School of the Future: Frequently Asked Questions
Updated: April 20, 2005
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Q. Why is Microsoft partnering with the School District of Philadelphia to build the School of the Future?
A. Microsoft was approached by the School District of Philadelphia's CEO, Paul Vallas, about the district's desire to build a School of the Future. After Microsoft executives discussed it with district leaders, they determined that both parties can bring significant value to the project, and that the process can yield important outcomes and learnings for the district, the children of Philadelphia, schools around the United States, and Microsoft.
Q. When will the school open?
A.The school is scheduled to open in September, 2006.
Q. What are the grade levels that the school will address and how many students will it serve?
A.The school will address grade levels 9-12 and will serve approximately 700 students.
Q. Is this a new building or is an older building being renovated?
A. This school will be new construction.
Q. Is Microsoft paying for the construction of this school?
A. No. The school is a School District of Philadelphia capital programs project.
Q. What contributions is Microsoft bringing to this project?
A. Microsoft is providing consultative resources and dedicated project management. The district will have access to Microsoft personnel and research in the areas of data integration and management, collaboration and communication, streaming media, organizational efficiency, and leadership development.
Q. How can I be kept up-to-date on activities and developments as the school is being built?
A. Microsoft has created a website to keep you informed on this innovative project. By visiting the School of the Future website at http://www.microsoft.com/education/schooloffuture.mspx, you can read a monthly chronicle of the progress on the project, and have access to available tools and resources that you can use in your own organizations
Q. Our district is also building a new school. Is it possible to engage in a similar partnership with Microsoft?
A. Right now, Microsoft is focused on supporting the Philadelphia project. Our goal is to make sure that other schools benefit from our efforts with Philadelphia through the resources and tools developed and shared through the School of the Future website at http://www.microsoft.com/education/schooloffuture.mspx. As this project continues, the Microsoft Education and Solutions Group website at http://www.microsoft.com/education will keep you informed of developments, significant learnings, architectures, solutions, and strategies.
Q. I am an education reseller and I have a solution that I would like the School of the Future to use. How does my company become involved in this project?
A. Microsoft is creating a partner matrix to manage partner inquiries and participation in this project. If you have a solution that you would like to be considered, please send a description and contact information to phillyhi@microsoft.com. As we get further along in the partner integration phase of the project, Microsoft will contact selected partners for further investigations.
Q. How will the administration and the faculty be selected for this school?
A. An advisory panel of leaders from the School District of Philadelphia, Microsoft Corporation, and the community will review a pool of applicant information submitted to the District CEO. All applicants must possess a Pennsylvania state principal certificate and have some administrative experience at the secondary level. All applicants must demonstrate high interest in cutting-edge technology and the desire to collaborate with business and community partners. The faculty will be selected by a similar panel chaired by the school’s lead administrator. Applicants holding secondary teaching certifications and demonstrating the highest interest in cutting-edge technology will be given highest priority.
Q. How will the student body be determined?
A. The School of the Future project is a result of the district's new initiative to reform urban high schools. At the core of this initiative is the belief that by downsizing high schools from the traditional 2000 or more students to no more than 700 students, and by upgrading the level of academic support through non-traditional and innovative models, urban students can make greater gains both academically and socially. Additionally, studies indicate that small schools have higher attendance rates, lower drop-out rates, and a greater level of satisfaction among staff and students (Vander Ark, T. "Educational Leadership." The Case for Small High Schools (February 2002): 55-59). Microsoft requested that the school reflect the population served by the School District of Philadelphia, an urban school with a predominance of low-income, minority students. Therefore, the student body will come from a pool of city-wide applicants currently served by the district. The only exception will be that a predetermined percentage of students will be admitted through a neighborhood set-aside policy. In this case, interested students who live within the school's boundaries as established by the district will be given preference. If more students apply than the school can accommodate, the district will implement a lottery system.
Q. How will technology be incorporated into the curriculum?
A. Technology will be incorporated into every aspect of the school when such incorporation is appropriate. Innovative solutions in the areas of data and curriculum management, content development and distribution, virtual simulations and mentoring, and personalized instruction will be investigated and deployed.
Q. Will all children be given a device? If so, what kind?
A. The fundamental principle for the design of this school is to improve the continuous, relevant, and adaptive nature of the learning environment for children and educators. Appropriate access to tools and resources are critical factors for creating this environment. We believe ubiquitous access to a personal computing device is one critical success factor. Just as information workers in the 21st Century must have appropriate tools to be successful, so must students and educators.
A final decision on the actual type of device or computer will not be made until we get closer to the 2006 school opening.
Q. Will traditional paper-based textbooks be used in this school?
A. We believe that the appropriate tool for the appropriate job will be used; all resource decisions will be based on this guiding principle. Clearly, there are opportunities and benefits of deploying digital resources to students. When such resources are appropriate, they will be used to the fullest. If it is determined that, in a particular situation, a paper-based resource is more beneficial than a digital resource, then this type of resource will be used.
Q. How are you making sure that this school truly represents an innovative, comprehensive, and sound approach in urban education?
A. An industry-leading advisory council will make sure that the school demonstrates true innovation and that the learning environment is superior. The council consists of representatives from the following areas: learning space development, community involvement, technology integration, organizational leadership, curriculum development, and others.
