West Greene School District and RJLG purchased and installed a scanning electron microscope and a computer lab in West Greene High School, and installed high-speed connections to the Internet to allow RJLG, as well as other schools and researchers, remote access to the microscope.

RJLG trained both teachers and students to use the microscope. Two teachers act as liaisons between RJLG and the Schoolhouse Project and teach students and teachers how to use the microscope and the computers. Through the Internet and video-conferencing, the Schoolhouse Project also works with Columbia Basin College in Washington State, Iowa State University, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.

Outcomes
Teachers now incorporate one of the most sophisticated scientific instruments into the chemistry and biology courses at the high school. RJLG hired two students to prepare specimens and arrange them for remote viewing and analysis when they rent the microscope outside of school hours.

With the second phase of the project, additional equipment and computers were purchased, and 10 high school students and one college student were hired to work in the lab after school hours. New equipment allows the lab to prepare better quality and a wider variety of specimens for examination, and additional computers allow more students to work with the microscope simultaneously, as well as giving other high schools in the county—and beyond—greater access to the lab.

Classes at Waynesburg College, Cherry Hill School District (Washington County, Pennsylvania) and California, Pennsylvania, now use the scanning electron microscope remotely.

Project dates:
Phase I:  September 1, 2000 to August 31, 2001
Phase II: September 1, 2002 to August 31, 2003

Sources of Funding
Phase I
ARC: $150,000
Corporate partner: $79,000
Total: $229,000

Phase II
ARC: $25,000
Corprorate partner: $10,000
Total: $35,000

Local Project Contact:
Gary S. Casuccio
Vice President
RJ Lee Group
350 Hochberg Road
Monroeville, PA 15146-1516
Phone: 724-387-1818
Fax: 724-733-1799
Email: gcasuccio@rjlg.com
Web site: www.rjlg.com

Elberton City Computer Center Fills a Learning Gap in the Community
Elberton City, Georgia, is giving students access to computers and help with schoolwork through its community technology center (CTC), a center supported in part by an ARC grant that funded renovations, furniture, and staffing, and by PowerUP, Inc., who gave the city computer equipment, training, and access to curricular resources.

Until the PowerUP Lab opened in March 2002, many children in Elberton had nowhere to go for after-school assistance. However, the demand for the center was much greater than expected. Though the center was intended for children, many adults in the community also wanted to use the center. Additionally, the center couldn't always accommodate all the children who wanted to use it.  Similarly, those children who rode the bus to school could not participate in the program. The city also discovered that different types of assistance were required for elementary, middle, and high school students.

To accommodate these additional needs, the center has done a number of things in its second year of operation. The center purchased a van to transport children who didn't live within walking distance; the lab will expand to provide more workspace for volunteers to assist students with homework and for small groups to work at the computers; and lab hours will be extended to mornings to serve as a community learning center that will provide adults with literacy programs and volunteer training.

Project dates:  July 1, 2001 to June 30, 2002; September 1, 2002 to December 31, 2003

Outcomes
Students now enjoy a safe atmosphere in which to learn new technology and complete their schoolwork. After its first year, the center had 156 registered users under the age of 18 and an average daily attendance of 25 to 30 people. The PowerUP center will continue to serve more youth and will add adults to its programs. A facilitator is also helping the community to develop a long-term plan for expanding the center's potential and serving other groups in the community.

Sources of Funding:
ARC: $174,493
Local: $43,625
Other: $45,145
Total Project Cost: $263,263

Local Project Contact
Lanier Dunn
203 Elbert Street
Elberton, Georgia 30365
706-213-3100
Email: ldunn@cityofelberton.net

Online Network for Professional Development Supports Students and Teachers in Upstate New York
When the state of New York raised academic standards and required all students to pass Regents Exams to receive a high school diploma, teachers needed help to meet the new requirements. In response, an online professional development network was created for the Appalachian counties of Delaware, Chenango, Otsego, Broome, Tioga, Schuyler, and Chemung to offer online tutoring, research, and reference materials, as well as peer discussion and mentoring opportunities for teachers and community educators. In October of 2000, a full-time person was hired to publish professional development materials on the Web site, which were developed based on findings from a survey of 232 staff. These resources complemented, and in some cases, replaced traditional in-service courses.

Ten districts and three community agencies participated in the project in the first year. Each agency or district received two computers and a printer. In 2001, six school districts, one private school, and a Board Of Cooperative Education Services (BOCES) were added to the project. In 2002, two more BOCES joined the project and the scope was expanded to include distance-learning activities and training for regional coordinators who maintain the online activities. The network now has sections targeted to teachers, parents, students, administrators, and the community.

In March 2002, a distance learning task force asked that the professional development network be expanded into a permanent distance learning system with online professional development resources, as well as video-conferencing capabilities. To meet this request, the system is being converted to a Blackboard Learning System and local funds are being used to hire a part-time web developer to maintain the network.

Outcomes
1,720 individuals in 23 school districts report using the network, which has received 15,972 visits. While any change in student achievement cannot be directly attributed to the network, the network was most likely one of several factors that led to an increase in students passing the state exams. Since the project began, the percent of students taking the exams has increased and a considerably higher percentage (67 percent in 2002 compared with 46 percent in 1997) are passing all five core exams.

Obstacles to Success
The project's path to success hasn't always been smooth. Rather, the project has evolved to meet changing needs, circumstances, and technology. Initial use of the professional network was high, but after a time interest waned. Cutbacks in school aid limited the purchase of additional computers, further diminishing interest. However, the online network was still able to provide important resources, including online training, workshop evaluation, links to a media library, a bank of lesson plans developed by teachers, and professional development newsletters.

Project dates: September 1, 2000 to August 31, 2003

Sources of Funding:
ARC: $135,009
Local: $247,811
Total: $382,820

Local Project Contacts:
Mitchell Gary
Online Staff Developer
607-335-1385
Email: garym@dcmoboces.com
Web site: www.dcmoboces.com

Dave Blom
Director of Instructional Support Services
607-335-1374
Email: blomd@dcmoboces.com
Web site: www.dcmoboces.com

Related links:

• Funding Sources for Education
• Best Practices in Education

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