California Emerging Technology Fund and The Children s Partnership Call for Resumes for Executive Leadership Overview of School2Home School2Home is an innovative statewide program to close both the Achievement Gap and the Digital Divide by integrating the use of computing and broadband technologies into teaching and learning at low-performing middle schools throughout California. It addresses the persistent education challenges that disproportionately impact students from low-income socioeconomic backgrounds and students of color in California. It is designed to support school districts, principals, teachers, parents and community leaders who are committed to improving academic performance for all students and ensuring that they have the essential skills to succeed in a digital workplace and economy. School2Home is based on extensive research and analysis of successful model programs. It has been developed systemically with the input and guidance of the School2Home Leadership Group comprised of employer, education and community leaders, along with an extensive array of experts who serve on the School2Home Design Teams. The School2Home Strategic Business Plan provides the blueprint for launching, implementing and financing a multi-year initiative planned to ultimately reach all students attending the 500+ low-performing middle schools in California. A copy of the complete business plan is available at these websites: cetfund.org and childrenspartnership.org. School2Home is a joint project of the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) and The Children s Partnership (TCP). CETF has committed $1 million to support the launch of School2Home in Los Angeles this fall. Over the next year School2Home will be established as a new 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with continuing leadership from CETF and TCP. CETF will serve as the fiscal and administrative agent for the School2Home organization until the non-profit status is obtained. During the fall of 2009, CETF and TCP will hire the Executive Director and the Planning and Operations Director. CETF, TCP and the new Executive Director will recruit the School2Home Board of Directors which will consist of major investors and stakeholders. School2Home is endorsed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O Connell. It is a comprehensive program to assist low-performing California middle schools in implementing costeffective, technology-based strategies to improve student educational outcomes and digital literacy. These strategies center on providing each student with a computing device to use in the classroom and at home with his or her family, and to leverage the power of broadband to deliver educational resources and strengthen school-to-home connections. The goals of School2Home are to: Increase digital literacy and educational performance among targeted middle school students. Improve the 21st Century skills of students so they can contribute to a more competitive workforce upon graduation. Strengthen the involvement of parents in the education of their child through the use of home-based digital technologies and, in turn, expand the adoption of broadband technology. To accomplish these goals, School2Home enables schools to equip each student with a computing device for use at school and at home, and works with teachers and parents to ensure these devices are used to transform the classroom and reinforce learning at home. School2Home serves as a resource for school districts and principals. It provides professional development for teachers to help them maximize their use of digital tools for teaching and facilitating learning by students. And, it provides digital literacy training for parents so they can safely guide the online activities of their child and access valuable online resources. School2Home also ensures all families have Internet access at home by offering affordable broadband to underserved families participating in the parental training. School2Home also encourages strong educational relationships by enabling online learning communities, offering teacher and principal learning academies, and providing web-based collaboration tools for students, parents and teachers. It also will harness the technology expertise of the students themselves to help their peers, schools and families adopt digital literacy. School2Home aims to support both the school and home learning environments in a way never undertaken by a school technology program and on a scale never achieved before in California. By capitalizing on economies of scale and model program components, School2Home can be easily replicated and evaluated to provide the kind of evidencebased education transformation that California needs to close the Achievement Gap and the Digital Divide.
