PROGRAM APPLICATION
BEST PRACTICES TO BE INCORPORATED
STRATEGIC APPROACH TO FOSTER COLLABORATION
Education Pre-School
- Learning is aligned with brain development of both motor skills and cognitive abilities.
- Parents are engaged in supporting learning.
- Individual child development and overall school performance are tracked and results are used to guide and adjust curriculum.
- Impact of pre-school learning experience is monitored and evaluated through K-12 .
- Parents are engaged in supporting learning.
- Organize peer review(s) of curriculum to validate alignment with learning and education research.
- Require and support incorporation of long-term longitudinal evaluation of impact on educational performance over time and adoption of technology by families of pre-schoolers.
- Encourage additional program components involving parent engagement and training, low-cost or free computers for home use for students and parents completing an age-appropriate curriculum access, and availability of tech support from trained neighborhood residents.
- Explore aligning funding for preschools with other place-based initiatives and investments.
Education K-12
- The principal is an exemplary executive leader-inspiring the faculty and staff, and mobilizing their collective energies to help every student learn. Executive leadership by the principal is pivotal to turning around low performing schools.
- There is an explicit vision and articulated commitment for high performance that engages and energizes the entire organization.
- The vision and commitment are supported by the school district administration and governance.
- There are clear-stated and widely-understood outcomes for students and the school accompanied by accountability metrics.
- Teachers are committed to academic excellence and are valued by the administration. Innovation to credentialing is developed to ensure qualified teachers are recruited and retained.
- Parents are engaged in helping children learn and in supporting the school.
- Technology complements and augments a sound program of improving education performance.
- There is an understanding of the multitude of challenges and dynamics that can be present at home with an effort by the school to address them or facilitate intervention so as to enable learning.
- Human services provided by county and city agencies are organized into multi-disciplinary teams around school attendance areas to provide family and neighborhood interventions. Teams work in partnership with neighborhood leaders and the school; and teams are held accountable for improving children and family outcomes
- There is a support mechanism or “coaching” program that assists principals in developing executive leadership and management skills. This can be augmented with a peer learning group, such as an “academy” for principals in which business executives are a core part of the faculty.
- Employers are engaged with the school in career experiences to augment classroom learning.
- Work with key stakeholders to develop proposal for FCC, including identification of initial pilot region(s) for statewide network.
- Work with interested regions with adopted strategic plans, such as the San Joaquin Valley through the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley, to plan and develop a regional telemedicine network and integrate with statewide network. This will include development of all program elements, including a sustainable business model, set forth under best practices.
- Facilitate optimal coordination and leverage between the FCC proposal and partnership region(s), including the San Joaquin Valley, to plan and implement telemedicine program.
Education After-School
- The program provides a safe environment for students after formal school day.
- The after-school program complements and augments classroom learning, providing an academic curriculum component along with recreation.
- Computer and Internet navigation literacy is a key learning opportunity and integrated into the curriculum component.
- The program has broadband connection and service.
- There is a nutrition component, providing the students with healthy snacks.
- The program aligns with other interventions and investments in the community.
- In major jurisdictions and/or regions where the general-purpose local government(s) and school district(s) have reached agreement about coordinated efforts to improve education performance, identify viable after-school organizations interested in integrating computer and Internet literacy into their program elements.
- Encourage interested after-school organizations to develop a model program element for computer and Internet literacy.
- Develop and integrate into the program curriculum an evaluation component that incorporates longitudinal tracking of participants’ academic performance in school.
- Facilitate sharing of the model program element and “lessons learned” statewide among other after-school organizations.
Libraries
- Libraries throughout the state, particularly in underserved communities, are connected through broadband to the Internet.
- Computers with broadband access to the Internet are provided for public use in sufficient quantities to meet increasing demand.
- Training in use of computers and Internet navigation is provided on-site.
- Classes are available to teach access on-line to information that complements library resources.
- Explore with the State Librarian and interested foundations the development of a statewide program to increase the availability of computers with broadband Internet access in libraries.
- Ensure that libraries are a key part of the “aggregation of demand” methodology in the pilot project and in similar efforts in other regions.
- Integrate augmented broadband services in libraries located in communities in which other investments are being made.
