Innovative Program to Educate Rural School Technology Coordinators Announced; Linn State Program Is First in the Nation

4/4/2002

From: Kathy Westra of Rural School and Community Trust, 202-955-7177 Patrick Muenks of Linn State Technical College, 573-897-5111

LINN, Mo., April 4 -- A new degree program option that its creators hope will become a national model for using technology to improve rural education was announced today at a news conference at Linn State Technical College in Linn, Missouri. The program is part of a broad effort by the Rural School and Community Trust (Rural Trust), a national rural education advocacy group, to reinvent rural teacher education in the context of the appropriate use of technology. In Missouri, the Rural Trust is working with a group of Missouri higher-education institutions and educational support organizations to create rural Education Renewal Zones (ERZs). The ERZ initiative is designed to address several issues surrounding rural teacher education and the appropriate application of technology. One issue is the need of Missouri's rural schools for access to distance-learning technology and the staff resources to support that technology. The new Technology Coordinator degree option announced at Linn State today is part of the ERZ effort. It is funded in part by a grant from the AT&T Foundation, which announced $75,000 in additional financial support today to help launch the new program.

The Technology Coordinator program announced today is a new option in Linn State's Networking Systems Technology degree program. The 18-month program is a combination of on-campus training and a three-semester paid internship in a rural Missouri school district. The program is geared specifically to the needs of rural schools, which historically have had trouble attracting qualified staff to support distance-learning, computer networking, and other technologies. The first cohort of students will begin the new program this summer.

To participate in the program, students must have a signed agreement for a paid internship from a sponsoring rural high school. In return for their investment, sponsoring schools will benefit from:

-- The on-site services of a dedicated technology support staff member who is trained to use the latest technologies;

-- A program specifically geared toward the educational applications of technology; and

-- Training that includes basic education courses taught by an accredited teacher education institution.

"This new program is the first in the nation - and we hope it will be the first of many," said Dr. Rachel Tompkins, President of the Rural Trust. "Missouri is showing us the way that we can change rural public education for the better all across America. It is a model that requires collaboration among many institutions - collaboration not only to use technology as a tool, but to use it well." Tompkins particularly praised the AT&T Foundation for its support of the ERZ initiative in Missouri. "AT&T's leadership is extraordinary. They have helped people in Missouri take the risks necessary to launch a truly innovative idea."

Donald Claycomb, Ph.D., President of Linn State Technical College, said: "Linn State is excited about the opportunity to actively work in partnership with the Rural Trust and our other higher education partners to improve educational services to rural Missourians. We see technology being used as a tool in solving a critical problem faced by many rural districts. We are pleased that our technical expertise can combine with that of our partnering teacher education institutions to offer a truly innovative degree option. Each partner brings something of value to the table, allowing us to tailor a program specific to the needs of rural schools in Missouri. We are excited for those schools and honored to be an essential part of the Educational Renewal Zones initiative."

Central Methodist College, one of the Missouri teacher education institutions participating in the ERZ initiative, will provide the education and instructional pedagogy courses for students in the Technology Coordinator program . According to Dr. Marianne Inman, President of CMC: "Student learning is best promoted when educational institutions act as resources for one another and as partners in academic achievement. CMC is honored to collaborate with a public-sector educational partner in bringing first quality learning opportunities to students where they are. Thanks to the benefits of technology, geographic boundaries disappear and learners everywhere have access to the education they need in order to be successful. Each of the institutions represented in this project is contributing its particular strengths to the success of the task, which ultimately will enhance learning and teaching in K-12 schools."

Marilyn Reznick, Vice President of the AT&T Foundation, said: "As technology becomes an increasingly powerful tool to support education, there is a growing need for people to manage that technology. In schools, however, we need people who understand both technology and education. That's why this new degree program is significant. It addresses a new function in schools and opens up huge job opportunities for its graduates. To help the first class get started, AT&T will provide an additional $75,000 to the Rural Trust. These funds will be used to pay half the cost of the student internships and provide additional resources to help rural high schools participate in the program."

Linn State will be accepting applications for the new Technology Coordinator option through May. Courses begin on the Linn State campus on June 10, and continue for ten weeks through the summer. Students interested in applying for the program should contact Michele Baker, Director of Admissions by phone (573-897-5196), fax (573-897-5026), or e-mail (michele.baker@linnstate.edu).

In addition to the Rural Trust, Linn State, and CMC, participants in the Education Renewal Zone initiative in Missouri include Northwest Missouri State University, Southeast Missouri State University, SuccessLink, the Missouri Distance Learning Association, GreaterNET, the Center for Occupational Research and Development, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Coordinating Board for Higher Education. The collaborative's work on ERZs has been supported not just by the AT&T Foundation, but also by the Hearst Foundation and State Farm.

------ The Rural School and Community Trust (Rural Trust) is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to enlarging student learning and improving community life by strengthening relationships between rural schools and communities and engaging students in community-based public work. Through advocacy, research, and outreach, the Rural Trust strives to create a more favorable environment for rural community schooling, for student work with a public audience and use, and for more active community participation in schooling. For more information on the Rural Trust, visit the organization's website at www.ruraledu.org.