/0806.html. MTVEd's proposal
for low cost, reliable laptops can be realized, using the prison industry
approach.
2.17. Focus on student motivation:
Ability to engage in rote memory is not, per se, “education”. A
trained monkey can learn to perform rote tasks. The best teacher is
the student who teaches himself or herself. Motivation to learn, thus
becomes the main focus of the MTVEd approach to education.
Laptops and online courses are substantial aids to self-directed
learning. 24 Motivation comes in all forms. Testing and grading is
generally considered negative motivations. So too is bullying and
negative peer pressure. A student code of conduct, together with
enforcement is necessary.
The Harbor schools approach, where kindness is the rule, merits
adoption by Montana. 25 Funding should be provided schools to add
arts and entertainment to the menu. Classes can study history
through the use of plays. 26 The amount and kind of entertainment
should be linked to the overall school performance in all areas:
academics, citizenship, attendance, and community involvement.
In New York, the American Ballroom Institute has brought trained
teachers to about 7,000 fourth and fifth grade students in 68
elementary schools. The kids learn the fox trot, merengue, rumba,
tango and swing. School teams compete in a dance off for an
enormous trophy. The dance-off was the focus of “Mad Hot
Ballroom”. 27
The fourth “R” in education, according to zookeeper Larry Kvamme, is
relationship. At his insistence, Washington's Office of Public
Instruction is to create a model family curriculum including conflict
management, communication skills, financial and parental
responsibilities. Florida and New Jersey have passed similar
legislation. The push for moral agendas is being mulled by other
states, according to Arnold Fege, director of public engagement and
advocacy for the Public Education Network. 28
“Pen Pals” takes on new meaning when students can email each other
across the world in seconds, exchanging text, music, and digital
pictures. KIDLINK has, over the years, facilitated digital pen pals in
schools throughout the country. http://www.kidlink.org/
The lack of and reduction of recess has created its own set of burdens
which militate against learning, especially in the lower grades. Active
recess energizes the body, brings fresh air to the lungs and allows
children to discharge their abundant energy. Fighting for playtime,
should be a high priority of any quality schools system. 29
2.18. Blogging:
Blogging offers students and teachers the ability to carry on a public
or private discussion of topics of interest. 30
2.19. Repositories of learning:
Online course repositories have provided “distance” learning to adult
populations for years – with considerable success. There are
hundreds of thousands of online courses and educational resources
available via the Web, many of which are free or low cost. 31
Overtime, Montana teachers can create their own courses for their
use in their classes. Some may be of such value that the teacher
could license the use by others, thus deriving a return on their time
and talent. 32
2.20. Private foundations:
Many private foundations and websites have become educational
activists and forged new bonds with public and private educational
systems. One example is the George Lucas Educational Foundation.
It publishes Edutopia. The website states:
“Time Out
Our education system's lockstep adherence to the clock -- at the
expense of quality and flexibility -- is the subject of the lead feature
in Edutopia magazine's upcoming first-anniversary back-to-school
issue. "Time Out" is the first in a series of essays discussing our
"Big Ideas for Better Schools," The George Lucas Educational
Foundation's roster of strategies for reshaping public education.”
http://www.edutopia.org/ 33
2.21. Start 'em young:
Kids 2-5 can lean to “mouse” around the screen and with some help
getting started, can surf the Web. Partners in the Community
Schools and home Ed can benefit by using a computer as an
educational tool for the very young. 34
2.22. Families, schools and children:
Each segment impacts the other. One cannot be blind to the fits and
starts of children from dysfunctional families. Indeed, what constitute
a “family” has changed and these changes have mighty impacts on
the ability of schools to educate the children. Our thesis is that public
school education ought to extend deeper into the family connections
and involve more community resources than is presently available. 35
The Community School approach engages more of the community
resources to further K-12 education than any other approach. See
Community schools: Para. 2.4
2.23. Computer support; help desk:
MTVEd proposes the establishment by the State of two related prison
industries: (1) the assembly, repair and upgrade of wireless laptop
computers, and (2) the establishment of a 7/24 help center for
computer hardware and software which will be available to teachers
and administrators (but not to students). Mr. Miller will draft the
proposed legislation establishing these prison industries.
2.24. School-based computer store/shop:
MTVEd proposes that in each school which joins the Montana Quality
Education project, that a “computer shop/store” be installed which
will function to issue, maintain, repair, replace, upgrade a track
laptop and PC computers, while providing redemption of script earned
by (or given to) students.
2.25. Development of Pathways of Learning and teaching:
MTVEd proposes the research and development of the three pathways
of learning: Left brain dominant, right brain dominant and kinetic
learning pathways. Lessons in math and science will be required to
be presented in all three modes so that the student can select the
mode which best suits his or her best learning mode. These modes
will reinforce the students best learning skills.
Dr. Mel Levine founded “All Kinds of Minds”. The learning approach is
to teach to the students' best skill sets. 36
The differentiation of brain dominance is based on how people index
their memories. RBD uses pictures and LBD uses sequential (word)
associations (simplified). Kinetic learners use touching as a means of
indexing. Thus, a RBD needs pictures to explain math and science
concepts because of the need to index and relate concepts by
pictorial means. A chemical formula written on the chalk board is
not a picture to the RBD learning; it is learned by the LBD learning as
a sequence of letters and numbers by rote memory. 37 This author
has yet to encounter a bubble test which contains a question framed
in terms of a true picture.
2.26. Open source software programs:
MTVEd will seek out, evaluate, test and recommend open source
programs, including operating systems, office suites, online
authorware systems, video and audio conferencing, white boards,
forums, databases, help center administration, archival services,
storage services, security services, and IT administrative services. 38
Open source programs most often greatly reduce the cost of
acquiring and maintaining software. 39 Open Office offers a free MS
Office clone which includes word processing, spread sheet,
presentation and other software. 40 This report was written in Open
Office Writer.
Browers are generally free. One of the best and most reliable is
Mozilla Fire Fox: http://www.mozilla.org/.
Search engines, while generally free, have progressed to the point
where the real values promote some limited commercialization. A
good example is the search engine, Grokker. 41
2.27. No Child Left Behind:
No Child Left Behind imposes substantial reporting requirements on
school districts. Software applications will greatly reduce the time
and money costs. 42
The high stakes for failing to make adequate yearly progress is
greater Federal/state oversight and possible cut of Federal funding.
Thus the “formative assessment” testing is used to predict
performance on the Adequate Yearly Progress rating test. The basic
motive for these tests is to allow teachers to spot, early in the year,
the probable test failing students. Among the many vendors, is
ThinkLink Learning which sells computer-based predictive versions of
state summative tests. 43
Wyoming's radical solution was to throw out its entire high stakes
testing. It offers formative assessment testing tools to all of its
school districts. 44
2.28. Magnet schools:
Duval County Public Schools in Jacksonville, FL, offers 30 magnet
programs to 20,000 students, including TV production, military
science and aviation, Spanish immersion, representing a total of 25
themes and 70 programs. The schools have long waiting lists of
students wanting to enroll. “The main attraction is that they offer
students a head start in a chosen career and the chance to discover
and develop innate skills and talents”. 45 Magnet schools are well
worth the extra budgeting normally required of traditional classroom
instruction. 46
2.29. American Indian Educational opportunities:
The approaches developed by Cradleboard should be used as
guidelines in developing courses for all Montana Students about
native American Indian culture and history, and course content with
which Montana's native American Indians can relate to and use in
everyday life. 47
2.30. Licenses, testing and evaluation:
MTVEd proposes to test the Montana Laptop Project by using nine test
beds. MTVEd will recommend and the State will acquire on behalf of
the schools, the necessary licenses and permissions to test hardware
and software in nine test beds. These beds are directed at
elementary, middle school and high school environments and will be
spread among small, medium and larger schools. MTVEd will select
the candidates after inviting all Montana school districts to announce
their interest in becoming a test bed. MTVEd will prepare the
protocols, rubrics, procedures, and deployment plan for the test beds
during the three month contract period and proposes a follow-on
contract to run the test beds for two years, beginning in the fall of
2006.
2.31. The “mega-classroom”:
MTVEd proposes the use of the “mega-classroom” where appropriate.
This classroom increases the ratio of students to the teaching
resource persons for such classroom. See TAB C.
2.32. Current research, studies and field trials:
Most of these proposals have been researched by competent,
independent researchers and have been in place in one or more
public and/or private schools. For example, the Singaporean math
text will be used as a model for teaching math. The research results
will be incorporated in the studies and reports to be submitted.
2.33. Models:
Where possible, cost models will be based on the actual costs
experienced by schools which have implemented a given technology
or educational standard. Cost estimates otherwise will be built on
factoids gathered from cost incurred and costs avoided as reported by
similar institutions and companies operating similar projects.
2.34. Financial management systems:
Financial management systems should fully integrate attendance,
budgeting, general ledger, banking, HR, payroll, payables and
receivables, bidding and contract management, contact management,
inventory, capital assets, and grant administration.48 Student debit
cards are useful for small monetary transactions and should be
implemented if educational script systems are adopted. 49
2.35. Possible court mandate:
Should the Montana Legislature decide to “do nothing” or propose few
improvements and minuscule funding, the Montana Supreme Court
could follow the lead of the Kansas Supreme Court and mandate
additional funding for Education. MTVEd's proposals will buy time in
face of further court challenges with the goal of blunting the attacks
or causing the attacks to subside. 50
2.36. Truancy, disinterest, drop-outs, addictive behavior:
Truancy, dismal academic performance, drop-outs and addictive
behavior cause losses to the individual, the school and the
community. One antidote is to make the education interesting and
relevant to the social, employment, and moral needs of the students.
Students who are prone to addictive behavior, including computeritis,
will need counseling and parent intervention. As part of the test bed
project, monitoring software will be used to detect computeritis.
3. MONTANA SCHOOL LAWS AND COURT DECISIONS
3.1.1. Dr. Miller is familiar with the State enactments relating to Montana
School Finance laws and is familiar with several studies published
which discuss Montana school financing. He has a well-developed
interest in school finance. While County Counsel of Imperial
County, he actively campaigned in school bond elections. He
acted as the legal advisor for many school bond and over-ride
elections in Imperial County, CA. He is willing to draft school
finance legislation such as the Committee may direct..
3.1.2. Dr. Miller holds a J.D. from Stanford Law School and is an expert
in school law. He has carefully reviewed the educational crisis
litigation in Montana and is generally familiar with similar litigation
in other states. He will continue to update himself as new cases
are filed and decided throughout the nation. He is willing to
prepare the initial draft of the report required to be delivered to
the District and Supreme Courts on or before October 1, 2005.
4. FUNDING ISSUES:
4.1. Equity in funding:
Dr. Miller will proposed amendments to MCA which sunset many of
the mill levies imposed on real property in support of school funding
as revenue from MERA becomes available to off-set the reduction in
real property taxation for school funding. Equity demands that some
relief be granted to real property tax payers.
4.2. Funding adequacy:
MTVEd proposes that the initial costs of implementation of its
recommendations be paid out of the new revenue generated by MERA
and available grants from federal and foundation sources. The
capital, start-up, training and operational costs for the digital program
suggested by MTVEd is expected to cost 150 million per year for the
first three years. Part of the funding can come from repositioning
costs saved by substituting ebooks for hard copy books.
4.3. Regional cost differences:
Regional cost differences will be taken into consideration which
includes differences based on costs of living, transportation costs,
small size classes, interest and ability level of the student population,
recruitment and retention rates for teachers and administrators and
other significant factors. The costing of school operations as
proposed in principle is set forth under TAB D.
4.4. Legal aspects of educational finance reform:
As part of the services to be offered by MTVEd, we will work with all
of the stakeholders in Montana Quality Education field to draft the
proposed report to the District and Supreme Court. Proposed draft
legislation which is designed to carry-out the plans will be attached
so that the drafts may be studied in preparation for the expected
special session of the Legislature in December, 2005. Proposed
drafts include MERA and prison industry legislation.
4.5. Issues related to preserving the cultural integrity of
Montana’s American Indians:
MTVEd recommends that all Montana Students be enrolled in one or
more courses which teach the history and culture of America's
Indians. Further, MTVEd will recommend the extensive
implementation of efforts to reduce the digital divide by offering
home PC's to all parents who agree to learn and apply home
schooling techniques relative to their respective children, in
cooperation with the local public school district. These PCs will be on
a loan basis initially. When funding becomes available after the
laptops have been deployed, the home PCs can be awarded to the
parent(s) on the basis of economic need and/or the use of script.
Each tribe will be heavily involved in the design and implementation
of the specific plans for its members.
