IBM announced plans Thursday to give a $875,000 grant to Durham Public Schools, which will be used to institute an innovative computer software program in six Durham middle schools.
The grant is part of IBM's "Reinventing Education" program, which began in 1994 and helps schools to restructure their current systems and bring about significant change in the performance of their students. Initially, IBM funded 10 school districts nationwide in a variety of educational areas including reading, math and science skills; the company also worked to heighten communication between students' homes and schools.
With the success of these initial grants, IBM announced plans to give an additional $10 million to 12 schools districts. Durham's school district was selected from an applicant pool of more than 300 public school systems nationwide.
The software program IBM provides will permit students to perform assignments and projects on a computer networking system, enabling teachers to employ technology in the classroom and giving parents increased access to their child's school work. Additionally, IBM spokesperson Bob Page said, designers expect that the system will eventually allow school superintendents throughout North Carolina to converse with each other.
The software was developed, Page said, to combat the specter of parents' lack of involvement in their children's education. As students reach middle school-a point at which scholastic challenges rapidly increase-parental involvement tends to decline, he added.
The provision of Duke resources and personnel during the drafting of the grant proposal, Page continued, was instrumental in securing the donation. "[It] carries quite a lot of credibility to have support from an institution like Duke," he said.
Now that Durham's schools have secured the grant, the University plans to continue providing its assistance during its implementation and use.
John Burness, the University's senior vice president for public affairs, said Duke will help publicize the program by capitalizing on existing partnerships with neighborhood associations and public libraries; the University also expects to provide professional training for teachers, he continued.
In order to facilitate parents' access to the technology, the University will set up or designate computer stations on campus and in the community for their use. The stations' proximity to a parent's home or workplace, Burness said, adds to the list of what makes the IBM program so special.
"For parents who cannot afford to have computers or hook-ups to the Internet," he explained, "there's an opportunity both for them and their children to have access to computers," he said.
Leaders of the collaborating institutions-Durham Public Schools Superintendent Ann Denlinger and University President Nan Keohane-each expressed their satisfaction with IBM's decision to award the grant.
"Bringing technology into the curriculum and using technology to help teachers and families communicate about the needs and progress of each student is very exciting," Keohane said. "I am happy that Duke University is participating in this important partnership with the schools and IBM."
Denlinger agreed, saying the grant was noteworthy because of its support from the University. "[Duke] has demonstrated a desire to work with public schools to improve learning of all students," she said.
IBM's grant to the Durham Public Schools is one of several recent grants to the local community that the University has supported as part of its initiative to strengthen ties with the city's schools and neighborhoods. With the help of a grant from Glaxo Wellcome, the University began sponsoring America Reads, a program that gives University students work-study salaries to tutor local elementary schools students. A $250,000 grant from AT&T (see related story, pg. 1) will enable the University to instruct Durham school teachers about the utilization of Internet resources.
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