I-C. A Triad of Researchers
The mechanism for addressing these research questions will involve
a Triad of Researchers consisting of CK:P , the Pittsburgh Public
Schools (PPS) and members
of a new Affiliates Program. Each member of the
triad contributes one of the essential ingredients -- research, practice
and resources -- which constitute the focus of the Urban
Research Laboratory. The synergy of the triad's members drives
the activities of the Urban Research Laboratory.
- CK:P. The project Common Knowledge: Pittsburgh is a
research program which concentrates upon educational and technical issues
relating to school networking.
Its staff provide expertise to address the research questions listed
above and the assessment staff to measure the results of this research.
Specific products of this program have included models
for local area networks and metropolitan area networks,
an innovative approach to technology deployment which involves a competition
for resources within the school district, successful coordination with
the school district's efforts at restructuring and educational reform,
and a wide array of teacher-generated educational activities which make
effective use of networking technology. Descriptions of this work
can be found in section II.
- PPS. The Pittsburgh Public Schools are the primary venue
for CK:P 's research. The models developed through this research
support educational reform efforts in the school district and
strengthen the district's educational practice .
Specific examples of this are evident in the Strategic Plan currently
under development in the district and in the curricular activities
that have been developed through CK:P . Implementation of the
technology component of the Strategic Plan (which is expected to
begin in next year) will represent a major
step toward the institutionalization of the
work that CK:P has been doing in the school district and
will provide facilities for continuing research.
- Affiliates. This group provides some of the resources
needed to fulfill the research agenda of the URL.
Vendors supply products used in project activities;
universities supply expertise in content areas;
affiliated school districts provide partners in collaborative
projects and test sites for dissemination efforts and teacher
enhancement programs. In return these affiliates gain access to
the research projects undertaken by the URL and participation
in the Laboratory's environment.
The diagram shows the overlap of the various elements of the
Triad. At the center
of the diagram is the Urban Research Laboratory (URL) that we
are seeking to create. The Laboratory marks
the intersection of the activities of CK:P, the PPS and the
Affiliates . This is where we propose to address the research
questions listed in section I-B.
Surrounding the Laboratory on the diagram are regions
which represent other interactions between members of the Triad of
Researchers. CK:P receives technology from its vendor
Affiliates and supplies technology to its school Affiliates. The
Affiliates supply resources for curriculum use to the Pittsburgh
Public Schools and learn from the school district which resources are
most effective in the classroom. And, finally, the educational
research activities of CK:P take the form of exemplary projects
carried out in classrooms of the Pittsburgh Public Schools.