This process - developing, and submitting a proposal for review - is a departure from the standard procedure for introducing new programs in school districts. Normally, any program that is initiated in a school district is either implemented in all schools or is piloted in a few schools. Those schools are generally chosen by central administration and are not selected on the basis of a public competition. Thus there is little initiative being created where it is needed most, on the classroom level. The culture of refusal will remain intact.
The 7 sites chosen for Year II of the CKP project will begin using the Internet in the fall of 1994, so it certainly is too early to tell whether this model of implementation is a success. However, it is clear that the participants are eager and interested in this technology. The proposals that were accepted are published on the CKP Gopher. These proposals indicate an initial willingness to engage in this innovative activity. Within weeks of acceptance of the seven proposals, email accounts were created for many of the teachers at these sites. Since there was no money for training in the budget, an increment credit course to learn about the Internet was offered. This requires 15 hours of teacher inservice time to qualify for one graduate credit. For all intents and purposes, this is simply volunteered time on the teachers part. From the seven sites, 100 teachers attended the courses during the spring. These courses occurred during three Saturdays or over six Mondays after school. The teachers also participated in a two day summer workshop which was used to develop an action plan for implementation. These plans are also at the gopher site. This donation of teacher time is an indication of the power of teacher empowerment, ownership and accountability.
Chubb and Moe (1990) describe public schools as being exempt from the outside pressures that are brought to bear on organizations that must fend for their existence (private enterprise). The RFP process changes that. It incorporates strategies and processes that leverage change within a system that is based on maintaining the status quo. It forces dialogue about what is valued, issues of equity, evaluation of educational innovation, and providing a motivation for involvement of all the stakeholders in the educational process. Only time will tell whether this process has lasting or deep effects, but it certainly has encouraged enthusiasm, interest and effort on the part of the district as a whole and teachers in particular.
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