- online purchase management
- provide a common portal for anyone in the district to access information
- online access forms
- and do much more.
California School District – World’s First Wireless eDistrict – Partnerships Provide Access to New Technology
Website design By BotEap.comBecause it is important
Website design By BotEap.comsheila jordanAlameda County Office of Education Superintendent
Website design By BotEap.comWe have been working with the San Mateo County Office of Education for three years to develop an integrated electronic model that delivers curriculum and data electronically to teachers so they feel in charge and able to integrate the data they need. Hayward has been a wonderful demo site for this, and the entire community has embraced their work. Patrick Simon is an energetic, talented and articulate person. Hayward USD started very small and it has been very exciting to see such big jumps.
Website design By BotEap.comgive him vigilHayward Unified School District Superintendent
Website design By BotEap.comeDistrict is cost effective and does not depend on equipment. The technology that Patrick Simon has created is very powerful. We believe that public schools across the country can take advantage of the merger [the work] from various private companies, as we did to put together our eDistrict, to build communication within their systems. We are very excited about the possibilities.
Website design By BotEap.comThe Hayward Unified School District in California’s Bay Area fell on hard times due to budget cuts. When faced with approximately $24 million in debt, Hayward USD leadership realized they needed to figure something out, fast.
Website design By BotEap.comEnter Patrick Simon, former CTO for the City of Oakland, former network manager for Chevron, former IT project manager for the US Department of Energy, and e-government enthusiast. Interim Superintendent Janis Duran recruited Patrick Simon from the San Lorenzo Unified School District in December 2000, the district’s first chief information officer and director of educational technology.
Website design By BotEap.comSince 2004, Patrick Simon, Director of Technology Support Services for Hayward USD, has delivered a world-class technology program to the district. This effort includes access for students, parents, teachers, and administrators to an eDistrict portal offering a variety of services (see eDistrict sidebar), access to state-subsidized data management and reporting solutions, and empowering to the district headquarters during the purchase negotiation.
Website design By BotEap.comThis community initiative was born out of a group called Partners in Education (PIE), whose mission is to “engage the active participation of the community, businesses and parents to support and improve the education of our students through the development of labor relations”. according to the group’s website. This community outreach program is comprised of the Hayward Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary club, parents in the community, all businesses in the community, and activists.
Website design By BotEap.comWhen Simon attended his first PIE meeting, he saw an opportunity to help. He received confirmation of the rumors he had heard: he looked bad in the Hayward USD IT department. Most systems were on average 10 to 15 years old. The IT department did not have the necessary skill set to support what they wanted to do and was understaffed. “I saw opportunities for growth, cost savings, and return on investment (ROI) by consolidating, integrating, and migrating,” says Simon.
Website design By BotEap.comAfter deciding to join PIE, Patrick Simon became a leader who would invariably shape the Hayward community. After attending the PIE brainstorming meetings, Simon began talking about the new vision for the district and communicating the possibilities he saw.
Website design By BotEap.comSimon sold the group into eDistrict, something he was passionate about as CIO for the City of Oakland and the Port of Jacksonville, but it took tenacity, diligence, and well-planned communication to make his idea a reality.
Website design By BotEap.comAs eDistrict’s Lead Enterprise Architect, Simon can fully articulate the success of the project: “Vendors come in the front door, then we take them through ‘Simonization’ [learning the platform and network infrastructure], and then you become a partner. The key is not just the initial implementation, but sustainability, total cost of ownership and return on investment. This… helped me sell eDistrict to the [school] board.”
Website design By BotEap.comPatrick Simon explains that through his career in public sector technology, he “found that politics and community activism [can inform] community. When you’re informed and educated… the community… becomes very smart and attentive and very enthusiastic about what the issues are. They begin to see school board meetings; They begin to attend collaborative community meetings where parents and community members have the opportunity to discuss the well-being and future of children.”
Website design By BotEap.comThere was some initial confusion about eDistrict due to a lack of effective communication. Simon explains his communication strategy, which he highlights is essential when it comes to a new implementation. “What I found through the eDistrict initiative is that you need to have three things for effective collaboration and implementation: one, a group like PIE that represents the community; two, buy-in from stakeholders at the executive level of a team of executive round table, the school board and the superintendent. [Those stakeholders] You must understand what an initiative means and how it will affect the district and schools. Three, you must have rank and file input and support. You don’t open up the process to the point where the users make the decisions, but the users are heard and have input.”
Website design By BotEap.comSimply put, communication leads to informed participants. When those participants have the right information, they are more willing to get involved in the effort.
Website design By BotEap.comThe project produced better communication across the district, given the new resources. It is also the favorite project of the community. “As each day passes…we have made significant progress in [completing] the broader scope of our educational technology plan… This has always been a total team effort… For two years, and after nearly $24 million in debt, to have a world-class technology program spring up It’s something we’re all pretty proud of,” says Simon.
Website design By BotEap.comHayward USD Electronic District
Website design By BotEap.comPatrick Simon, Director of Technology Support Services for the Hayward School District, was the driving force behind the world’s first wireless, Web-based eDistrict.
Website design By BotEap.comeDistrict facilitates online student learning and assessments, accelerates professional development, and enables digital document management. The eDistrict portal serves teachers, students, and parents, assisting with curriculum integration, grading and schedule verification, and provides many other services and resources.
Website design By BotEap.com“The new eDistrict classrooms will consist of an interactive whiteboard, wireless stylus, projector, laptops, student response devices, and lesson plan development software,” Simon explains. “Teachers will have the resources to create lessons with embedded images, streaming video, audio, and other interactive curriculum, while student assessment devices will generate test results and daily feedback. Lessons can be uploaded to [our site]where kids and parents can check them from any wireless hotspot anytime, anywhere in the district.”
Website design By BotEap.comCEED
Website design By BotEap.comERP Experiment for California Education
Website design By BotEap.comHUSD, as well as the Alameda County Office of Education and the San Mateo Office of Education, are ongoing pilot projects of CEEDS. CEEDS stands for Consortium for Educational Enterprise Data Systems, an organization that provides technology to California school districts to keep administrators, teachers, parents, and students connected and informed. Thanks to CEEDS, district members can: