Massachusetts Networks Education Partnership

CONTACT:

280 Lincoln Street
Allston, MA 02134
(617) 783-9988 x114
www.massnetworks.org

Cynthia Landau, Acting Director

DESCRIPTION:

This Project concerns the current technological revolution in education, and how venture philanthropists can play a key role in accelerating this historic transformation.

Mass Networks Education Partnership (MNEP) was founded only five years ago (1996), to organize Massachusetts "NetDay" campaigns, through which community volunteers were mobilized statewide to wire schools for local networking. MNEP proved useful in providing strategic input for state and district education decision makers on technology issues, as well as technical support in new systems implementation. MNEP has been funded mainly through fees generated by their federal, state, and local service contracts.

The Students as Technology Leaders (SaTL) Project was launched in 1999 as part of a nationwide initiative to tap into students' technical expertise and enthusiasm in internet and computer technology, for the transformation of their own education. Because the need is great and the interest is high, SaTL/Massachusetts has grown very rapidly-involving over 50 school systems (and growing by nearly 10 per month), 6 community and junior colleges, 13 corporations, and numerous other institutions, enabling students to help their schools and communities with website design, graphic arts, programming, networking, help desks, computer repair, and almost anything else anyone can think of. This is a solid program, with solid accomplishments. The next step, for which venture philanthropy support is needed, is to enhance the Project's own highly-interactive website, and to develop free web-based curricula. The site will include a wide range of online tools for teachers and students, including a student-run virtual help-desk, message boards, chats, updated resource links, downloadable documents, instructions on obtaining testing vouchers, a dynamic database, and an interactive calendar featuring professional development sessions for teachers. The site will also host a "best practices" showcase for successful curricula to be evaluated by both teachers and students, then to be shared statewide. All told, this Project will work to ensure high-quality teaching and learning at huge cost-savings to schools. The combined program will serve Massachusetts' 150 school districts on a 24/7 basis; it will also be shared with other states and schools around the world. For venture philanthropists, this is an opportunity to get involved, at a relatively early stage, in a Program and process that will undoubtedly continue to grow and generate new ideas and developments.

(2001: CULTURE: Education: Formal: School-Related)