Vision and Approach School2Home envisions a future where all middle school students in California use technology effectively to advance their own education, seek knowledge and learn valuable skills to compete in the global economy. It is a future in which: Schools are equipped with a robust technology infrastructure that includes ubiquitous broadband, a 1-to-1-computing device ratio, educational web-based tools and 24/7 technical assistance. Teachers use technology to engage students and help improve their academic performance. Parents use home computing devices and the Internet to monitor student school performance, engage with teachers, learn with their child and access online resources. Technology facilitates multiple benefits whereby students, their parents and their communities learn together and support one another. School2Home Implementation The School2Home Executive Director and the Planning and Operations Director will oversee the launch and implementation of the three-year roll-out and phase-in to full program operations. They will work under the direction of California Emerging Technology Fund with input from The Children s Partnership until School2Home is incorporated with an operating Board of Directors. The first year is planned to prototype School2Home, working with participating schools in six regions to tailor the program for success. Staff will use the experience and lessons from the prototyping year to refine and expand the program. These regions are Los Angeles, San Diego, San Joaquin Valley, Bay Area, Inland Empire, and Sacramento. Prototyping of all components of the program (including technology deployment) will be conducted in Los Angeles and in up to two additional regions depending on the readiness and preferences of school districts. Staff will use the experiences and lessons from the prototyping year to refine the program. School2Home will work with school districts and the State to seek funds from the U.S. Secretary of Education s, Investing in Innovation program to expand into all the identified regions. School2Home also will work with participating schools to help secure funding from other state and federal education technology programs. This will include the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) grant program. The magnitude of this expansion will be determined by the ability to secure government, philanthropic and corporate resources. The scope of roll-out and phase-in program ranges from $8.6 million to $43 million depending on funds raised and the number of schools enrolled in the program. Quality Performance Requirements for All School2Home Employees Each CETF and School2Home employee is expected to: report to work regularly and on time; work cooperatively with team members and others; treat others fairly, honestly and with respect; and adhere to the highest possible code of ethics. In addition, each employee is expected to: Achieve the highest possible standards for performance and quality of work products, including clarity, coherence and consistency in articulating an overall vision and direction. Produce highest-possible quality written documents to ensure maximum effectiveness in communications. Essential aspects of quality written documents include, but are not limited to: Compliance with the CETF writing style guidelines and universally-recognized rules of grammar, punctuation, and spelling, as well as parallel construction of sentences, paragraphs and documents. Precision and accuracy in presentation of data, statistics, and conclusions. Consistency in use of concept descriptions and preferred terminology set forth in base program documents. Consistency and logic in formatting and headings. Accuracy and consistency in details, such as names, abbreviations, dates, and numbers. Perform efficiently under specified timeframes and with the highest-possible standards for quality work, including managing numerous tasks simultaneously. Operate a computer proficiently using Word, PowerPoint and Excel (PC/Windows platform). Work collaboratively with other staff members as a team, including providing assistance to others to complete tasks not listed in the specific position description but assigned by the CETF President and CEO. Comply with all corporate policies adopted by CETF, including but not limited to: Code of Ethical Conduct; Nondiscrimination Policy; Conflict of Interest Policy; Indemnification Agreement; and Drug-Free Workplace Policy.
School2Home Planning and Operations Director The Planning and Operations Director will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of the School2Home program at participating school sites under the guidance of the Executive Director. In addition, the Planning and Operations Director will be responsible for refining the various School2Home program components, especially during the prototype year. As the program expands, the Planning and Operations Director will oversee Program Managers and, in consultation with school districts, will oversee Technology Coaches. In the design of School2Home, Program Managers will be responsible for 5-8 schools and Technology Coaches will be responsible for 5-8 schools. The Planning and Operations Director will help schools navigate the numerous processes and procedures and access resources required to implement the School2Home program. Specific duties and responsibilities will include but are not limited to: Oversee the recruitment of partner school districts and school sites throughout the California regions identified in the Strategic Business Plan for the prototype year. Develop and manage the plan for involvement of school districts and school sites for phase-in to full operations. Prepare quarterly detailed implementation plans with explicit deliverables for all program components. Lead and manage Program Managers and Technology Coaches to achieve quarterly deliverables. Finalize the preparation of the School2Home teacher professional development and parent training materials. Develop and supervise the implementation of the work plan for Program Managers and Technology Coaches. Provide partner schools and districts with technical assistance to complete the School2Home applications process. Assist participating school districts complete applications for state and federal government funding that will be used to meet their program match requirement for implementing School2Home. Assist school districts and schools develop a detailed School2Home implementation and sustainability plans including the following components: Implementation of professional development and parent training. Delineation of the process by which schools and school districts will aggregate technology equipment needs and connect parents to specially-priced broadband packages. Involvement of students to provide peer support and school assistance. Assist in the management and implementation of all public and private sector grants. Recruit, screen and engage vendors or non-profit organizations to deliver services for teacher professional development, parent training, and technical assistance to parents. Assist the preparation of the plan and convene the School2Home statewide and regional leadership academies for teachers and principals to share lessons learned and best practices. Ensure that the School2Home program web portal and website are current and provide relevant content for teachers, parents and students. Oversee implementation of the evaluation plan, including gathering and compiling performance data. The School2Home Planning and Operations Director must be an experienced educational organization manager with the following qualifications: Demonstrated ability to successfully develop plans for and manage educational improvement programs. Experienced in supervising, managing and motivating program operational staff and teams. Focused on deliverables and outcomes with ability to manage multiple priority tasks in parallel with tight deadlines. Experienced in working with school districts, education agencies, and related organizations throughout California. Experienced in developing and implementing instructional technology programs to improve academic performance. Experienced with parental training and engagement programs to increase academic performance. Knowledgeable about education technology trends and potential for integration into instruction and curriculum. Proficient literature research, data gathering and analytical skills. Skilled at recruiting, hiring, training, supporting and evaluating personnel. Exceptional writing skills with the ability to expeditiously move an organization forward with quality work products. Excellent verbal communication and interpersonal skills. Willingness to work principally in Los Angeles.