4.6. Issues related to isolated, rural, and urban schools:
The issues relative to quality education are: teacher recruitment and
retention, distractions, attendance, learning ability, learning
motivation, adequate counseling and administrative services. The
tri-pathways of learning will greatly aid the learning in math and
science. Motivation will be enhanced by the use of the laptops, script
and the use of the mega-classroom.
4.7. Issues related to the attraction and retention of qualified
educators and other personnel:
Teacher recruitment issues are discussed under TAB E.
4.8. Relationships with school districts and State officers:
Mr. Miller, as County Counsel of Imperial County, CA, developed
extensive and pervading communications with the chief executive and
administrative officers of some 28 school districts. He developed a
teacher dismissal kit. He actively promoted the passage of school
bond issues (on his own time), and developed the legal means by
which relocatable classrooms were obtained by school districts
through the use of federal funds. As the legal counsel for all of the
school districts in Imperial County, he issued legal opinions, wrote
and approved contracts, settled tax issues and advised on the
implementation of California's extensive Code of Education. Dr.
Miller’s more passionate writing, Education’s Double Whammy, is
under TAB F.
4.9. Relationship with other stakeholders:
More recently, as part of the research for the paper, Legislative
Control and Funding of Montana Quality Education, he researched the
websites of all of the stakeholders and wrote to each stakeholder
organization, requesting copies of positions taken relative to the
issues of Montana's Quality Education crisis. Only one response was
received, indicating that more communication with other stakeholders
is needed.
5. IMPLEMENTAITON OF RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1. Communication devices:
To the greatest extent feasible, communication will be in written
form, via a forum to be established and maintained by MTVEd. This
service will be the “white board” approach, using a form of
Wikipedia, which allows any authorized user to edit any text. The
access is by any standard Web browser to a hosted site including a
Virtual Private Network with firewalls and adaptive security. The
Wikipedia approach is described under TAB G.
5.2. Very fast start:
Research will accelerate and produce drafts on-the-fly for each
element. Most of what MTVEd proposes is already in written form,
thus allowing for a very fast start. Extensive use of hyperlinks will
facilitate navigation of the Web resources. Much of MTVEd’s IT
work product is online and can easily be hyperlinked.
5.3. Budgeting:
Budgeting format for the study will be via Excel. Three
demonstration budgets will be provided for each of three
hypothetical (composite) school districts for each of three arenas of
interest: K-6,7-9, 10-12 grades in small, medium and large
districts. The line items include staff costs, capital costs,
infrastructure costs, student support costs, IT costs, and
administrative overhead.
6. Recommended course of actions:
6.1. Existing studies:
We will review the rubrics used by existing studies and recommend
a course of action, with associated costs, to update such studies.
6.2. Analysis:
MTVEd will provide both statistical analysis and cognitive analysis of
evidence-based methodologies, an analysis of the cost structure
and the efficient use of resources for small schools, remote schools,
home based education and urban schools.
6.3. American Indian education programs and costs:
MtVEd, working with each tribe's leaders, will provide an analysis of
effective and efficient use of resources for American Indian
education programs. Extensive use of cyber resources will be
recommended, to reduce the digital divide. Also courses in
Montana’s American Indian history and culture will be available to
all Montana students.
6.4. Road map and cookbook approach:
Each of the proposals listed in paragraph 2 will be fully stated and
costed. A road map and a cook book will be provided for each
proposal. The proposals will be ranked as to priority.
7. WRITTEN FINAL REPORT
MTVEd would have been able, as the Committee's consultant, to present
to the Quality Schools Interim Committee by September 1, 2005, a final
report, including an executive summary, that:
7.1. Inventory:
Creates an inventory of the assessment of educational needs for
Montana's public schools based on the definition of a basic system
of free quality public elementary and secondary schools as provided
in Senate Bill No. 152;
7.2. Cost of a quality education:
Articulates the findings regarding the costs of providing a basic
system of quality schools;
7.3. Funding formulas:
Makes recommendations for development of a funding formula that
is based on the costs analysis and that ensures the equitable
distribution of the State's share of the costs of a basic system of
quality schools; and,
7.4. SB152 and NCLB:
Provides the means by which the funding formula, based on the
educationally relevant factors identified by the Montana Legislature
in Senate Bill No. 152, can be modified by such factors as inflation,
stagnation, depression, and economic growth and increased student
aspirations. MTVEd's report will cover an assessment of the
educational needs of Montana's public schools, based on SB 152,
the applicable court opinions, and NCLB. Each element shall be
addressed as to needs, proposed solutions, cost and schedule.
MTVEd's report will articulate, by line item, the findings and
associated costs for a basis system of quality schools, using the
proposed test bed methodology, where applicable, and the historical
costs experienced by schools which have implemented a specific
program. MTVEd will present the proposed draft of the Montana
Eduction Resource Act as part of the report. Included in the act will
be the formula for an equitable distribution of funds to provide for a
quality school system for all Montana public school students.
7.5. Fee for services:
MTVEd proposes to conduct the studies listed above and prepare
the a comprehensive report including the protocols for the test
beds, for $95,500.
7.6. Additional services:
Dr. Miller and Mr. Bruce offer to testify before the Committee via
electronic means.
Respectfully submitted,
MONTANA VIRTUAL EDUCATION CONSULTANCY
By___/s/ James E. Miller_____
James E. Miller, J.D., Partner
MTVED report#1 open office 8-21-05
8. REFERENCES.
8.1. References for James E. Miller
8.1.1. Dr. Geoffry Gamble, President, Montana State University,
President's Office, 211 Montana Hall, Bozeman, MT 59717-2420,
406-994-2341 | 406-994-1893 (fax)
8.1.2. Dr. Nancy Callan, MSU Western Agricultural Experimental Center,
Professor of Horticulture; Telephone: (406) 961-3025 FAX: (406)
961-3026 e-mail: ncallan@montana.edu Mailing address: Montana
State University; Western Agricultural Research Center; 580 Quast
Lane; Corvallis, MT 59828
8.1.3. Dr. Martin J. Frick, Associate Professor, Agricultural Education,
Department of Agriculture, Montana State University, Bozeman,
MT 59715. Telephone: 406-994-5773; email:
uadmf@montana.edu.
8.2. References for Charles Bruce
8.2.1. Mr. Guy Savage, Deputy Chief Information Officer - Information
Technology Department, County of San Luis Obispo (CA); 805-
781-5071
8.2.2. Ms. Jan Lane, Operations Manager, Electronic Data
Systems/Washington Mutual Bank, Northridge, CA, 818-775-6528,
jan.lane@eds.com
8.2.3. Mr. James Browarski, Information Technology Specialist, Veeco
Corporation (Automotive Systems), 805-737-6961.
8.3. References for Montana Virtual Education Consultancy.
Montana Virtual Education Consultancy (“MTVEd”) is a newly formed
partnership between James E. Miller and Charles Bruce, and as such has
no history of providing a needs assessment and cost analysis to clients
within the past five years. As such, the references for the company are
the same as for its partners. We are actively seeking additional partners
who have broad educational and business backgrounds.
8.4. Resumes/Company Profile and Experience.
The relevant past services performed by the partners of the MTVEd, their
respective skills, and their proposed contributions, are as follows:
8.4.1. James E. Miller
Dr. Miller has conducted research in the field of digital education during
the past four years and is attending Montana State University. He has
taken a Capstone course [similar to Senior thesis] in agricultural education
and produced a paper entitled, Legislative Control and Funding of Montana
Quality Education, spring, 2005. Digital copies are available on request.
Please see Dr. Miller’s resume under TAB A.
8.4.2. Charles Bruce
Mr. Bruce is an information technology expert and is currently starting a -
commercial children's center in Oxnard, CA. He has written on a variety of
subjects, including recruitment and retention of teachers.
Please see Mr. Bruce’s resume under TAB B.
TAB A:
RESUME OF JAMES E. MILLER - GENERAL
EDUCATION:
Santa Ana Senior High School, 1953; Stanford University, A.B. 1957:
Majors: economics, political science, history; Stanford University School of
Law. J.D. 1959. Moot Court award. Continuing education in law and
computer science.
LICENSES AND MEMBERSHIPS:
Member of California State Bar since January 1960. Previous licenses:
California Licensed Real Estate Broker, California Collection Agency, and
California Talent Agency License
EMPLOYMENT AND PRACTICE
Private law practice, 1973 to 2001. Emphasis on commercial, real estate,
business law, and construction defect litigation. Substantial experience in
public and private school law, Intellectual Property Law and Entertainment
Law. Owned licensed Talent Agency with offices in Los Angeles and San
Diego.
Project Manager, Mt. Israel Recreation Project, 1991.
Rohr Industries, Inc. Corporate staff counsel, 1969-1972. Corporate and
securities law, labor relations, litigation and advanced technology
contracting.
County of Imperial. County Counsel, 1965- 1969. General counsel to County
Board of Supervisors and departments, 28 school districts and five special
districts.
County of San Diego. Deputy County Counsel, 1960-1965. Real property
legal counsel, including eminent domain litigation, public works contracts and
highway law.
United States Air Force, 1959 -1964. Staff Sergeant, Medical Corps.
Del Mangles Tile, 1953- 1957. Tile setter's helper and apprentice tile setter
(summer job)
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATIONAL SERVICES
County Counsel, Imperial County, CA, 1965-1969. Chief legal advisor for
28 school districts. Advised on Calif. Education Code and applicable federal
laws. Wrote and approved construction, maintenance and repair contracts.
Prepared teacher dismissal kit. Develop legal means by which districts
acquired relocatable classrooms. Represented school districts in litigation,
including eminent domain. Attended course at Imperial Valley College.
Wrote student handbook for Imperial Valley College. Issued opinions on
school taxation matters.
Produced a video in the form of a documentary of the use of community
and school swimming pools in Imperial County which was part of Dr. Miller’s
campaign to pass school bond issues for swimming pools for Central Union
High School District, El Centro, CA. Supervised legal aspects of school
bond issues and tax over-ride elections. Supervised legal aspects of
unification of school districts. As County Counsel of Imperial County, CA,
Mr. Miller drafted proposed tax legislation, legislation affecting the cemetery
industry, testified before committees of the California Legislature, and
assisted staff. While a law student at Stanford Law School, he worked for
the California Law Revision Commission.
Deputy County Counsel, San Diego County, CA, 1960-1965. Represented
school districts of San Diego County in real property matters, including
leasing, purchasing, sale, quite title and eminent domain. Researched and
wrote formal legal opinions.
CONSTRUCTION EXPERIENCE:
Planned Unit Development. Developed three unit planned unit development,
Chula Vista, CA, including purchase, planning, PUD legal work, annexation to
City of Chula Vista, contracting for engineering, contract administration,
major grading, extension of utilities, financing, supervision, landscaping and
fire protection. 1972 - 1974.
House construction. Planning for 3000 sq. ft. single story, residence, Chula
Vista (Bonita), financing, bidding, contract administration, supervision,
billing, fund control and labor employment. Performed construction work,
including landscaping, concrete, irrigation, tile installation, carpentry and
miscellaneous work.
Office building projects: Planned, financed and executed tenant
improvements in four different office projects. Manager and part owner of
10,000 sq. ft. office building, Hillcrest, San Diego, mid-80's. Executed energy
conservation plan: employed energy engineer, installed new temperature
controls and a fire alarm system. Managed extensive remodeling of office
building.
Project Manager:
Ivy Tower, San Diego, CA (1975-79) Formed limited partnership and
purchased a 10,000 sq. foot, three office building in San Diego, CA. Mr.
Miller as GP, remodeled the building, installed an executive suite, upgraded
the HVAC system and installed a fire alarm system. Sold the building and
forwarded the proceeds to the Anchor building project.
Anchor Office Building project, San Diego, CA (1979) Above partnership
purchased office space parcel in Pacific Beach. Mr. Miller, as GP, directed
efforts of architect to design building. Involved heavily in design decisions:
structural, communications, HVAC, security, lighting, fenestration and
elevator. Sold parcel with substantial profit to Mr. Miller and his wife and
other partners.
Mt. Israel Recreation Area, for Olivenhain Municipal Water District,
CA, 1991. Employed as Project Manager by Bellfree Contractors, Inc.
Supervised construction of riding and hiking trails, picnic areas, horse
tethers, fences, gates, landscaping and irrigation systems. Designed and
prepared all job cost spreadsheets; prepared progress billing; kept books,
did banking; hired employees and subcontractors; supervised execution of
work; acted as owner's representative to owner's staff; resolved fire damage
and property claims; and operated heavy equipment.
El Campito, Descanso, CA, 2000. Employed as Project Manager for the
development of a 63 acre horse ranch. Duties included due diligence review
of project prior to close of escrow, planning and permits, construction of an
extensive irrigation system ($30,000 plus); refitting well with pump and
electrical service; brushing and grading; fencing; planting of 300 fruit trees.
Trail construction: Designed and build hydraulically operated mini-bull dozer.
