Welcome to AT&T's Project ENRICH this 

Program Summary

The AT&T Enrich program brings together AT&T in a partnership with three of Illinois' largest educational institutions to create a revolutionary new learning model in 100 Chicago high school science classrooms between Spring 1997 and Fall 2000. An initial group of 20 teachers met the first summer to develop a biology curriculum framework that includes goals, objectives and student outcomes consistent with State of Illinois and national standards.

They also received training in the use of technology and the internet and were introduced to designing telecomputing projects.

In the first two years, thirty schools have discovered:

• A new ninth-grade biology curriculum that incorporates engaged learning,
• The use of technology as an enabler for student learning, and
• Systemic change based upon teacher and student outcomes and classroom results measured against State of Illinois and national standards

The teachers who pilot and model the new science curriculum will be pioneers in the Chicago Public and Catholic school systems. These teachers will use engaged learning techniques that recognize students learn in different ways and that teachers can engage and teach students using a variety of methods. Among the thousands of classrooms in the Chicago public and Catholic schools, only a small number incorporate engaged learning. In the first year of AT&T Enrich. 20 classrooms, 10 in each system, will discover the excitement and power of this model.

All teachers attend in-depth, focused technology training and intensive training in engaged learning from instructors who "model" engaged learning in their classes or interactions with the teachers. The Design Team will also participate in curriculum development courses and search out curriculum models that can be integrated into the science curriculum they will develop.

The State Board of Education will supply technical expertise and assist in developing common assessment tools that can be used by all partners. Student progress will be one key indicator of the success of the overall program.

AT&T support includes a three year $1.5 million AT&T Learning Network grant, volunteers to assist educators at AT&T Enrich schools, technology expertise and business experience in real-world problem solving. The grant dollars will be used to support the staff development and curriculum development that is essential to the successful introduction of a new learning model.

The partnership is also unique. The partners have agreed that a key measure of success is how well they collaborate across boundaries throughout the program. One measure of success will be how well data and information related to the program is shared with educators and policy makers - among all systems and to a wider national audience. To accomplish this task, the partners will look at innovative methods to disseminate results with the belief that a successful model will lead educators in other disciplines to begin similar programs