Overview of California Emerging Technology Fund The California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) is a non-profit corporation established pursuant to the requirements from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in approving the mergers of SBC-AT&T and Verizon-MCI. As a result, those merged companies will contribute a total of $60 million to CETF over 5 years. CETF is governed by a Board of 12 Directors. The CETF Board of Directors has adopted a goal to leverage the impact of the $60 million seed capital by at least four-fold. CETF is collaborating with key partners such as TCP to achieve this objective. The mission of CETF is to provide statewide leadership to close the Digital Divide by accelerating the deployment and adoption of broadband and other advanced communication services to underserved communities and populations. The goal is to make a substantial and measurable impact on closing the Digital Divide in California across all population demographic groups in the next 5 years, which requires both the availability of broadband technology as well as the ability to access and use it. High-speed Internet access is referred to generically as broadband and includes both wireline and wireless technologies; CETF is technology-neutral. CETF makes investments in programs and projects to improve Access, Applications, Affordability, Accessibility and Assistance (the 5As) for adoption of broadband technology. and is focusing on three priority consumer communities: (a) rural and remote areas that lack the broadband infrastructure; (b) urban disadvantaged neighborhoods that lack computers and affordable connections to the Internet with relevant applications; and (c) people with disabilities, a priority which will be addressed in part by promoting universal design of all technology to be accessible and by integrating accessibility into the other two priorities. Overview of The Children s Partnership The Children s Partnership (TCP) is a national, non-profit child advocacy organization working to ensure that all children have the resources and the opportunities they need to grow up healthy and lead productive lives. TCP ensures that the opportunities of digital technology benefit all children and families. TCP develops policy and advocacy agendas to expand these demonstrated solutions to underserved communities around the country. TCP will continue to serve as a founding partner of School2Home and will provide ongoing leadership, guidance, and communications support for the program. TCP will pursue federal and state public policy at the direction of School2Home to support the sustainability of the School2Home program. Instructions to Apply Interested individuals should submit the following information as soon as possible, and no later than: School2Home Planning and Operations Director: Friday, October 30, 2009 (interviews of finalists on November 5). School2Home Executive Director: Monday, November 30, 2009 (interviews of finalists week of December 7). Please include the following in your submission: Letter with Statement of Interest Resume Compensation History (salary and compensation for current and previous two positions) Answers to Questions for Applicants (see attached please limit answers to 2 pages total) References (at least 5 individuals) Please send submission both electronically and in hard copy to: Vice President for Operations Personnel California Emerging Technology Fund The Hearst Building 5 Third Street, Suite 520 San Francisco, California 94103 alana.obrien@cetfund.org
California Emerging Technology Fund and The Children s Partnership School2Home Questions for Applicants School2Home Executive Director School2Home Planning and Operations Director Why do you want to be a part of the executive leadership team for School2Home and what skills and experiences do you posses that make you especially qualified to help achieve the mission? What factors do you think most significantly contribute to the Achievement Gap and Digital Divide in California and how do you think School2Home can help address these critical challenges? Which individuals and organizations throughout California do you consider key stakeholders with whom School2home should partner to achieve its mission and why? What is your assessment of the School2Home Strategic Business Plan and what do you consider the critical factors for success? What will you accomplish in the first 90 days to ensure that the School2Home prototype year achieves the purpose of establishing a solid foundation for phase-in of the program to full operations in subsequent years.