| Pittsburgh
Steeler Brings Technology to Brooklyn School
by Sybil
Maimin
Brady Keys,
Jr., former All-Pro Defensive Halfback for the Pittsburgh Steelers,
is determined to replace the ubiquitous student backpack as main
means of communication between parent and teacher. To improve
upon the system of hand-written notes, his Keys Technology Group
has designed HIP (Helping Involve Parents), a means of communication
based on the telephone and the computer. Using software from EPOS
systems, which is used by many colleges and universities, as well
1-800 phone numbers dedicated to specific schools, HIP allows
parents to access homework assignments, see grades, receive and
reply to messages from teachers and administrators, and hear of
disciplinary issues or absenteeism. Teachers can assign homework
and special projects, communicate with individual parents and
students, and lighten their own workload by increasing parent-student
interaction. Students can check homework assignments, hear school
announcements, and communicate with their teachers. All of the
communications and information is secure and available 24/7. In
addition, a Family-Life Skills module offers help in time-management,
study habits, and child rearing. A Message Center facilitates
conversations among users. The Notifier reports events, deadlines,
and problems in real time.
Participants receive
the same benefits whether using telephones or computers. Keys
is keenly aware of the lack of computer literacy (or computers)
in some homes, as well as the difficulties some parents have speaking
face to face with teachers. In a three-month pilot project in
Georgia involving 18 schools, 10,000 students, 10,000 parents,
and 1,100 educators, almost equal numbers of parents used the
telephone as the Web. Teachers accessed HIP almost exclusively
by the Web. Student usage was 65 percent by Web and 35 percent
by phone. High teacher usage is key to success of the system.
The pilot indicated broad teacher acceptance as well as need for
both Web and phone access to HIP.
HIP is being adopted
by PS 246, the Walt Whitman Middle School in Brooklyn. Georg-ina
Thompson Brown-Brook, PTA head, is convinced that “If the system
works in the South it will surely work in New York where a school
with 1,282 students is so massive, it is a job to try to get information
to the parents.” She marvels that HIP allows 24-hour parental
access to teachers and administrators, “something you pay for
in a private school.” Melanie Radley, an education planner and
reform advocate, is “intrigued that people in the field haven’t
heard about the system.” She believes, “Parents should know this
choice is available.”
Brady Keys’ interest
in helping children and including parents in their education goes
back to his very successful career as a pioneering African-American
entrepreneur in the fast-food business; he was the first of his
race to own Burger King and KFC franchises. When he hired a youngster,
he always involved the parent. He credits this policy for low
employee turnover. Studies have shown that parental involvement
is a key component for school success. Keys is determined to couple
that knowledge with the revolution in technology for the benefit
of children. #
Education
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