Extensive studies in hydraulic operating systems. Own and operate tracked
excavator and maintained the same, including rebuilding hydraulic rams.
Designed and built riding and hiking trails. Designed and built 8' wide by 20
foot long equestrian bridge. Wrote and obtain grants for trail construction.
Supervised reconstruction of California Riding and Hiking Trail ($75,000
grant).
Equipment operation: Proficient in operating a skiploader, backhoe, and skidsteer
loaders. Operated attachments including breakers, augers, and flail
mowers. Have experience in operating a tracked front-end loader, CAT D4
bulldozer, compactors, trenchers, air tools, dump trucks, air compressor
powered tools, power saws, most construction tools and engineering tools.
Housing project: Designed housing project, including 3000 sq. ft. house,
three car garage and 640 sq. ft. apartment. Obtained permits and installed
black and gray waste water systems, metal framing, metal roofing, finish
plumbing, finish flooring, domestic water supply system, and fire water
supply system. Designed, made and installed cabinets. Performed all
contract administration, financing, employment of labor and supervision of
work of others. Designed and installed leach field. Installed landscaping and
irrigation systems.
Hydronic heating and cooling research: Conducted extensive research into
hydronic heating and cooling systems, including, technology, regulations,
licensing, design, parts and equipment supply, labor costs and availability,
marketing, competition, job cost accounting, and financing. Studied design
manuals, including Wirsbo. Pursued legal and political avenues toward
modification of current regulations affecting the use of used oil for extraction
of energy. Prepared extensive business plan for Alpine Applied Hydronics.
ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL EXPERIENCE
Conducted nationwide search for job cost accounting software and evaluated
13 packages. Selected Master Builder by OMWare as best fit.
Used, sold and installed One-Write Plus, entry level business accounting -
three businesses (office building, bread jobber, horse ranch).
Installed SBT Job Costing for blind and drapery business ($50k - 72k/mo.
gross sales); accomplished data conversion, prepared financials for
two years and trained bookkeeper.
Used QuickBooks.
Used Unix based, multi-terminal, debt collection software, including trust
accounting, for collection agency.
Litigated numerous contractor cases involving accounting issues
Litigated several partnership dissolution cases involving accounting issues
Setup and operated job cost system for Bellfree Contractors for the Mt.
Israel project (see above).
Setup and used several different accounting systems for law practice.
Two quarters of accounting, Stanford University
Evaluation of several software packages for use by the Company. Selection,
review and evaluation of Master Builder software for the Company.
Bibliography. See End Note
COMPUTER LITERACY:
Conducting search for and evaluation of enterprise-wide business
information systems. Focusing on relational databases and distributed
computing with "best" technology. Examination includes LAN and WAN
networks, Intranets and Extranets using browsers, and dedicated
circuits. Evaluating enterprise level contact and sales managers
including ACT! 2000, Telemagic Enterprise, Goldmine Front Office 2000
and Lotus Organizer.
Operated dedicated word processor (NBI 3000), 1979-1991
Operated CP/M, computer system, multi-task, system 1982-1989
Operated DOS based system; applications included MS Word, Word Perfect,
Excel, and other office software. 1986-1991. ACT! user from 1988 to
present.
Southwestern College courses in operating system (Sperry-Univac) and
business information systems.
Operated collection agency with service bureau (mainframe) collection
software 1982-1986.
Operated Throughbred (Unix clone) computer system, multi-task debt
collection system. 1986 -1990.
Purchased and operated UNIX system, 1989-90, with dual station monitors.
Completed UNIX class, 1991, at Palomar College.
Installed STB job cost accounting for client, did data conversion and
produced two years of financial reports.
Purchased several computers running Windows with office suites. 1991 to
present. Proficient in Word Perfect, Excel, ACT! Know many other office
applications.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Books and Articles:
Long, Mark; FINANCING THE NEW VENTURE; Adams Media Corporation;
Holbrook, MA; 2000.
Lowry, Albert J., Ph.D; HOW TO BECOME FINANCIALLY SUCCESSFUL BY
OWNING YOUR OWN BUSINESS - A Step-by-Step Guide to
Independence and Profits, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1981.
Ruff, Howard, MAKING MONEY - Winning the Battle for Middle-Class
Financial Success; Simon and Schuster, New York, 1984.
Small Business Resource Web Sites:
California Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency;
Liraz Publishing Co.; Managing a Small Business:
First Union, Small Business Resource Center:
National Information Clearing House, Small Business Development Center
[Market Research, Business Counseling and more]:
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Energy Star site, "Find Money":
Small Business startup and venture capital financing & money finders web
sites:
Enviro Tech Financial Inc.:
Early Bird Capital:
Small Business Administration, Business Plan
TAB B
RESUME OF CHARLES W. BRUCE
Charles W. Bruce
6901 Heron Street - Ventura, California 93003 – (805) 642-1596
C hick_ b ruce@bigfoot.com
Employment History and Achievements
January 2003 - Present
SENIOR DATA ENGINEER/DIRECTOR OF SECURITY – DolphinSearch,
Inc.
Departing EDS after eight years, I pursued short-term contract-type
opportunities with businesses in the Southern California area until I accepted
an excellent position with DolphinSearch. This company is a software
development start-up, specializing in a web-based client litigation support
application used by major law firms in the US. My tasks are varied, mostly
involved with the management of over 100 file servers, including WWW,
development and production servers. The environment is primarily open
source (Apache web servers running on Red Hat 7.3 Linux) with a mixture of
Windows 2000 and Linux. I manage the DNS tables, server builds,
fiber/RAID configuration, SAN administration, MySQL table maintenance (via
Python scripts), and specialize in Microsoft products problem resolution.
My primary responsibilities are related to introduction of client data to the
local file system. These tasks utilize my familiarity with various operating
systems, network operating systems and email systems to restore data from
client backups and archives. I work closely with the project manager and
executives to anticipate technical needs and develop a smooth process that
accomplishes the goal of timeliness and quality. My other activities include
assisting the production engineers with network and desktop process issues,
as well as learning and using the DolphinSearch software and processes to
produce searchable and relevant data specific to the client’s and court’s
needs.
After six months, I received a new assignment, Director of Security. In this
position, I am responsible for all areas of company security, including data
handling and protection, physical building security, implementing video
surveillance, and meeting with client representatives to provide security
assurance.
December 1994 – April 2002
INFRASTRUCTURE ANALYST - Electronic Data Systems (EDS)
My career at EDS began as a desktop support technician for the Delco
Defense Systems client (a division of General Motors). I was part of a team
that provided technical data and voice services to a large engineering and
manufacturing environment. The campus featured approximately 1300
nodes running various platforms, eleven file servers, several UNIX servers,
and a large international WAN. Within a few months, I began working closely
with the networking and project teams, providing technical assistance with
server consolidations, operating system and email system conversions,
network protocol and topology changes, technology refresh deployments,
and physical re-locations. I became the on-site manager of the AppleTalk
network used for promotional and technical documentation.
When the contract expired with this customer, I began performing project
work for another EDS client, Washington Mutual Bank, as well as continuing
technical consulting activities with several EDS Technical Resource Centers
around the country. My work with the bank included leading projects to
implement Automated Teller Machine processing systems at centers
throughout the US. I also led or participated in several projects involving
systems used for transaction imaging, item and check processing, customer
research, and acquisition conversion efforts. During these projects I was
responsible for managing large teams of technicians, administrators, system
engineers, developers, as well as outside vendors. In addition to the
successful systems implementations, I also provided executive-level support
for the EDS management staff.
During this time, I received formal training in all of the Microsoft Office Suite
products, including MS Project, and attended advanced Macintosh repair,
troubleshooting and networking classes. I became a Microsoft Certified
Professional, and took all of the courses required for MCSE and CLNA
certifications. I also received training in Cultural Diversity and Corporate
Cultural Management. In April of 2002, EDS re-organized its divisions, and
the technical center in Goleta, CA., where I was based was closed.
April 1993 - November 1994
SYSTEMS COORDINATOR - BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY
In an attempt to become more involved with emerging client/server
technology and customer support, I took a position as Systems Coordinator
working with the IT Director to design and install a corporate WAN and
provide daily technical user support. In addition to building and maintaining
the network and deploying PC’s, remote support of international consultants
was also required. While with this company, I fine-tuned my strengths with
customer service and ability to translate business requirements into technical
and process solutions. In November of 1994, I left BST amicably to pursue
an even better opportunity in the Information Technology field.
June 1989 - April 1993
SYSTEM MANAGER - VENTURA COUNTY NEWSPAPERS
Beginning as a typesetter and compositor, I grew with this company as it
expanded from one into five daily newspapers over three years. I became
the Group Leader of the Display and Classified Typesetters, managing daily
tasks and maintaining strict deadline adherence and quality control. I
managed the computerized typesetting systems made up of PC workstations,
Macintoshes, color and black and white imaging units, and interface to
AS/400 business system. I worked on projects that introduced full-page
pagination, electronic image scanning, and expanding the LAN to a WAN to
accommodate the newly acquired papers. Needing to choose between
continuing a career in graphics arts and newspaper production, or explore
the growing field of information technology, I chose to leave the newspaper
in April of 1993.
June 1991 - June 1992
FEDERAL GRAND JURY/7th DISTRICT - U.S. DEPT. OF JUSTICE
Grand Jury Secretary
August 1988 - June 1989
COMPUTER SPECIALIST - ANR FINANCIAL SERVICES
During this year, I accepted and completed a unique contract to build and
support a small PC network that would be used by a specialized team of
accounting professionals to reconcile and collect outstanding loans for
Arabian horses. Although I worked mostly independently with the team,
there was also interface required with divisions of large corporations and
banks. The project included gathering requirements from the financial team,
and learning the note amortization process to develop specialized
spreadsheets to perform the calculations.
June 1987 - August 1988
GENERAL MANAGER - HANDS & HEART PRODUCTIONS
Developed and produced promotional materials including a weekly radio
broadcast. Wrote, produced and sold advertisements, and performed the
weekly broadcasts.
November 1986 - June 1987
ASSISTANT SUPERVISOR - PRODUCTION ART - ACORN NEWSPAPER
Performed paste-up and camera work for a small, weekly newspaper.
Supervised the composition staff of five people.
February 1984 - March 1987
PRODUCTION CONTROL ANALYST - TERADYNE INC.
GROUP LEADER/STOCKROOM - TERADYNE INC.
As Group Leader, I supervised a multi-shift staff of fifteen in an electronic
components stockroom. I worked with system developers to help implement
a successful MRP system. I transferred to Production Control and became the
master scheduler for software shipments that accompanied large semiconductor
test devices.
Summary of Education and Training
1980 - Saddleback College – Mission Viejo, CA
12 Units Completed – Computer Information
Science/General Business
1987 - Compugraphic, Inc. – Los Angeles, CA
Certification – Photo-Electronic Typesetting
1990 - Dewar Information Systems – Chicago, IL
Certification - PC-Based Computer Typesetting
1995, 1996, 1998, 1999 - Computer Focus – Goleta CA
Certifications –
MS Project; Supporting Windows 95;
MS Exchange 5.0;
IIS 4.0;
NT Core Technologies
CompTIA Network+
Supporting Windows NT Workstation; Administrating NT Server
1996 - Productivity Point International – L.A. CA
Supporting Macintosh;
Adv. Macintosh Troubleshooting
1997, 1998 - New Horizons Training Center – Oxn. CA
Professional References:
Mr. James Browarski – Professional Colleague
527 West Alamar #66
Santa Barbara, CA
805-569-6905
mistersports@earthlink.net
Mr. Jerry Colyer
Systems Administrator
Computer Sciences Corp.
Goleta, CA
805-961-7743
jerry.colyer@csc.com
Mr. Art Drummond
PC Support Manager
Electronic Data Systems/Avista
Spokane, WA
509-495-2591
art.drummond@avistacorp.com
Ms. Jan Lane
Operations Manager
Electronic Data Systems/Washington Mutual Bank
Northridge, CA
818-775-6528
jan.lane@eds.com
Mr. James Knox – Professional Colleague
Raytheon
Goleta, CA
805-570-5750
Mr. Guy Savage
Deputy Chief Information Officer
Information Technology Department
County of San Luis Obispo
805-781-5071
gsavage@co.slo.ca.us
TAB C
MEGA CLASSROOM
[Omitted for this report but available on request.]
TAB D
-- FUNDING OF MONTANA QUALITY EDUCTION
PROPOSED BY JAMES E. MILLER
Funding of a free, quality education for all Montana children attending K-12
schools could easily consume $150 million per year over and above current
spending levels, during the first three years, for capital costs, basic
education services and enhanced educational services. The funds need
would be raised by enacting the Montana Education Resource Act (MERA).
