Cisco 21st Century Schools Initiative: Building a Technology Infrastructure for Gulf Coast Schools

March 27, 2006

By Jenny Carless, News@Cisco

A select group of Cisco Systems employees is moving to the Gulf Coast region to help rebuild the educational infrastructure after Hurricane Katrina. These individuals will spend at least one year working with local educators to rebuild schools and communities with a 21st century educational approach.

The "21S" Fellows are part of the recently-announced 21st Century Schools ("21S") Initiative, a Cisco blueprint for reconstructing and improving schools that will begin in the Gulf states and can be replicated around the world. 21S Fellows will work in three teams: technology, education and governance.

Building an Advanced Technology Platform

There are three main building blocks of the 21S program, at the heart of which are advanced networking technologies. The technology team is a critical part of advancing all three:

• Connected schools: establishing the baseline technology platform (including data, voice, video, etc.) required for 21S administrative and classroom processes and applications
• Connected learning: improving student outcomes and administrative efficiencies
• Connected communities: establishing the school as the hub and heart of the community

The technology team's immediate goal is to install the baseline Cisco technology that will serve as the foundation for the connected schools. "We hope to have that done before classes begin again in the fall," explains technology team lead Christian Fontenot.

Beyond that, the team will layer advanced applications on top of that foundation to help facilitate connected learning and connected communities. For example, Cisco wireless technologies will provide a highly secure, scalable broadband network infrastructure that will facilitate new communications applications for schools to serve their communities better. The networks will extend the resources of a school system across its community and help enable unprecedented levels of collaboration, cooperation and learning for students, teachers and parents.

The technology team will work directly with technical coordinators from each school district to understand - and help achieve - their respective educational goals. In addition, it will help those coordinators stay informed of various core and educational technologies, grant processes and other pertinent information.

Local Ownership

A critical part of the 21S Initiative is making the networks scalable and easily maintainable, so that schools (which often have only one information technology employee) can manage - and build upon - the networks themselves.

"We're focusing on providing the services and technology in such a way that the schools can support it 10 years from now," explains Fontenot. "We're working closely with the local school districts and state Departments of Education to aim for day-one ownership on their part, because when Cisco leaves, they'll be the ones to make this successful in the long run."

In both Mississippi and Louisiana, Cisco has gone through a rigorous selection process to pick forward-thinking and results-oriented districts. "We're here to make things happen for them, by providing the funds, technology and technical expertise they didn't have," Fontenot says. "We've also been able to use the Cisco name to bring in support from other groups and companies."

"By bringing in the people who know how to do these things, we're giving the region an opportunity to dream about what they want their future educational system to look like," he adds.

An Enthusiastic Team

Fontenot has a strong background in both network engineering and project management, as do his team members. He explains that, in building the technology team, they sought individuals with both strong skills in Cisco networking technologies and a strong altruistic vision.

"We want people on this project who are passionate to try to make a difference - who want to help in rebuilding the Gulf Region and in creating an educational model that can be replicated here and nationwide," he explains.

Fontenot himself has a personal stake in wanting to rebuild. "I'm a local, born and raised in Louisiana," he explains. "I studied computer engineering in college, but when I graduated there were no jobs, so I moved to Texas. But working for Cisco, I was able to move back here two years ago and continue working by taking advantage of the Internet."

After Katrina and the other hurricanes hit the region in the same season, Fontenot asked his manager if there was anything he could do to help. That's when he learned about the 21S Fellows program.

"I tell my friends about this organization, and they can't believe Cisco has such a program," he says. "I still can't believe they're letting me work on this for a year."

"I'm really a stakeholder - not only am I helping out building 21st century schools, but I'll feel the direct effects," he continues. "I want my kids to go to school and stay in Louisiana. I want high-tech jobs to stay in the state as well."

"During the first four weeks, I've had to work harder than I've ever done at a 'regular' job, but it's rewarding already," Fontenot notes. "The teachers are really excited about the program."

The hours are long, the conditions are challenging - and the Cisco 21 Fellows wouldn't trade this opportunity for anything. "We've commented to each other that they'll have to bring some Cisco cop cars in here to drag us out at the end of our year," Fontenot says.

Jenny Carless is a freelance writer located in Santa Cruz, CA.