Q:
In the U.S., how is Reinventing Education 2 different
from Reinventing Education?
A: IBM launched Reinventing Education in the
U.S. in 1994, making its first grants to both school
districts and states. Each of these Grant sites is now
using innovative technology solutions to support high
academic achievement. Although evaluation
of the program is ongoing, the partnerships have resulted
in a number of promising new technologies that are helping
reinvent education in America.
We believe all the Reinventing Education solutions currently
in development in the U.S. offer innovative and effective
means of promoting high student achievement. However,
because each of the Reinventing Education grants was
awarded on a staggered basis from September 1994 through
December 1995, the solutions are in different stages
of development. When Reinventing Education 2 was launched
in October 1997, with the goal of building upon the
knowledge and experience gained through our original
efforts, five applications were ready for replication
or adaptation in new U.S. sites.
Q:
How can you be sure that Reinventing Education, a program
that began in the U.S., will be successful in other
countries?
A: While the problems and the culture of school
systems vary, the challenges in achieving high quality
education systems are similar from country to country.
Since it is our intention to customize the technology
to meet the unique needs of each country's teachers
and students, it will be our responsibility to ensure
its relevance to the specific problems and issues faced.