In summary, MERA would impose a tax of five percent on the sale at retail of
all tangible goods and services, subject to exceptions and limitations, sold,
Copyrighted 2005, James E. Miller Page 35 All rights reserved.
FINAL REPORT TO THE QUALITY SCHOOL INTERIM COMMITTEE
STATE OF MONTANA
BY MONTANA VIRTUAL EDUCATION CONSULTANCY
AUGUST 22, 2005
used or delivered in Montana. The act would not apply to bona fide,
permanent, full-time legal residents of Montana. To the extent that parttime
residents paid the levies, they could obtain either a proportional refund
or could elect to off-set the refundable tax against real or personal property
tax paid or income tax paid to Montana.
The cost of collection would be paid out of the revenue. Retail merchants
would be allowed to retain from remittances, the reasonable cost of
collection, to be determined by regulation. The net remittances would then
be exclusively dedicated to support of Montana public education costs.
Allocation of funding would proceed along the following formulas:
1.1. Personnel costs. “Personnel costs” would include salaries, benefits,
retirement, recruiting, retention, continuing education and
training, and similar costs. Personnel costs would be estimated per
pupil per year, based on average daily attendance, and would be
the same for all districts. A salary cap would be imposed so that no
district employee would be paid more than four times the lowest
paid district employee.
1.2. Structure costs. “Structure costs” would have three components:
1.2.1. New Construction. New Construction would be based on
pupil growth with emphasis on the use of relocatable classrooms.
Funds would be allocated on a “new” per pupil basis.
1.2.2. Replacement, repair and reconstruction. Replacement,
repair and reconstruction would be based on the number of
square feet, modified by the age and condition of the structures.
An annual assessment would be created by each district
and funding sought according to regulations developed
by competent building engineers and system maintenance experts.
1.2.3. Maintenance and operation. Maintenance and operation
of structures would be based on square feet and would be the
same for all districts.
1.3. Transportation costs. “Transportation” costs would have two
components:
C allowances would be based on the probable
annual costs by type of vehicle used by the districts, on a
uniform basis.
1.3.2. Maintenance and repair. Maintenance and repair costs
would be individually submitted by each district, based on actual
or probable costs.
1.3.3. Additional new and replacement vehicles. Additional
new and replacement vehicles would be at cost of the district
based on competitive bidding. Caps would prevent overcharging
by districts. Specifications would be approved by a
state agency.
1.3.4. Overhead and general administrative expenses. Overhead
and general administrative expenses would be based on
the annual pupil attendance which in turn is based on the average
daily attendance. A 15% cap would be imposed.
1.4. Exceptions. All calculation of costs would be subject to an “exceptions”
clause which would allow for special circumstances of dire
need, such as a fire, storm, flood or other disaster.
1.5. Local property taxes. Local real property tax levies (including
renewals, extensions and adverse changes) by school districts
would be allowed only upon a majority vote of all of the voters of a
district voting at the election.
1.6. Voter approval. The MERA would be submitted to the voters of
Montana at the next general election. A majority vote of those voting
would pass the issue.
TAB E -- TEACHER RECRUITMENT
The Ability Of School Districts To Attract And Retain Qualified
Educators And Other Personnel
By Charles W. Bruce
Introduction
A basic factor in any effort towards improving student achievement is the
recognition of the importance of the capability, knowledge and instructional
skills of the teachers and the supporting staff. Success in any program of
motivating and capturing the attention of modern students primarily rests
with well-educated, highly-skilled, experienced and practical professionals –
at all levels - that have been provided with the necessary resources for their
tasks. Montana VEd recognizes the vast issues involved with the ability of
school districts to attract and retain qualified educators and other personnel.
These issues can be begin to be addressed by looking at core components of
school leadership, organizational structure, exploration of previously
overlooked resources, atypical compensation programs to attract and recruit
the highest level of talent, and a declaration of a common vision of a positive
future.
Leadership
Research and experience clearly shows all successful endeavors have a
common core in the strength and capabilities of its leadership – particularly
the ‘building-level’ leaders. To address this need, Montana VEd promotes all
efforts at attracting and retaining the highest level professionals for
educational leadership roles. Montana VEd supports rewarding the highest
achieving instructors not only with compensation, but by recognition of
results, and by creating paths to leadership opportunities and encouraging
the successful to follow these paths and serve as leaders. This path of
leadership ensures the best and most successful ideas can carry forward into
the future.
Montana VEd would encourage the State of Montana to address its
immediate gaps in education leadership with a deliberate and conscious
conviction to facilitate change in current policies and practices. The State
must not be afraid to seek results-oriented individuals from outside the
academic sector for leadership positions, whom are likely to infuse the
system with new ideas and techniques. These new leaders would be tasked
with creating an atmosphere that embraces changes that can produce
positive results, to upgrade school support processes and internal
infrastructures, and to create momentum going in a forward direction.
This approach is especially important at the local district/school levels.
Superintendents and principals of the future must be open-minded,
motivational visionaries who can fully endorse new ideas and organize his
staffs into efficient, cooperative functional teams. These leaders must accept
and embrace technology and incorporate it as wholly as possible into their
solutions. They must be willing to encourage teamwork not only within their
walls, but to promote their success to their peers in other schools. The
leaders will be challenged to discover and document the commonalities of
seemingly unique issues. They will be willing to communicate these
weaknesses, be receptive to consultation and collaboration with elements
that may have previously been considered competitors. They must have a
view towards the future, and not be restrained by subjective notions; be
open-minded towards ideas traditionally believed to be ‘outside the box’. By
placing qualified, talented, forward-thinking, tech-savvy executive-level
professionals who are have an intense interested in educational achievement
and have a proven track record of success with implementing tested
methods and ideas, the seeds are sown for continuous, perpetual,
improvement.
Organization
In addition to attracting the “best in field” professionals from around the
world to become involved in academic efforts, Montana VEd strongly
supports intelligent, thought-out and well-documented organizational
change. Being receptive to new ideas is essential to implementing successful
change. Montana VEd is not suggesting complete, immediate restructuring or
organizational structure. A phase-in program needs to be employed.
Resources
Montana VEd also endorses the exploration and utilization of previously
untapped resources to assist problem schools and issues, including the use
of cross-age assistants and internships. Recognizing the teachers are not
alone in the efforts of improving student performance, Montana VEd also
promotes a strong, technically-sound, cooperative internal infrastructure that
provides the necessary support to education’s ‘front lines’. By focusing
attention and effort into facing towards the future, modernizing current
teaching tools and resources, and introducing modern technical experience
and methodologies into the classroom, schools, districts and throughout the
state, a revolution in learning the learning environment is made possible.
Compensation
Montana VEd encourages promotion of results-driven, business-tested
methodologies, including more horizontal-hierarchy, peer collaboration and
cross-functional teams that encourage positive change by empowerment the
participants.
Expectations from ‘Task’ Phases
In addition to the minimum staff identified on the evaluation committee,
Montana VEd would include at least one Information Technology Analyst to
inform the committee on current levels of technology services being
provided, and, to advise on feasibility of future technology-oriented
programs. These IT Analysts must be knowledgeable with current technology
services and funding for education, and should be familiar with any
educational programs currently being considered by the state.
Montana VEd promotes an educational future where the focus is technologyoriented.
It is recognized that the students of Montana’s public schools
deserve to be provided with the best, most talented professionals in
education, and that these teachers and leaders deserve to be compensated
appropriately for their efforts. Montana VEd supports requiring all
practitioners to demonstrate subject-matter knowledge, and possess
necessary credentials.
In order to address the needs of recruiting and retaining the ‘best in field’
professionals, Montana VEd strongly supports methods to attract
knowledgeable, qualified, non-traditional candidates, such as persons
changing careers, retirees, and others with non-education backgrounds. This
is particularly true with attracting technology teachers from the private
sector. Special emphasis should be made to attract and retain specialty
teachers, including Native-American instructors and technology educators.
Programs must be developed to identify and encourage talented students to
pursue teaching opportunities. Institutions that provide teachers and leaders
must establish better, cooperative relationships with the local districts,
allowing both to share resources, technical infrastructure and knowledge.
Better use of existing resources, such as internships, teachers aides, and
student ‘cross-age’ assistants are also promoted. Montana VEd also
encourages expansion of technology resources, such as Web Learning
Centers and inter-school/district collaborative efforts. By promoting such
methods, and being receptive and taking a positive approach towards other,
new ideas will strengthen the ability of school districts to attract and retain
qualified educators and other personnel.
Respectfully submitted,
Charles W. Bruce
TAB F
EDUCATION’S DOUBLE WHAMMY
-- If Educators don’t know what the problem is, how can they fix it?
By Jim Miller
Up font: My thesis is that the folks who populate the world of education
(with few exceptions) are either unaware of or ignore the different learning
abilities of left-brain dominant (LBD) versus the learning (“dis”)abilities of
right-brain dominant students (RBD). You want proof? I got proof.
The main difference between the learners is how they index their memories.
This is not a course on the subject, but the reader should know that the
RBD’s, as they acquire information and later attempt to recall it, index in
terms of visual images (a formula on the blackboard is not a visual image –
a picture of an object is) in a relational mode. LBD tend to index using key
words and symbols, in a sequential mode. Don’t argue with me on these
simplified premises – just accept them for the time being.
Students who are tested for a variety of reasons, perform differently, based
on racial background. Study after study in all different fields have shown
that the Afro-Americans, American Indians, and Latinos, as academic
learners, under-perform the Caucasian and Asian students. 51 What is the
causal connection between brain dominance and educational aptitude? Is it
that the Caucasian and Asian students have genes which promote a higher
level of intelligence? Possible, but unlikely since on a broad level, all human
genetic stock derived from African ancestors.
First the facts:
From High School to College, by Kirst and Venezia (2004) reports studies on
K-16 integration (more so the lack of integration) of academic services. 52
The recommendations made relate to increasing the coordination among
institutions of higher learning (IHL) and 8-12 schools so as to increase the
quality of student performance not only for admission to IHL but more
importantly, the “success” rate, i.e. graduation, from IHL’s. The study
included taking field data as well as review of field data studies by other
researches. The Texas Education Agency reported results of students taking
SAT, ACT and TAAS (Texas Assessment of Academic Skills) tests for an
unnamed high school. Some findings were:
“Forth-six percent of all seniors scored at least 1000 on the SAT or 24The Single Whammy
on the ACT in 1995.
Fifteen percent of African American seniors, 58
percent of white, non-Latino students, and 10 percent of the Latino
seniors all scored at least 1000 on the SAT or 24 on the Act in 1995.
Twenty-eight percent of African American students; 40 percent of
Latino students; 77 percent of white, non-Latino students; and 28
percent of economically disadvantaged students, passed all sections of
the TAAS in 1995.
The school’s students tended, on average, to earn
higher SAT scores than in the district as a whole, but lower TAAS
scores.” (Kirst & Venezia, 2004) 53
The study reported similar findings
in all of the areas studied. What accounts for the differences?
The answer is that the vast majority of African American and Latino students
are RBD. The SAT, ACT and TAAS tests are intentionally or negligently
constructed to benefit LFD learners and to prejudice RBD learners. This
explanation fits as no other explanation has ever fitted.
myMoreover, the “under performing” RBD students come from the low
economic strata of our general population. Not only are they “under
performing” because of the skew against RBD learners, but their
opportunities and motivations are much less in force than in the high
economic levels. Because many students from low economic strata are Afro
American or Latino, they suffer the double whammy. Lack of parental
education has some influence on the lack of the child’s motivation and
exposure, thus giving them a triple whammy. Is this fair?
Why? Simple. The vast majority of educators and educational regulators
are LBD or subscribed to the policies formulated by LBD teachers, professors
and administrators. The LBD educators typically account for over seventy
percent of those employed in public education in academics. These folks
have depended mostly on rote memory themselves to get their degrees and
positions. They assume that “rigorous academic preparation” exclusively
means the ability to commit information to rote memory and mark the
correct bubble on the machine read answer sheet. Some of the LBD policy
controllers grudging admit that the arts should be permitted limited testing
by means of essays.
Fixation with machine testing. The entire education industry is so fixated
with testing by machine, the actors cannot understand why the essay should
be the principal means of testing, despite the fact that the vast number of
rote memory tests administered each year in the United States. When
President Eisenhower signed the 1954 enactment of the Internal Revenue
Code, he held up a copy for the TV cameras and announced that the new act
was really the “Attorneys and Accountants’ Employment Act of 1954”. In a
sense, the widespread use of the essay would have the same effect (good
for the student, “bad” for the taxpayer, but “good” for our highly complex
society). Apart from the economic consequences, the fairness doctrine
should kick-in and drive demand for at least equal parts of testing between
rote memory and relational thinking.
