With support from NetTech, the Northeast Regional Technology in Education Consortium, the Alliance created an online database of software evaluations submitted by Alliance School teachers. To evaluate the software, the teachers used the Learning Through Software Protocol, an instrument of the Ohio SchoolNet Software Review Project. The instrument has an extensive list of criteria to help reviewers answer four main questions–What do students learn through the software? How do students learn with the software? What are the technical characteristics of the software? What are the characteristics of the support provided to develop skills in the content area?

A group of Alliance School teachers attended a two-day workshop to learn and apply the protocol. They evaluated K—12 math and
science software that they had brought to the workshop. The teachers are now sharing what they have learned and introducing the protocol to teachers and technology coordinators in their districts. To read their reviews, connect to ra.terc.edu/SoftwareEval/.

For more information about the SchoolNet Software Review Project and to access their database of reviews, visit the ENC web site, www.enc.org/rf/ssrp/. The database has
evaluations of K—4 science, mathematics, language arts, and social studies software.

Equity

The Regional Equity Network collaborated with the New England Comprehensive Assistance Center at EDC and the Northeast Regional Resource Center at Trinity College in Vermont to host two data strategies institutes. Designed for district teams and technical assistance providers, the institutes are part of an initiative to encourage educators to use school data to direct improvement activities. The institutes in May and October of 1998 focused on effective strategies and tools for collecting and analyzing school data. Participants also explored ways to build support within the school system and community for adopting a data-driven reform process. A major goal of this work is to identify and correct educational inequities.

K—16 Collaboration

The National Institute for Community Innovations (NICI) was recently awarded a five-year technology innovation challenge grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The K—16 Network is pleased to have supported the development of the successful proposal that furthers the mission of the network. With the grant, NICE will assist 30 professional development school (PDS) partnerships in 9 states to infuse technology into their teacher education and K—12 programs. This work will be undertaken by the Virtual PDS Consortium, which includes the 30 PDS partnerships, NICI, nine state departments of education, Lotus Development Corporation, the National Alliance of Business, and Concord Consortium. NICI will work closely with the Regional Alliance to provide ongoing support to the region’s evolving statewide networks on PDS or K—16 Collaboration. NICI is directed by Robert McLaughlin, former co-director of the Regional Alliance.

For more information about the Virtual PDS Consortium, contact Robert McLaughlin (802) 223-0463, mclaugh@quark.vsc.edu. To learn more about network activity, contact Mark Kaufman, Mark_Kaufman@terc.edu.

The Alliance hosts electronic discussion groups focused on equity, K—16 collaboration, and PDSs. To subscribe, send a message to ra_manager@list.terc.edu . In the message write: <join ra-equity> for equity; <join ra-ed-reform> for K-16 collaboration; and <join ra-pds> for PDSs. Discussion groups have also formed around curriculum, instruction, and assessment (ra-cia); informal science (ra-informal-ed); and technology (ra-telecom).