Outstanding news for our unfortunate teachers and students.
On October 25, Chambers announced Cisco’s 21st Century School Education Initiative, or the 21S Initiative, a $40 million program that will help build state-of-the-art schools in areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The company and its top executives committed $20 million in cash. Cisco is contributing another $20 million in goods and services. The first $20 million will go to phase one, the Mississippi Education Initiative; the second half will be allocated to schools in other parts of the Gulf Coast region later.
Cisco’s initiative will work on multiple fronts. The company will give $500,000 to seven school districts that already have some digital education efforts, to use as they see fit. It also will completely equip three storm-damaged schools so students can take advantage of the Internet. For instance, the company will install wireless broadband, with Internet voice, video, and data capabilities. Cisco will help develop online curricula for several classes (some will be taught entirely online). And it will create networks to link together students, teachers, parents, and administrators. The first school that will be wired is the Rowan Elementary School in Hattiesburg, Miss.
