New Orleans 21S Update…

In November 2007 I moved to New Orleans to work as a Cisco Fellow, for the Cisco 21S program.

Cisco 21st Century Schools Initiative (21S) Summary…

In October 2005, Cisco launched the 21st Century Schools (21S) Initiative - a $40 million investment in a multiphase, three-year education initiative in the Gulf Coast region. The 21S initiative is aimed at creating a 21st century education model that improves the quality of education and encourages community growth and economic development. The ultimate goal of the 21S initiative is to facilitate and accelerate a paradigm shift in education. The anticipated outcome of such a shift is that every student acquires the knowledge and skills to lead a rich, productive life. The initiative was developed to benefit areas impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Beyond monetary and equipment donations, Cisco has committed 10 Cisco 21S Fellows for each of the three years of the program.

What I’m Doing and What the 21S Fellows are Doing…

The Cisco 21S Fellows are working in partnership with administrators and teachers in seven districts in Mississippi and one district in Louisiana to design and implement changes that will allow us to achieve educational transformation.

The 21S Cisco Fellows wear many different hats and every day is different. Some of the work that we do: program management- work with the district administration and IT staff to manage the projects including working with vendors, ordering equipment, planning and scheduling, working with principals and teachers, training, installation, maintenance and support; internal program management for the 21S program; grants- writing, reviewing, processing; budget management; professional development training; strategic consulting such as one-to-one laptop programs and IT organizational design; manage partner relationships such as Schlecty, November Learning, DOT (interns and website), NBA Cares (community centers), One Economy (affordable PCs), Harvard, Smithsonian, NASA, Discovery Channel, EDC (program assessments), Promethean (interactive whiteboards), WirelessGen (handheld device reading testing), USM (interns) and many more; program communication and PR such as videos, articles (see http://www.21cschools.org/), hosting visitors; consult with other school districts, local and state government, community and businesses…

Are We Making a Difference?

In Mississippi, our latest status:

In Mississippi we have just ended our first full year in the 33 schools that encompass our efforts in Hattiesburg, Harrison County and Moss Point. The Education Development Center (EDC), our independent evaluation partner, has completed the 1st full year review and will be doing the same comprehensive evaluation in Louisiana. Highlights of the EDC review of the 1st full year of 21S in Mississippi found the following: 96% of administrators believe that students will be better prepared for college and future employment. 94% felt that by the completion of the program (2009) students will be competitive with their peers globally. A large majority of respondents agreed that teachers would be more likely to stay with the district/school (92.6%), professional development opportunities would increase (92.6%), and that teachers would be more efficient in their teaching activities (93%) as a result of the Cisco 21S Initiative. The strongest agreement among respondents was that technology would be fully integrated into the schools with 96.3% either agreeing or strongly agreeing.

In Louisiana, our latest status:

Progress in Louisiana trails Mississippi by almost a year due to date we engaged with the parish (9 months after Mississippi), the size and complexity of the system, and the far more comprehensive planning process that has taken place to design a reform plan for the entire system based on the 16 schools that are part of the 21S pilot. We expect to see significant progress during this school year, as network and classroom technology installations are completed and professional development continues.

In Jefferson Parish Public Schools, LA, where I am working, while we have not started to evaluate results yet, administrators, teachers and students have commented that:

• Teachers and students are so enthusiastic about the new technology that they work through their lunch periods; they lose track of time and are surprised when the bell rings
• Students are much more engaged and interested
• Students are collaborating and more civil (students helping other students)
• Many feel that the Cisco grant will help draw support from other businesses and the community
• Many feel that Jefferson Parish is starting to be recognized as a leader in technology within the state

The real heroes so far are the administrators, teachers and school boards who have had the courage to take a chance and turn everything upside down, in order to make a fundamental change in education.

Living in New Orleans…

In general I really like living in New Orleans so far (although almost everyone will say…wait until summer and then see what you have to say …). There are a lot of challenges here: crime and violence, lack of affordable low and middle income housing, poverty, really bad roads, not to mention levees, flooding and hurricanes… However people here have an incredible spirit (folks who live here and who are returning and also the thousands and thousands of volunteers who are still coming here to help rebuild); there seem to be endless opportunities in almost every area; and the culture and city are like no other. There’s always something interesting to see and do: music, art, festivals, lectures, wildlife in the area swamps...and food!

I live in the Garden District (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_District,_New_Orleans), where I can walk to dozens of restaurants, shops, my gym, coffee shops. The Garden District is one of the major tourist areas in New Orleans. It feels a little strange at times to live in the middle of a tourist attraction, but its also encouraging to see so many people who are interested in visiting New Orleans.

Katrina Recovery…

I've only lived her for a few months, but these are my impressions so far...

New Orleans is still recovering, many people are still struggling to raise funds to restore or rebuild their homes and there’s a lot of work to be done. I hear about Katrina every day on the radio, in the newspaper or from people I meet. The good news is that the number of people who have come to the Gulf Coast to volunteer to help rebuild is unprecedented. Corporations and individuals such as Cisco, Brad Pitt (http://www.makeitrightnola.org/) and Leonard Riggio (Barnes & Noble Chairman, http://www.projecthomeagain.net/) continue to make large contributions that will hopefully make a difference. If you are interested in helping Gulf Coast recovery in some way, refer to the NOLA links on this page.