Consider this possibility: the student is given the choice of taking a rote
memory, machine graded test in each of three areas or can write essays in
one or more of the areas. That would stand testing as we know it, on its
head. A disruptive solution, no doubt.
What to do?
The English Departments should be separated from the “Creative Authorship
Departments. English teachers are, by and large, mostly LBD and teach
English as if it were exclusively a LBD subject – a multiplicity of “rules”.
Creative writing, on the other hand, demands putting ideas together in terms
of relationships, relevancy, pictures and flow of ideas. Descriptive language
is intended to create a “picture” of the scene either in still form or in action
form. LBD English teachers are so taken with applying the rules of grammar
and style, that they ignore or dismiss the relatively more important
“creative” side of the use of the English language. RBD learners deserve to
apply their skills under the tutelage of RBD teachers. 54
It is time for a change in the education industry in favor of fairness for the
“learning disability” of RBD students, especially including genetically Afro
American and Latino students.
Respectfully submitted,
James E. Miller, J. D.
jimmiller5417@yahoo.com
Copyrighted 2005, James E. Miller Page 44 All rights reserved.
END NOTES, Page 45
1 A Local Perspective published by the Montana Quality Education Coalition:
http://mqec.org/testimonial2.pdf; accessed June 3, 2005. Teachers,
administrators and other learned persons vent their opinions and personal
experiences in several very moving testimonials. Jack Copps' summary is right
on point. A MUST READ.
2 The State of Montana created the Montana K-12 Public School Commission to
study the quality of education issues. The Commissions report recommended:
“Using a balanced taxation approach that includes existing statewide taxes such
as property taxes, income taxes and natural resource taxes and also
considering new revenue such as a general statewide sales tax to be used as a
mechanism for funding quality public schools.”
Montana K-12 Public School Commission Findings and Recommendations,
September 15, 2005, para. 9(e), pg. 7;
http://www.bpe.state.mt.us/pdf/finalreport.pdf; accessed June 3, 2005
[hereinafter referred to as the “K-12 Commission Report”]
3 No community can hope to develop the learning potential of its citizens,
especially children, without heavy, persistent involvement.
“Consider community from your child’s perspective. Who belongs in their
community? What does their community look like?
Community is a critical component in the development and growth of a child.
Children need supportive parents, safe neighborhoods, adult mentors, and
caring teachers. They need role models who will help them to develop a sense
of civic and social responsibility. Most of all, children need to feel that they
belong.”
For more on this theme, see: http://www.tamarackcommunity.ca/index.php;
accessed June 4, 2005.
4 A checklist for developing the community partnerships follows:
A Checklist for Schools
Making Your Family-Community Partnership Work
Following are examples of practices and programs that schools and districts can use to encourage
family and community support of children’s learning. They are meant to be advisory and should be
adapted to each school’s or district’s needs.
END NOTES, Page 46
Parenting and Family Skills
o 1. We sponsor family learning workshops on topics suggested by parents, and held at times and places easily accessible to all
parents.
o 2. We ask families what types of workshops or
informational events they would be interested
in attending and what session times are most convenient for them.
o 3. We provide families with information on child development.
o 4. We lend families books and tapes on parenting and parent workshops.
o 5. We provide families with information about
developing home conditions that support school learning.
o 6. We survey parents to determine their needs, assign staff members to help address those needs, and work to link parents with
community resources.
o 7. We have a family center or help parents access other resource centers in the community.
o 8. We have support groups for families with special interests and needs.
o 9. We train staff members and support them in reaching out to all families.
o 10. Other: ____________________________________________
__________________________________________________
Communicating
o 1. We schedule parent-teacher-student conferences to establish student learning goals for the year.
o 2. We listen to parents tell us about their children’s strengths and how they learn.
o 3. We follow the “Rule of Seven:” offering at least seven different ways that parents and community members can learn about what
is happening in the school and comment on it.
o 4. Teachers have ready access to telephones to communicate with parents during or after the school day.
o 5. Staff members send home positive messages about students.
o 6. We make efforts to communicate with fathers.
1. 7. Staff members make home visits.
2. 8. Parents know the telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of school staff members and the times teachers are available to take
phone calls from parents.
o9. We involve families in student award and recognition events.
o 10.We encourage and make provisions for staff members to communicate with parents about the child’s progress several times each
semester.
o 11.We communicate the school’s mission and expectations for students to parents.
o 12.The school has a homework hotline or other kind of the telephone system.
o 13.We provide parents with structured ways to comment on the school’s communications, for example, with mailed, phone, or
take-home surveys.
o 14.We have staff members available to assist and support parents in their interactions with the school (i.e. home-school liaisons).
15.We send home communications about
o student academic progress
o meetings at school
END NOTES, Page 47
o how parents can be involved in student activities
o Parent Association
o student discipline
o child development
o the curriculum
o how parents can be involved as volunteers
o how parents can be involved in school
governance
o how parents can help with homework and
encourage learning at home
o community resources available to families
o how parents can communicate with school staff
o the school’s philosophy of learning.
o 16.We directly speak to parents (does not include leaving messages on answering machines) if students are having academic
difficulty or causing classroom disruptions before a crisis occurs.
o 17.We provide copies of school textbooks and publications about the school to the public library.
o 18. Other: ___________________________________________
__________________________________________________
Learning at Home
o 1. We have specific goals and activities that keep parents informed about and supportive of their children’s homework.
o 2. We offer learning activities and events for the whole family.
o 3. We invite parents to borrow resources from school libraries for themselves and their families.
o 4. We link parents with resources and activities in the community that promote learning.
o 5. We give parents materials they can use to evaluate their child’s progress and provide feedback to teachers.
o 6. We help parents understand student assessments, including report cards and testing, and how to help students improve.
o 7. School staff and school communications help parents link home learning activities to learning in the classroom.
o 8. We include parents and other community members in developing children’s learning outside of school activities.
o 9. Other: _______________________________________
___________________________________________
Volunteering
o 1. We encourage families and other community members to volunteer their support by attending school events.
o 2. We offer youth service learning opportunities for students who want to volunteer in the community.
o 3. We help school staff learn how to work with parent and community volunteers.
o 4. We ask family members how they would like to participate as volunteers at their child’s school or in the community, and we
respond in a timely manner to their offers of assistance.
5. We encourage family and community members to become involved as
o participants in site-based management councils
o presenters to students on careers and other topics
END NOTES, Page 48
o assistants with art shows, read-aloud events, theater workshops, book swaps, and other activities
o tutors/mentors
o chaperones on field trips and other class outings
o instructional assistants in classrooms, libraries, and computer labs
o non-instructional assistants
o from-the-home contributors of baked goods, assembling materials, typing, etc.
o 6. We offer volunteer opportunities for working and single parents.
o 7. We have a program to recognize school volunteers.
o 8. We gather information about the level and frequency of family and community participation in school programs.
o 9. Other: ___________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Governance and Advocacy
o 1. We encourage parents to attend school board and site council meetings.
o 2. We assign staff members to help parents address concerns or complaints.
o 3. We invite staff and parent groups to meet collaboratively, providing space and time to do so.
o 4. We help families advocate for each other.
5. We involve parents in
o revising school and district curricula
o planning orientation programs for new families
o developing parenting skills programs
o establishing membership for site-based councils
o hiring staff members.
o 6. Other _________________________________________
_________________________________________
Community Collaboration
o 1. We act as a source of information and referral about services available in the community for families.
o 2. We use a variety of strategies to reach out to adults, families, and children of all ages, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds in
the community.
o 3. We encourage local civic and service groups to become involved in schools in a variety of ways such as mentoring students,
volunteering, speaking to classes, and helping with fund-raising events.
o 4. We encourage staff and students to participate in youth service-learning opportunities.
o 5. We open our school buildings for use by the community beyond regular school hours.
o 6. We work with the local chamber of commerce or business partnership council and public library to promote adult literacy.
o 7. We have a program with local businesses that enhances student work skills.
o 8. We widely publish and disseminate school board meeting notices, summaries, and board policies and agendas, and encourage the
feedback and participation of community members.
o 9. Other: ____________________________________________
___________________________________________________
END NOTES, Page 49
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Families in Education Program
Revised March 1998
http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dltcl/bbfcsp/im
5 Take a look at: http://www.anccommunity.ca/
“Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC) is a project about engagement –
engagement of residents and the public, private and voluntary sectors in
five neighborhoods across Canada in developing visions for their futures.
It is a project about learning – learning how to work together better and
differently, both horizontally and vertically, across sectors and interests, to
understand neighborhood dynamics and create the best possible
environment in which neighborhoods and their residents can flourish.”
6 “Community agency partnerships may result in a multiple-use building that
includes a school and other facilities. These community-based schools become a
true center of community life in their areas. For instance, St. Paul's Johnson
Elementary was created out an old high school that had closed in1962. The
district realized it needed to acquire land around the building to add parking onto
it, for instance, because the site only had spaces for 10 cars. Located in a
formerly blighted area, the school today also houses medical clinics, a dental
clinic, social service agencies and a housing office.”
Kendler, Peggy Bresnick; Site Seeing; District Administration, August 2005, pgs.
51, 56.
7 Creating a repository of online courses, tracking licenses and collecting strategic
information can be done by the likes of Open Text's Livelinks:
“Open Text featured in CMP Guidebook...
"With Open Text's Livelink®, the world's most comprehensive
enterprise content management solution, organizations can seamlessly
combine collaboration with content management." as stated in CMP
Guidebook to Next-Generation Content Management.”
See: h ttp:// o pentext.com / bridging/cmp-guidebook.html.
Open text is one of several approaches to content management. Another likely
candidate is askSAM:
END NOTES, Page 50
“Just Released: askSam 6
It's never been easier to organize, search, and manage your information. askSam 6 is a flexible
and powerful way to organize information and create searchable databases from Web pages,
Email, PDF files, texts, and Word documents. For over 20 years askSam has been the choice of
researchers and other information professionals. See why over 350,000 businesses,
organizations, and individuals rely on askSam.
More Info Watch Tour Upgrade to 6 New in askSam 6”
Source: http://www.asksam.com
8 The good news is that good nutrition and “distance learning” are partners.
“DISTANCE LEARNING INSERVICE, APRIL 11, 2005
Goal:
Promote dialogue and suggest opportunities across CCE program and issue
areas leading to comprehensive responses for CCE engagement with
farmers' markets.
Objectives:
* Increase knowledge and skills as to how farmers'
markets increase a community's capacity to...
- Involve young people and adults working
together in partnerships that benefit the
community
- Increase food and nutrition and food selection
knowledge
- Improve farm profitability, agricultural economic
development and food and agribusiness vitality
- Take action to create regional food security and
sustainable food system
* Re-frame Extension's engagement with farmers' markets
View Selected Program Sections in Real-Player
O rder a DVD of the complete I nservice program
A ccess Related Inservice m aterials
Participant Contact List”
END NOTES, Page 51
Source: h ttp://fnec.cornell.edu/April_11_05 . cfm
9 One of many examples of software available for webcasting is F5. Here is a
talking head edition:
http://www.accelacast.com/webcasts/f5_enterprise_architecture/
10 Broward County School's website announces:
“There are lots of ways for parents to be involved in their child's education -
keeping track in the classroom, at home and throughout the school district.
“Broward County Public Schools encourages all their parents to be actively
involved with, and committed to, their child's education. Here are a few
ways that parents can have a real voice and make a real difference for their
student.”
Source: www.broward.k12.fl.us/esol
“The several ways parents can get involved include:
“DISTRICT ADVISORY COUNCIL (DAC)
The District Advisory Council advocates and promotes the highest quality of
public education for students within our schools, areas, district and state by
sustaining an effective network of parents, students, business, government,
school, district staff and the community.
PTA WEB SITE
Broward County has a dynamic PTA which is connected to the state and
national PTA. It is an important advocacy group for children's education
issues. Many schools have PTAs which work to support and advance school
improvement at individual schools and also have a structure where concerns
and issues are discussed at the district level and with the Superintendent.
To find out more call you local school.
PTO
END NOTES, Page 52
Some schools have independent PTO organizations which function to
support individual schools and their school improvement efforts. These
organizations are independent and work within a particular school setting.
“SCHOOL ADVISORY FORUM
Every school has an advisory forum which acts as a proactive group which
addresses various educational issues. Their ideas and concerns are
forwarded to both area and district advisories which meet regularly with key
staff and the Superintendent. Advisories do outstanding work on behalf of
kids. If you wish to join this group, call your local school for more
information.
“SCHOOL ADVISORY COUNCIL (SAC)
School Improvement is an absolute priority for all Broward schools. To
make it happen, every school has a school Advisory Council which studies
the school's track record and comes up with an annual plan to improve
education in vital areas such as: student achievement, curriculum, safety
and discipline. These plans are on file at every school. Call your local school
to be a part of this great team.
