It Pays to Help Schools Win Grants

By Mary Scott Nabers, Austin American Statesman, January 19, 2000

The Austin region is enjoying a booming economy. Economic forecasters predict the creation of more than 60,000 new jobs in the Austin area by 2002. Many of these jobs will come from the high-tech industry. As mentioned in this column last week, educators, government and private industry are racing to provide skilled, trained individuals to fill these jobs.

Various governmental programs have been created to address specific labor market needs. One program, called Technology Integration in Education, promotes online curriculum delivery, distance learning, professional development and enhanced administrative support for schools.

Through the technology initiative, school districts, education service centers and charter schools are granted money to buy hardware and software to improve student learning. Schools can also purchase telecommunication services for networks and Internet connectivity and acquire ongoing professional development for educators who need assistance with integrating technology into curriculums.

As the program enters into its fourth year, approximately $81.5 million has been made available to Texas school districts and cooperatives through competitive grants. An additional $33 million will be awarded to Texas schools this year.

According to program director Delia R. Duffey, school districts are encouraged to apply for these funds as a collaborative with one school district acting as the fiscal agent. Because rules limit awards to $70,000 for individual school districts, collaboratives, which are allowed up to $3 million, are able to accomplish more with the money they receive.

For example, the Austin Independent School District is a member of a collaborative that received $2.1 million in technology initiative money in 1999 to integrate a Web-centric, environmentally based curriculum centered on Texas' creeks, streams, rivers and coastlines. The collaborative, which includes school districts as far away as the Rio Grande Valley, was initiated by an Austin technology vendor.

Steve Amos, president of 4empowerment.com, created the concept of the "Cyberways and Waterways™" program and brought the idea to AISD. He played an important role in the preparation of the grant application, as well as recruiting the eight additional districts that make up the collaborative.

As a result of the grant, the group will purchase laptops and desktop computers, digital cameras, multimedia projectors, software and global positioning devices.

Apple Computer received technology initiative money for its work with a collaborative that includes the McAllen Independent School District. According to Dan McCormack of Apple, the company was involved in writing the grant as well as selecting the four participating school districts. The $750,000 award is to upgrade instruction by training the teachers to move beyond the basic uses of technology.

The deadline for grant applications is Feb. 22. Awards will be announced in early May. For more information on the technology initiative program, vendors may contact Delia R. Duffey at 463-9092.

Mary Scott Nabers is president and CEO of Strategic Partnerships, Inc.

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