Two California public schools will work with EduFX on development and testing of Algebra module

EduFX has begun development of an Algebra I module for its MILE system. The module will be developed in collaboration with educators and administrators from two public schools in California. The module will also be tested at these schools.

Aspire Public Schools

Aspire Public Schools was founded in 1998 by Don Shalvey and Reed Hastings. Don, then Superintendent of San Carlos School District, and Reed, Silicon Valley entrepreneur and founder of NetFlix, had worked together on Californians for Public School Excellence (CPSE), a legislative campaign to raise the cap on the number of charter schools allowed in the state. Reed provided grant money to establish the organization (originally named University Public Schools) and build its first school in North Stockton, California.

The mission of the Aspire Public Schools is to raise the academic achievement of California's diverse students, to develop outstanding educators, to catalyze change in public schools, and to share their successful practices with other forward-thinking educators. Currently there are six schools in four counties. Over the next 15 to 20 years, Aspire expects to open 100 new schools across California and serve thousands of students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. EduFX will initially be collaborating with Mr. Lane Weiss at the River Oaks Charter School in Stockton, California.

Lane Weiss, the Founding Principal and Director of Instructional Technology at Aspire Public Schools in San Joaquin County, has worked in public schools for over 20 years, most recently as Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education and part of the Leadership Team for Lodi Unified School District, where he was responsible for overseeing curriculum and instruction for nearly 5,000 middle school students and 7,000 high school students.

Mr. Weiss also developed and implemented the district's five-year plan for technology, and partnered with Xerox Corporation to develop quality tools and training for teachers and administrators. In addition, he served on the Computer Education Advisory Committee for the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, for which he helped design technology education standards for teacher preparation programs.

Samuel Curtis Rogers Middle School

Rogers Middle School is located in San Jose, California. The school's vision is to provide all students with challenging, thought provoking, and meaning-centered learning experiences. They strive to focus their energies on guiding all students toward become powerfully literate and to demonstrate a deep sense of responsibility to themselves, their community and our interdependent world.

Rogers Middle School includes students from widely varied socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, and believes that the success of its students and that of the school depends upon the cooperative efforts of the students, faculty, families, and the greater community. The school's environment is dynamic, and the school continues to make positive changes as it strides towards the future. Some of the forces driving change at Rogers include an increasingly diverse student population, a focus on standards based curriculum, and an increasing number of grants and partnership opportunities.

Rogers has recently seen results of some of its changes and its continued dedication towards academic performance. Test scores have gone up, and the school's Academic Performance Index score has increased by 31 points, the largest jump in scores the school has seen since standardized testing began. Since its opening in September 1962, Rogers Middle School has received a number of awards including the California Distinguished School Award in 1988, 1990, 1992, and 1994.

As with many schools, Rogers Middle School has found it both positive and necessary to take advantage of grants and partnerships to enrich the school environment. This effort includes partnerships in the technology arena as well as social and educational groups. An outstanding example of the fruits of this effort is evidenced in the partnership with Ignite Learning, which resulted in the grant of a state-of-the-art computer-based learning system. The Ignite Learning partnership also involves a grant from Sun Microsystems of servers and workstations that provide the platform to run not only the Ignite Learning products but also other applications. Another grant partner, Extreme Networks, provides routers that facilitate the network infrastructure needed to interconnect all the computer systems that are deployed on the campus.

As a result of its partnerships with several high-tech companies, Rogers Middle School continues to improve and enhance its environment with technology, installing televisions in each classroom so announcements can be broadcast each morning. As part of his commitment to the school's vision and students, Principal Stebbins is dedicated to working with EduFX.