“ESOL Leadership Council
This is a district wide forum for Limited English Proficient (LEP) parents and
interested community members to assist the District in identifying the
educational needs and priorities of LEP students. The ESOL Leadership
Council meets on the first Wednesday of each month during the school year
at the K.C. Wright Administration Building. For more information, contact
Yvette Fernandez in the Bilingual/Foreign Language/ESOL Education
Department at 754-321-2951; or visit the department website at
www.broward.k12.fl.us/esol
“VOLUNTEERS
Our kids count on volunteers in their schools who do it all - helping
teachers, tutoring students, assisting in the front office and acting as Youth
Motivators. You can volunteer at your child's school or another school via a
number of ways. Call the Volunteer Services Office at 754-321-2040 and
sign up today.”
END NOTES, Page 53
Source: http://www.browardschools.com/involved/
11 “Adler, who spent eight years teaching physics and working as dean of
students in a Baltimore prep school, and Vinnakota, whose parents were
teachers, built SEED on the premise that kids need a safe, stable place where
they can concentrate on learning. They believe these kids have the best chance
of succeeding and going on to college if they are nurtured before they get to high
school.”
Eric Adler and Rajiv Vinnakota raised 12 million in donations across the country
and sold 14 million in bonds to remodel a vacant elementary school is southeast
Washington. The buildings include separate dorms for seventh and eight grader
boys and girls, a gym, academic buildings, and a couple of playing fields. Wakeup
is at 5:45 a.m., classes begin at 8:00 a.m. and last until 4:00 p.m. and
includes an hour's study hall in the evening. The school servers grades 7
through 12.
Bacon, Jr., Perry, Urban Preppies; Time Magazine, January 12, 2004, pg. 61.
12 Mauro, Tony: Supreme Court's voucher ruling dramatic, not surprising,
http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=16487
A listing of state voucher cases is found at:
http://www.au.org/site/PageServer?pagename=legal_decisions_vouchers
13 Bob Peterson, editor of Rethinking Schools, has tracked the Milwaukee school
voucher program and reported: “Schools don't have to administer any
standardized test, don't have to report out basic data like expulsions. Teachers
don't have to have a high school degree”. Montana's use of voucher should
require the same accountability of voucher supported school as befits publically
funding, traditional schools. NCLB mandates the adoption of such rules.
Silverman, Fran; Big Voucher Testing Grounds Find Pros and Cons; District
Administration, August, 2005, pg. 16; www.districtadminstration.com.
14 The Associated Press article continues:
“King raised $850,000 through the Maine Learning Technology Foundation
and worked with Great Works Internet to create the program aimed at
placing low-income middle school students on equal footing with others who
already have Internet access.
“The Internet service provider also agreed to offer discounts for high-speed
service for seventh- and eighth-graders and teachers who are part of the
laptop program.
END NOTES, Page 54
“'It helps to realize the promise of equity that was one of the great ideas at
the beginning. Now every seventh- and eighth-grader in Maine not only has
access at school but also access to the Internet and all of the information it
contains at home,' King said.
“The program applies to all of the state's 35,000 middle schoolers, as well
as some ninth- and 10th-graders who have laptops issued to them at
schools.”
Read the full article at:
http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050812/REP
OSITORY/508120366/1001/NEWS01
15 eSchool News reports:
“eMail Stakeholder
Communications
“As technology plays a greater role in education, it can also change the way
those inside school buildings address key stakeholders on the outside. State
officials, district board members, the local press, and students' parents are
just a few of the groups that desire constant information and updates. And
there is no faster or more inexpensive way to reach a vast number of
individuals than via eMail or the web.” For more, read:
http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/reports/stakeholders/
16 “Neighborhood nodes” have taken a life of their own. Local residents have
created Wi-Fi hot spots for Internet access and have invited their neighbors to
participate.
“The Fourth Street hotspot is part of a communal wireless project called
Neighbornode, started by then New York University grad student John Geraci as
a way to add a community-building aspect to the common practice of using a
neighbor’s Wi-Fi network to get online. Anyone with a broadband connection
can start a Neighbornode. When someone uses the node to access the Web, he
is first directed to a home page with a message board, classified section and
photo page to help locals recognize one another. (You can use a second router
to maintain a private and secure Wi-Fi network for your home.) New York City
currently has 18 such hotspots, and eight other nodes have appeared in such
remote areas as Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. Launch
a node in your ’hood with the steps below.”
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/how2/article/0,20967,1090205,00.html
END NOTES, Page 55
17 Apple – Pro Music:
“A bus arrives in Columbus, Ohio. Kids from a struggling community arts
program hop on board and discover to their delight that they’re in an
honest-to-goodness recording studio. Their task is to write and record a
song and make a music video — in just one day. Because tomorrow, the
bus will be moving on.
“When the kids got off the bus — even though they’d never played together
before — they were destined to become a unique pop group called Fatty
Koo, with a big-time New York manager, a recording contract with Sony
BMG Music and an album poised to hit the charts. Read more.
“Preview Fatty Koo’s debut album, “House of Fatty Koo,” at the iTunes Music
Store and watch the group’s video 'Bounce.' “
http://www.apple.com/pro/music/fattykoo/
John Lennon Educational Tour Bus Tour:
“The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus is a non-profit, mobile recording
studio outfitted with traditional musical instruments as well as current
technological advances. Since 1998, the Bus has provided free hands-on
programs to hundreds of high schools, colleges, Boys and Girls Clubs, music
festivals, concerts, conventions and community organizations. Working
together with some of the biggest names in music, the Lennon Bus
encourages students to play music, write songs, engineer recording
sessions and produce music video projects using the latest audio, video,
and live sound equipment.” http://jlsc.com/bus/index.php
MCSD School Profile - Lewistown Area High School / lahs114
2 Manor Drive, Lewistown, PA 17044
Voice: (717) 242-1401 Fax: (717) 248-5805
http://www.mcsdk12.org/visit/lahs/lahstour/pages/lahs114.htm
Morning announcements are broadcast from the media studio desk.
Full sail: http://www.fullsail.com/swf/index.cfm offers degrees in full studio digital
production and animation design and programming.
END NOTES, Page 56
18 Several vendors offer a wide variety of hardware and software for digital
production. Here's a small sample:
Visable Light: http://www.visiblelight.com/
• V isible Light introduces the VKube line of portable systems for digital video
professionals.
• N ew version of M PEG4.net goes live featuring a new design and RSS 2.0 news feeds.
• V isible Light unveils newly expanded online catalog of professional Digital Video
Products
Redshirt: http://www.redshirt.com/
digital scrapbooks
digital presentations
computer & web based training tutorials
EmediaLive:
http://www.emedialive.com/Newsletters/EMediaXtra.aspx?NewsletterI
D=69
Tapematic Introduces MediaCreation Station with Ulead's
StudioQuartet
Ulead StudioQuartet Now Available
Kano Brings Compact, Plug-and-Play RAID Storage to PC and Mac
Desktops
SanDisk Starts Selling New miniSD
F lash Memory Cards D VD6C Adds Seven New Patent Licensees
Leitch Releases dpsQuattrus OEM Resource CD for OEM Developers
Macromedia Announces Authorware 7
Pinnacle Ships Edition 5
19 eSchool News three part story, Video Goes to School,
Students, teachers become expert video producer:
“Editor's Note: This is the final installment of a three-part series on the use of video in education.
Part One of the series, which appeared in April, examined the impact video is having on schools.
Part Two, which appeared in May, focused on the use of streaming video and other applications to
enhance. Following this month's report, we announce the winners of our first-ever Student Video
Discovery Awards”
END NOTES, Page 57
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=5689
The seven finalists productions for the Student Video Discovery Awards are
paraded at: http://www.eschoolnews.com/vrc/ .
20 “NeuronFarm developed 3D-Readers to handle each of these requirements,
providing students with a mix of 2,000-word stories and flash animations that
describe key facts in the story. Students then fill out "constructive text responses"
and vocabulary lists the system evaluated based on clarity, completeness and
understanding of the information.”
http://wistechnology.com/article.php?id=1782
Comment: The flash and interactive features of 3D-Reader lends credence to the
contention that we need to design learning systems which favor (and do not
disfavor), right brain domanent students. Please see my attached article
Education's Double Whammy.
21 Introducing digital media to the classroom teacher will require acquisition of
suitable software which is used to create lessons and to administer the storage
and distribution of digital training materials. Suites of digital design programs
include:
Macromedia: Suite 8 for K-12 schools:
“Studio 8 is the essential software suite used to design, develop and
maintain interactive online experiences.”
Demo:
http://www.macromedia.com/resources/education/special/studio/overview_
presentation/?trackingid=BVWZ
Blackboard: Academic Suite: http://blackboard.com/products/as/
“The Blackboard Learning System™ is a world-class software application
for institutions dedicated to teaching and learning. Intuitive and easy-touse,
this product has powerful capabilities in three key areas: Instruction,
Communication and Assessment.”
END NOTES, Page 58
Demo: http://blackboard.com/products/as/demo.htm
[Author's note: Blackboard's demo failed to run after installing required
Apple Quicktime plugin.]
22 The River's Edge Charter School of Florida implemented its laptop project by
providing take-home laptops to its students. River's Edge joins national trend
toward technology, by BY KIMBERLY C. MOORE, a reporter for FLORIDA TODAY,
reports:
“The school is the first in the district to implement widespread, take-home
technology into its middle school curriculum. School officials said they plan
to train students and their parents on the machines and, by Christmas,
hope to allow the students to take them home. They are also trying to
broker a deal with Bright House Communications to install Internet access
in the students' homes. Bright House officials declined to comment on the
project but acknowledged they are working with River's Edge officials.
“Research shows a smattering of schools around the state are issuing
laptops to students. Manatee County Schools began a program several
years ago to provide every student in the district a laptop, and, so far, more
than 5,200 of the computers have been handed out.
“In San Diego, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is helping to fund High
Tech High, a science and technology school where 100 percent of the
students advance to college.
“In 2002, Maine began an initiative to give laptops to every student in the
state. The goal was to make Maine students the most technologically savvy
in the world. Has the Maine Learning Technology Initiative worked? Studies
by the Maine Education Policy Research Institute show it has.
" 'As the students begin to use the laptops more within their classes, they
report an increase in interest in their school work and an increase in the
amount of work they are doing both in and out of school,' one report states.
“So far, the school has spent about $40,000 on the electronic equipment for
about 150 students.
Source:
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050529/NEWS0
1/505290336/1006
END NOTES, Page 59
23 Pascopella, Angela; Digital Days; District Administration; August, 2005, pgs.
43, 44. Jerry Crisci, Director of Scarsdale Public Schools Technology, disagrees.
“Laptops are so much more powerful. You can store a lot of information on a
laptop and the software on the laptop is more robust. The screens on laptops are
bigger and you can do anything from editing a video to working with sophisticated
databases”. However, Cathie Norris, professor at University of North Texas, feels
handhelds can do 80% of what laptops do now at ten percent of the cost.
Further, GoKnow advocates handhelds as evolutionary, not revolutionary. Id. at
44. GoKnow's website is at: http://www.goknow.com/ [“GoKnow is the premier
provider of educational software, curriculum, and professional development for
handheld computers.”] Substantial capital and operating costs for laptops can be
achieved by implementing the prison industry recommendation and the Montana
Cyber School District recommendation.
24 The River's Edge Charter School of Florida implemented its laptop project
by providing take-home laptops to its students. River's Edge joins national trend
toward technology, by BY KIMBERLY C. MOORE, a reporter for FLORIDA TODAY,
reports:
“River's Edge has a high percentage of impoverished students, with 85
percent of the school's 450 students receiving free or reduced price lunches.
In addition, 30 percent are special education students and need extra help
throughout the day.
“FCAT scores show many River's Edge students struggle academically, with
only 35 percent of the school's eighth-graders reading at or above an
eighth-grade level.
“Administrators are hoping the computers entices kids into loving school.
'It's a tool, but it's a tool to get kids engaged in the learning process,'
Sartori said.
“One student said he is excited about the prospect of having his own laptop.
'I hope I would get a lot of education out of the laptop and get all my work
done and I hope to experience all these computerized things for your work
and stuff,' said 14-year-old Derrick Black, who will be an eighth-grader at
the school in August.
“His mom, Racquel, said she is also pleased the school is taking this giant
technological leap. She said her son has gone from C's to straight A's at
River's Edge and she is looking forward to seeing what computers will do for
her son.
END NOTES, Page 60
'It prepares them for the work force at that age and it prepares them for
college,' said Black.
“She has her own computers at home, but can't allow her children to use it
because she fears they would download a virus. She uses her laptop for
nursing school at Indian River Community College.
“Soon, he won't have to borrow one -- he'll have one of his own.”