Workforce Preparation and Training
- Computer and Internet navigation training (in curriculum modules aligned with school and workforce training standards) are available to youth and adults in underserved neighborhoods.
- There is an opportunity to acquire a computer for the home at no or reduced cost for participants completing a specified training program.
- Computer refurbishing is coordinated with the training program.
- Job opportunities are posted or referrals are made at training location.
- Interested participants are trained to provide tech support for residents.
- Trained residents are linked to job opportunities through a consortium of employers.
- Identify successful workforce preparation training programs and determine opportunity for collaboration and synergy with each other.
- As major local government jurisdictions or regions target resources into specified geographic area for economic revitalization, work with local officials and civic leaders to integrate computer and broadband technology training into the initiative.
- Incorporate job skills training program for local residents to provide technical support for local small businesses and households .
- Facilitate partnership with consortia of employers to link trained residents to job opportunities.
Economic Development
- Broadband technology is an integral component of infrastructure and deployment is facilitated with all major construction projects or programs.
- Employers, particularly small businesses, have access to broadband service and tech support.
- Workforce training for computer and Internet navigation literacy are integrated into strategies
- As major local government jurisdictions or regions target resources into specified geographic area for economic revitalization, work with economic development leaders (local officials and civic leaders) to integrate computer and broadband technology training into the initiative.
- Assist economic development leaders in developing strategies to integrate deployment of broadband into major infrastructure construction projects.
- Assist economic development leaders in aligning workforce preparation and other broadband strategies and best practices in the target areas.
Small Business Growth
- Small business are encouraged by their associations to access broadband technology.
- Small business associations provide training and facilitate tech support.
- Affordable computers and broadband service are secured by associations for their members through joint ventures with companies or programs.
- Prepare an overview concept document which sets forth rationale, vision, strategy and magnitude of challenge.
- Develop and implement an outreach program to small businesses in targeted communities or in selected networks to determine potential demand.
- Monitor and evaluate results of small businesses being connected to broadband service.
Housing
- Housing supported by public resources is built with broadband infrastructure.
- Computers are available to residents (either in a computer lab and/or through a program to provide computers in the home).
- Residents are provided with free or low-cost broadband service.
- Residents are trained to provide technical support for other residents (adding job skills development to program).
- Residents are engaged in an e-community, such as the Beehive, to provide information to assist with self-sufficiency.
- As a leading strategy for increasing use of broadband technology in urban disadvantaged neighborhoods, housing first will be approached as a statewide initiative (see below).
- Develop a regional roll-out plan after completing steps below.
- In collaboration with partners: (a) work with companies to secure donations of equipment; (b) develop community-driven websites; and (c) coordinate with skills-training program for tech support.\
- Prepare an overview concept document which sets forth the rationale, vision, strategy, and magnitude of challenge.
- Develop a model policy for State Agencies to encourage and/or require broadband deployment in construction or renovation of affordable housing supported by State funds, including meeting with and engaging State Agencies in the process to reach consensus (such as Treasurer, TCAC, BTH, HCD, CalHFA, I-Bank).
- Develop a model policy and ordinance for local governments, including meeting with and engaging statewide organizations in the process to reach consensus (CSAC, LCC, LGC, RDA,APA, CalLAFCO, CalCOG).
- Engage homebuilders (non-profit and for-profit) in development of the policies.
- Develop briefing materials and conduct workshops for builders and local government officials to facilitate policy implementation.
- Establish monitoring processes and evaluation methods to track progress.
- Publish regular reports on results.
Emerging Markets
- Community-based organizations are engaged in convening neighborhood leaders and residents to determine interest in computers and broadband technology.
- Civic leadership organizations and Industry representatives are involved in the process.
- Interests of residents regarding applications and potential subscription are documented.
- Neighborhood representatives in a region are part of a “learning community” to compare and analyze results and determine nature of emerging markets.
- Results are compiled in a report and presented to broadband providers and IT companies.
- New community-business partnerships are fostered.
- Explore with community-based organizations the feasibility of prototyping this approach to “emerging markets” in key disadvantaged neighborhoods within regions in which civic leaders are committed to facilitating broadband deployment and adoption.
- Form a learning community among the neighborhood leaders.
- Facilitate interaction and collaboration with civic leadership organizations and industry.