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Cisco's $20 Million Education Initiative Includes Jackson, Miss., Schools

Posted on: Thursday, 27 October 2005, 15:00 CDT

By Anita Lee, The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss.

Oct. 26--JACKSON -- Moss Point and Harrison Central high schools are included in a $20 million education initiative Cisco Systems Inc., an Internet networking company, hopes to expand nationwide.

John T. Chambers, Cisco's chief executive officer, announced the 21st Century Schools Education Initiative, or 21S, prior to a luncheon Tuesday attended by state political and business leaders. The goal is to create model schools that incorporate new technology and educational programs, spread what works to other districts and eventually transform the country's educational system.

Chambers reminded the crowd at the 4th Annual Hobnob, sponsored by the Mississippi Economic Council, that of 38 developed countries, America ranks 24th in math and 38th in science.

"We've become very average in our education," Chambers said, "and if we're not careful, we will become average in our standard of living."

The initiative will begin in seven South Mississippi districts chosen because they were affected by Hurricane Katrina and because they show promise, according to state assessments. They include school districts for Forrest County Agricultural High, Forrest and Lamar counties, Hattiesburg and Petal. The program also includes Moss Point High and Harrison Central High, and is expected to expand throughout those city and county school districts.

The 32 schools in the districts will be connected through a wireless network. The initiative includes a comprehensive Internet learning program and development of technology skills to help students compete in a global economy.

"For the district, it's going to be the means of enhancing teaching: how teachers teach and how the students learn," said Moss Point's interim superintendent, Rachel Carpenter, who attended the event along with Harrison County's Henry Arledge and superintendents from the other five districts.

Rowan Elementary School in Hattiesburg is a model school to receive additional technology and support. Two additional schools will be chosen. Bill Fowler, Cisco's manager for the project, said the company wants to identify what works to improve education, then leverage that success to build a stronger educational system in America.

Chambers said the idea for the program began when Hurricane Katrina hit South Mississippi on Aug. 29. He met a Mississippian who was working backstage at a Cisco sales conference in San Francisco. She cried when she talked about the catastrophic loss and asked Chambers if his company would help South Mississippi recover.

He challenged his team to come up with a plan. They've been working on 21S in Mississippi for the past six weeks.

Chambers said he's committed to seeing the project through. He is a longtime associate of Mississippi native and former Netscape CEO Jim Barksdale, who also spoke at the Hobnob.

Barksdale told the crowd that the governor's post-Katrina Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal, which he chairs, is expected to present a report Dec. 31. He said the planning process has been phenomenal, including community participation and political leadership. The Coast, Barksdale predicted, will build back stronger and better than before.

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Copyright (c) 2005, The Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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CSCO,

Source: The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.)

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