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050529/NEWS0
1/505290336/1006
25 The better approach is to create a very positive, kindness-reinforced
atmosphere in schools. The Harbor school approach exemplifies this proactive
approach:
“Fans of Idaho's Harbor schools say the schools cultivate a "culture of kindness"
where bullying is banned and peer pressure is non-existent — schools that are
literally protective "harbors" where children can learn.
Critics insist Harbor schools are cultures of rigidity where children march
silently and single-file in the hallways and suffer humiliations disguised as
discipline.
This homegrown teaching method has spawned the fastest-growing charter
school network in Idaho. The Harbor Method will be used at one in every three
charter schools next school year. Seven of the 10 charters approved by the
Idaho Charter School Commission have been Harbors. “
For more of the story, see:
http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050522/NEWS0
104/505220340/1001
26 Whittier School:
“Fourth-graders in Nikki Weirs' class at Whittier School did their best to
bring the wild frontier to life on Friday with a musical, “The Burley Crew”.
The title is taken from a line in Lewis and Clark's journals about the hardy
soldiers who made up the expedition. Nineteen students sang and acted
out highlights from the journey, which helped America lay claim to the
West.”
END NOTES, Page 61
“Weirs, a Whittier teacher for five years, said the musical, which was
handed down to her, provides a great springboard for teaching about
Montana history. Students really remember anything they learn with music,
she said.” Bozeman Daily Chronicle, June 4, 2005, pg. C-1.
27 “Mad Hot Ballroom cuts back and forth among three public schools in
different parts of the city, each with a distinct personality. **** But the wonder of
Mad Hot Ballroom is that these kids embrace dance and even get to love it.
“It's like a sport that hasn't been invented yet,” one boy enthused about the
ballroom's so-old-it's-new charms. **** What does matter is that we literally can
see these young people start to feel better about themselves as their dancing
skills improve.”
For the full story see: A film to make you feel like dancing. By Kenneth
Turan, Los Angeles Times, appearing in This Week for July 1-7, supplement to the
Bozeman Daily Chronicle, pg. TW3. See:
http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/turan/cl-et-mad20may20,2,7313520.story
28 Scarpa, Steven; Is the Fourth “R” Spreading Too Far?; District Administration,
August 2005, pg. 15; www.districtadministration.com
29 Ron Schachter took a look at recess and lack thereof, in his article, The end of
Recess, published in District Administration, August 2005, pg.36.
“And at Pyrtle Elementary School, Principal Ann Jablonski is holding on to it
[recess] tightly, even though she sees the concerns growing among some of
her fellow principles in Lincoln. 'They're worried a bout their test scores', she
observes. 'They feel like “We can't waste a minute.” It's getting that intense,
and they feel like more time in the classroom—more time on task—is going to
produce those scores. And I think it might have the opposite effect.”
http://www.districtadministration.com/page.cfm?p=1187
30 Example:
“Blogging in the Classroom: A Response
By Will Richardson on June 23, 2005 in Emerging Technologies. Discuss it
below
“So I think we can safely say that thousands of teachers are now using
blogs in their classrooms. As Tom points out, most have started at the
digital organizer stage, the easy to update class portal model with, in some
END NOTES, Page 62
cases, the ability for students to comment and discuss topics of the day.
Some have gotten to the point where they're letting students create content
in their own spaces in an e-portfolio type of way. And let me just say, in
response to Tom's little jab, that blogs can fit a whole bunch of different
pedagogical aims, all of which, if they work well, would earn a 'seal of
approval.' "
http://www.eschoolnews.com/eti/2005/06/000875.php
31 Educating.net: Education portal for all quality educational services on the
Internet, including distance education, homeschooling, K-12, college & university,
professional re-training, continuing education, fun learning and more.
http://www.educating.net/
Grade school to high school:
“Chat Rooms/Forums GED/High School Diploma Organizations College
Preparatory Gifted & Talented Special Education College Test Preparation
Homeschooling Teacher Resources Field Trips Homework Help/Tutors”
Others: http://www.educating.net/grade.asp
Safari Books Online, LLC is a joint venture between O’Reilly Media, Inc., and
The Pearson Technology Group.
“Safari offers a robust collection of e-reference libraries to programming
and IT professionals, business managers and general knowledge workers.
Leveraging it’s powerful repository of thousands of leading technical,
business and text books, Safari recently launched two new products:
SafariX Text Books Online which allows students to subscribe to web
versions of their text books at a significant savings versus the print edition
and SafariU an education portal for creating custom print textbooks and
other online learning tools.” http://www.safaribooksonline.com/
AMSER - Applied Math and Science Education Repository - “The National Science
Digital Library (NSDL) program aims to build and sustain a national digital library
that supports science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
education. NSDL funded projects form an integrated network of STEM learning
environments and resources for a wide variety of learners, all the way from
children in grade school up through graduate students and life long learners.”
http://channels.lockergnome.com/search/archives/20050630_amser_applied_ma
th_and_science_education_repository.phtml
EdNA Online
END NOTES, Page 63
Search 20,000 quality assured education and training resources for school, early
childhood, VET, ACE and higher education focused on Australia.
http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/search?SearchMode=Advancemode
MERLOT
“Search the Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online
Teaching - USA. MERLOT is a free and open resource designed primarily for
faculty and students of higher education. Links to online learning materials
are collected along with annotations such as peer reviews and
assignments.” http://www.merlot.org/Home.po
Developing Educational Standards: This World Wide Web (WWW) site is
designed to be a repository of information found on the web related to
education standards. http://edstandards.org/Standards.html
Education-line: Education-line is a freely accessible database of the full text of
conference papers, working papers and electronic literature which supports
educational research, policy and practice. http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/
Online Braille Music Repository:
“Welcome to the Online Braille Music Repository. This is an experimental
service provided by the Shodor Education Foundation as a part of its BRL:
Braille through Remote Learning program. The purpose of this site is to
provide downloadable music files for the use of musicians, teachers,
transcribers, parents, and others.” http://braille.brl.org/music/online/
University of Amsterdam:
“The Digital Academic Repository
The Digital Academic Repository of the Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvADARE)
is a service which is part of a national and international network of
scientific and scholarly information services. Through UvA-DARE, a digital
repository managed by the Library of the Universiteit van Amsterdam, you
can safely store the electronic version of your publications for future use.
The repository also makes sure that references to your publications become
available within this international network of information services, hereby
increasing the visibility of your publications.” http://dare.uva.nl/en
Multiple Media Components for Multiple Learning Styles:
“People process information differently. Some students learn best by reading,
writing and telling stories; others prefer to experiment, ask questions and solve
problems. Still others rely on sounds and images to fully comprehend the content.
END NOTES, Page 64
At NexLearn, we maximize the advantages offered by various media components
to successfully teach to multiple learning styles.
“NexLearn designers combine rich, instructionally-sound material with interactive
strategies and multimedia options to create alternative means for learners to
access information. In short, we capitalize on web-based interactivity to create
the most effective learning experience possible for every learner.
“To accommodate diverse learning styles, we developed the NexLearn Learning
Style Continuum. By incorporating this model into our development process, our
designers identify the most effective methods for teaching to each learning style.”
http://nexlearn.com/lng_styles_one.htm
Alcary: eTutor is a Web-based Learning Content Management System (LCMS)
designed with accessibility and adaptability in mind. Administrators can install or
update eTutor in minutes, and develop custom templates to give eTutor a new
look. Educators can quickly assemble, package, and redistribute Web-based
instructional content, easily retrieve and import prepackaged content, and
conduct their courses online. Students learn in an adaptive learning environment.
http://www.alcary.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=60&Itemid=94
“Empowering Courseware Authors: Enterprise learning can be constructed
from a wide variety of source material, such as legacy text documents,
word processing documents, graphics, streaming media, flash animation
files, PowerPoint presentations, etc., . When content is packaged and added
to the Virtual University Appliance central database as 'Learning Objects',
your organization in effect creates a 'Knowledge Repository'. Using the
Learning Content Management Systems (LCMS) that is an integral part of
the eLearning Appliance this Knowledge can then widely distributed as
either structured e-learning or as a free form, company-wide knowledge
base used for just-in-time learning or a combination of both.”
http://www.vusonline.com/elearning-applianceinterface/
elearning_content_repository.htm
ENC ONLINE: Lessons & Activities:
“Sites with teaching materials that may include teaching units, activity books, and
lab manuals categorized by math and science subject area.
Math Topics
Lesson plan sites categorized by math topic.
Science Topics
END NOTES, Page 65
Lesson plan sites categorized by science topic.
Search Lessons & Activities
Use this basic search to find web sites with lesson plans.
Frequently Asked Questions”
http://enc.org/
Distance Education Clearinghouse: Journals, Readings, Articles and Books
Some journals are available entirely online, others provide links to further
information available in print or by subscription.
List of Journals and Readings I Collections of Articles I Bibliographies of Books and
Journals
http://www.uwex.edu/disted/journals.html
The Franklin Institute Online:
“The Center for Innovation in Science Learning (CISL) at The Franklin
Institute is a premier center for science learning research, program
development, and educational services. Founded in 1995, CISL has
sustained cumulative research and programs in four areas of national focus
in science education: teacher development, educational technology, gender
and family learning, and youth leadership. In keeping with the mission of
The Franklin Institute, the core philosophy of all Center for Innovation
programs is the commitment to inquiry learning in science.”
http://www.fi.edu/cisl/about.html
32 JER GROUP: “JER Group, Inc. (JER) is a national provider of over 600 online
courses that range across 30 subject areas. From the lifelong learner to the
workforce employee, JER's course catalog embodies a wealth of content-rich
courses that result in a high degree of learner satisfaction.”
http://www.onlineworkshops.com/
eLearning:
“eLearning allows companies to provide advanced computer based training
to their partners, clients, customers, and employees easily and quickly.
These online education tools and information sites will help you create the
best online training courses possible”
http://webdesign.about.com/cs/elearning/
Online Courses available through Online-Education.net
END NOTES, Page 66
“Online-Education.net has partnered with the Jer Group, Inc. a leader in the
business of continuing education, online course development and
professional training and delivery since 1994. We are pleased to offer 450
courses throughout Online-Education.net in many categories and subject
areas.” http://www.online-education.net/jergroup/
33 The foundation advocates project-based learning and assessment:
“ Teaching in the Digital Age
For a limited time, GLEF offers this four-cassette profile of exciting and
exemplary K-12 programs, plus interviews with national and program
experts in project-based learning and assessment, teacher preparation,
emotional intelligence, and school leadership, for $59.99; that's 25% off
the regular price. Click here for more information or to order now.”
http://www.edutopia.org/
34 An AP report appearing in the June 5, 2005 edition of the Bozeman Daily
Chronicle, uncatalogued the usefulness of early computer training. According to
the U. S. Department of Education, kids 2 -5, 23 percent go online and by
kindergarten, 32 percent have used the Internet.
“At school and home, children are viewing Web sites with interactive stories
and animated lessons that teach letters, numbers and rhymes.” ****
“At Arnold& Porter Children's Center in Washington, 4- and 5-year olds have
the option to spend time on a computer, working in small teams. They learn
basic problem-solving and hand-eye coordination, but the social component of
working with classmates on computer exercises is just as important, said Sally
D'Italia, director of the center....”
(Id. p. A2)
35 The Stanford Lawyer recently reviewed Private Lives: Families, Individuals,
and the Law, by Lawrence M. Friedman, Marion Rice Kickwood Professor of Law,
Stanford School of Law, published by Harvard University Press, 2004. Friedman
writes:
“Modern life, like life in all human societies and all periods of time, is family life.
But the family today is far different from the family of yesterday. It is
essentially a coming together of individuals; it is an arrangement of individuals,
for individuals; it is much more brittle, malleable, friable than in the past. And
the family, as such, no longer has much legal status or meaning.”
END NOTES, Page 67
After reviewing some of the profound changes in gender rights and family control,
Friedman concludes:
“The story should not be read as an account of the decline and fall of the
family. The family has not dissolved. It has changed and broadened. It has
become more elastic. In some ways, it is a much weaker institution. But it still
has a vast reservoir of strength.”
Discovery, Stanford Lawyer, Spring, 2005; pgs. 37, 42.
36 All Kinds of Minds Website promotes the neurological approach to
understanding how learning takes place:
“A Neurodevelopmental View
The human brain is like a complex orchestra, with many different instruments
playing many roles. These roles, or neurological functions, desperately need to
be coordinated, integrated, and synchronized. As with any orchestra, each
player's role varies depending upon the situation. Just as the strings or
woodwinds may be highlighted in music, different neurological functions take
the lead when students study English or math, have to write a report, or take
part in athletic activities. And, just as instruments create harmony in an
orchestra, the different neurodevelopmental functions interact to enable
students to acquire certain knowledge, skills or sub-skills, or to accomplish
specific school tasks, such as being well-organized, efficient, or strategic
planners.
