5 Districts Join Project RED Initiative
Project RED has chosen five new "signature" districts to participate in its 1-to-1 technology implementation program, bringing the total number of participating districts to 15.
Project RED ("Revolutionizing EDucation") is an organization whose purpose it to research the costs and impact of technology implementations in K-12 schools. Following its first national study in 2010, the group concluded that technology, when properly implemented, can have a significant positive impact on student achievement and can offer financial benefits at the federal, state, and local levels.
The group also developed strategies for proper technology implementations, collectively called Project RED Design, which the group characterizes as "a blueprint for implementing technology-based school reform." Project RED's 15 signature districts will be putting concepts in Project RED Design into practice beginning in the 2012-2013 school year and will share their findings with the education community over the course of the following three years. The signature districts will also receive mentoring, support, and guidance from Project RED.
"We know that districts are challenged by large-scale project planning," said Project RED's Tom Greaves in a prepared statement. "The Project RED Design will provide the entire community with both tools and a timeline for implementation. The Signature District teams will get extra help with the Model Project Plan, a 1,000+-line Gantt chart through our mentoring process."
The additional five districts were chosen through a competitive application process, according to Project RED. They include:
They join 10 previously recognized districts: East Noble School Corp., Indiana; Ferndale School District No. 502, Washington; Kuna School District No. 3, Idaho; Natick Public Schools District, Massachusetts; Owensboro Public Schools, Kentucky; Reeds Springs School District, Missouri; Richland School District Two, South Carolina; Salisbury Township School District, Pennsylvania; Southern Lehigh School District, Pennsylvania; and Sunnyside Unified School District, Arizona.
Additional details about Project RED can be found on the group's site.