When students are having difficulty with a particular academic skill, the task of
parents, teachers, and clinicians is to pinpoint the areas of difficulty, to specify
the weak sub-skills, and to create a plan for strengthening strengths and areas
in need of improvement.
There is a need to ask: Where is the breakdown occurring? Which sub-skill is
not playing its role? And within that sub-skill, which related functions are not
operating well? For example, students with strong vocabulary skills and
memory abilities may still have problems remembering words. In this case, the
difficulty might lie with their word retrieval ability, a very specific sub-skill that
enables students to remember words on the spot. “
Read About Observable Phenomena
Read About the Profile
Read About Recurring Themes
END NOTES, Page 68
http://www.allkindsofminds.org/about_neuroview.aspx
37
“Left Vs. Right
Which Side Are You On?
Take The Hemispheric Brain Dominance Test
Basic Ri ght Brain and Left Brain Characteristics
In general the left and right hemispheres of your brain process information in
different ways. We tend to process information using our dominant side.
However, the learning and thinking process is enhanced when both side of the
brain participate in a balanced manner. This means strengthening your less
dominate hemisphere of the brain. Listed below are information processing styles
that are characteristically used by your right or left brain hemisphere. Read the
information below to help you understand how your brain processes information.
Pay attention to your less dominant style so that you can learn how to improve it.
Linear Vs. Holistic Processing
Logical Vs. Intuitive
Sequential Vs. Random Processing
Verbal Vs. Nonverbal Processing
Symbolic Vs. Concrete Processing
Reality-Based Vs. Fantasy-Oriented Processing”
http://brain.web-us.com/brain/LRBrain.html
38 Linux is a stable, low cost, reliable operating system and is open sourced.
“Not only did the Linux-based labs cost half as much as the Windows-based
labs to equip--but system upkeep is much easier, too, Waller maintains.”
Read more:
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStorysr.cfm?ArticleID=5662
39 Globewide NetworkAcademy:
END NOTES, Page 69
“We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose purpose is the research and
development of open source tools that promote distance learning and online
communities. We are happy to share our research, and code and to provide
support services to other open source projects and non-profits.”
http://www.gnacademy.org/
Welcome to MIT's OpenCourseWare:
“A free and open educational resource for faculty, students, and selflearners
around the world. OCW supports MIT's mission to advance
knowledge and education, and serve the world in the 21st century. It is true
to MIT's values of excellence, innovation, and leadership.”
http://ocw.mit.edu/index.html
Moodle: “Welcome to Moodle!
“Moodle is a course management system (CMS) - a free, Open
Source software package designed using sound pedagogical
principles, to help educators create effective online learning
communities. You can download and use it on any computer
you have handy (including webhosts), yet it can scale from a
single-teacher site to a 40,000-student University. This site
itself is created using Moodle, so check out the Moodle Features demos, the
Demonstration Courses or read the latest Moodle Buzz.” http://moodle.org/
CanOpenER – CanadianOpen Source Education and Research:
“Unbranded albeit but otherwise solid open source alternatives to online
applications and websites.” http://canopener.ca/
School Forge:
• A Tutor
• e PICE
• K Turtle
• G AMGI - General Atomistic Modelling Graphic Interface
• A nagramarama
• C entre School Information System
• A symptopia Math Crossword Builder
• P avlov
• K Sociograma
• C ueCard
http://www.opensourceschools.org/index.php?topic=advocacy
“There are several kinds of software needed in a school environment: network security
and monitoring to keep the school networked and safe, grade and timetable tracking
software for teachers, educational software for classes, general network clients for
email and web access.
END NOTES, Page 70
The SEUL/edu Educational Application Index is a directory of school-related open
source software.
The Debian Jr. project has education-related software packaged for use with the
Debian GNU/Linux operating system.
The LinuxForKids site/project promotes free software reviewing and rating available
software, with a target audience of children under 10.
BlueEDU is a distribution of the Linux operating system focused on educational
packages.
K12LTSP - the K12 Linux Terminal Server Project is an easy to install, Linux-based
terminal server package designed for schools.
The KDE Edutainment Project aims to create free educational software based on KDE,
the K Desktop Environment.
The Free Software Foundation hosts the Savannah software development foundry. It's
both a good place to look for free software and to host new projects. It helps
developers offering stable network and software resources needed to spread their free
software and form a community around each project.
OFSET's Freeduc maintains an index of educational free software.
Freshmeat is a broader index of all kinds of open source software.”
http://www.opensourceschools.org/staticpages/index.php?page=20030407
02495477
Maricopa Community Colleges, Web Central:
“To foster student success, the Maricopa Center for Learning and
Instruction (mcli) at the Maricopa Community Colleges, is dedicated to
supporting and advancing teaching and learning by working collaboratively
with faculty, administrators, and district-wide groups to provide quality
services, programs, and resources. (more...)”
http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/
Adobe Systems, Authorware and Macromedia:
Read the background and the merger of the companies:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authorware
40 Open Office is at www.openoffice.org.
41 Grokker produces a “map” which allows for drill-down. It is found at:
http://www.groxis.com/releases/2_4/resources/Start_screen.html Rather than
presenting a list of 200,000 “hits” such as Yahoo and Google, Grokker creates
related blobs on a map for each group of sub-subjects.
“Visual learners comprise slightly more than half of the population, so the use
END NOTES, Page 71
of visual information display tools makes online teaching and learning more
effective. But the graphic representation of content is also a powerful way to
communicate with all learners and brings dimensions to schools that have
never before been possible.”
Dyrli, Odvard Egil; On Visual Search Tools; District Administration; August, 2005,
pg. 67; http://www.districtadministration.com/page.cfm?p=1200
42 Great Schools reports:
“Technology to the Rescue. With the expansive reporting requirements set
forth by the federal No Child Left Behind Act, schools are working to
improve and streamline their data collection and assessment methods. A
number of software companies, including Power School, SchoolNet,
Maximus and Chancery, have jumped in to provide comprehensive
programs to assist schools with their data collection and analysis.
“These Student Information Systems (SIS) come in a variety of formats and
all require a technology professional to work with both the school and the
provider. Many of the programs are Web-based and not only assist schools
in reporting their minimal Adequate Yearly Progress stats, but often include
nifty features geared toward parents and kids. For instance, Chancery's K12
Planet has the capability to capture cafeteria school lunch purchases for
parents concerned about their children's food choices. By logging onto
SchoolNet, a student (or his parents) can view homework assignments for
the entire week.
“Of course, every technology improvement comes with costs. Training of
school personnel is an important component to any school's success in
using such products. Schools and districts that purchase these programs
have likely prioritized the expense, and may have had to sacrifice other
needs or been unable to fund other programs in order to implement this
technology.
http://us.f606.mail.yahoo.com/ym/ShowLetter?Search=&Idx=1&YY=91308
&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a
43 ThinkLink Learning; www.thinklinklearning.com; Students take the ThinkLink
test three times a year. Other Websites: Center for Performance Assessment;
www.makingstndardswork.com. The Assessment Training Institute;
www.assessmentinst.com. SAS; www.sas.com. Wyoming's formative
assessment sponsored by EdGate.org; www.wyoming.edgate.org. Renaissance
Learning; www.renlearn.com/assess.
END NOTES, Page 72
44 Sausner, Rebecca; Making Assessment Work; District Administration; August
2005, pgs. 31, 33; www.districtadministration.com
45 Patton, Carol; Choice Encounters; District Administration, August 2005,pg.
26; www.districtadministration.com
46 Connie Skinner, principal of LaVille School of Arts, says that budget
management is her biggest problem, given then needs of her magnet programs.
With 1,100 students and 7.5 teachers, and big ticket items such as pianos, she is
aided by booster clubs which annually raise thousands of dollars for ancillary
expenses. “But Skinner says magnet programs are well worth the budgeting
effort. 'The challenges are so outweighed by the incredible joy of watching these
children perform.' “ Budget Busters, District Administration; August, 2005, pg.
28; www.districtadministration.com.
47 Teaching about Montana's American Indians and teaching to Montana's native
American Indians, require new approaches:
“The Cradleboard Teaching Project turns on the lights in public education
about Native American culture - past, present, and most important for the
children - the Future. It comes out of Indian country, and reaches far
beyond, into the mainstream classroom and into the future of education.
“Backed by lesson plans and an excellent curriculum, the Cradleboard
Teaching Project is also live and interactive, and totally unique; children
learn with and through their long-distance peers using the new technology
alongside standard tools, and delivering the truth to little kids with the help
of several American Indian colleges. Cradleboard reaches both Indian and
non-Indian children with positive realities, while they are young.
“This is the way of the future when it comes to offering a cultural study unit
to a child, because it's alive! This is the future when it comes to offering the
cultural "real deal" to youngsters half a globe away, in time, we hope, to
benefit the lives of Indian children who wonder "Who am I?...and who do
others think I am?"
“During the five years that Buffy Sainte-Marie spent as a semi-regular on
'Sesame Street', it was always her hope to convey in the Native American
episodes one message above all: Indians Exist. We are alive and real, and
we have fun and friends and families and a whole lot to contribute to the
rest of the world through our reality.
“It's our hope at Cradleboard that we can joyfully replace the old
inaccuracies, with reality, delivered by teams of experts; to the lifelong
END NOTES, Page 73
benefit of Indian children; and that every mainstream child will have access
to an enriching Native studies unit provided by Indian people, including
children of his or her own age.
“Cradleboard (krad-l-bord) a frame, made of natural materials, used by
North American Indians to carry a child. The cradleboard style varies from
tribe to tribe. It is flexible in use, protective and decorative; a Native
American invention much appreciated by other cultures who have adapted
the idea to their own uses.
“The Cradleboard Teaching Project
is a project of the Nihewan Foundation for American Indian education, which
was founded by Buffy Sainte-Marie in 1996 with a non- profit registration
number of LA:E069-1-177. code 421 ED”
http://www.cradleboard.org/2000/mission.html
48 TENEX Systems, Inc. offers a Web browser-based online financial system,
including toll-free and online technical support for schools. Hosting can be on the
school's server or by Tenex. Costs run $8 and up per student per year. Website:
http://www.tenexsys.com/
49 The “One Card” system is offered byDiebold Card Systems Division, found at:
http://www.diebold.com/opccsol/
“College and university campuses now rely on Diebold Card Systems for a
variety of functions, including fee payment, book purchases, meal
purchases and building access. The cards provide positive ID, control
access, allow electronic payments and deliver many other conveniences on
and off campus.”
Blackboard also sells a complete university, educational, authorware, accounting
and financial system, including a debit card. See Website:
http://www.blackboard.com/products/as/
Blackboard also offers K-12 products and services:
“Through a network of state, regional and local districts, Blackboard serves
over 1,200 U.S. schools in 46 states. Blackboard has become the
recognized standard for helping K-12 schools accomplish their e-Learning
objectives including:
“ Instructional Delivery
Blackboard offers innovative e-Learning delivery solutions that enable
districts to provide a range of alternatives, from virtual schools to
END NOTES, Page 74
visionary blended and hybrid learning solutions.
“ Communication & Community
Blackboard enables K-12 districts and schools to deliver instructional
content, third-party resources and essential information – anytime,
anywhere. Blackboard’s powerful role-based portal helps K-12
schools deliver the right information, to the right person, at the right
time.
“ Professional Development
Blackboard enables districts and education service agencies to offer
effective new solutions. These address the need for continuous
professional learning, collaboration and curriculum sharing. “
http://www.blackboard.com/inpractice/k12/
50 As reported by Education Week:
“Additional funding must be made available for the 2005-06 school year to
assist in meeting the school districts’ immediate needs,” the court said in
explaining why it was ordering an additional $143 million for next school year.”
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2005/06/15/40kansas.h24.html
51 Yet many folks in the minority groups perform jobs as well as majority folks,
and sometimes out perform the whites and Asians. Basketball is a good example
for Afro Americans. Take a good look at the winners in the Olympics. The
current academic methods appear to favor LBD Anglos over RBD Blacks and
Hispanics.
52 Kirst, Michael W., and Venezia, Andrea (Editors), (2004) From High School to
College: Improving Opportunities for Success in Postsecondary Education, Jossey-
Bass; San Francisco, CA, www.josseybass.com; ISBN 0-7879-7062-X.
53 Id. At 96.
54 As interesting and as well document as is From High School …, no mention was
made of the right versus left brain dominance as having an influence on test
scores. Only slight mention was made of the use of essays which are beginning
to creep into testing for measuring for admission and predicting success in
college.
TAB G
WIKIPEDIA
END NOTES, Page 75
See MtVEd's fledgeling Wikipedia site:
http://mtved.wikicities.com/wiki/Main_Page
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