eREACH RUS Grant

The eREACH Project

The enhancing Rural Education through Assisting and Collaborating at a Higher Level (eREACH) Project builds on the existing statewide Internet network to provide interactive video-conferencing (IVC) capabilities to isolated rural schools. The IVC services would run off C20 hubs and use Cisco Meeting software, microphones and cameras installed on personal computers.  The main purposes of this IVC capability would be to provide instructional and behavioral support to high-needs students and their teachers through real-time 2-way connections with specialists at regional, state, or other district locations. The specialists would include special education, autism, occupational therapy, English language learning, and science, all high need areas for these isolated schools. By using IVC to observe and communicate, specialists will be able to help remotely, thus working with more students and teachers each day and saving travel time. In addition, teachers would be able to access professional development on an individual basis from their home locations, saving the expense of travel, time away from school, and substitutes. The eREACH Project provides a vital service to improving education in these isolated rural schools in an easy-to-use and cost-effective format.

The Participating Schools/Districts:

Major Benefits of the eREACH Project

The eREACH project offers a variety of benefits, as follows.

> Specialists use more of their time in direct service.

By being able to work from their offices via computer and Cisco Meeting software, specialists spend more time meeting with students, teachers and paraprofessionals, rather than driving. Services can take place more often and with much better quality audio and visual presentation. Thus their skills are being used for their primary purpose, improving education for the students.

> High-needs students and teachers receive more support.

IVC connects students and teachers to the support they need much more easily and effectively than other methods. Students, paras and teachers can see and hear the specialists more clearly; with speech issues, this is especially vital. They can work with specialists in their own district, other districts, state offices and outside the state from their own computers. Many more resources are available to them in an easy-to-use, high quality format.

> Districts spend less money on travel-related expenses.

Teachers and administrators will be able to attend meetings, consultations, and professional development activities from their home locations. Much less travel will be necessary so the district will save money on mileage, per diems and substitute staff. Much less time is lost from their “real” work.

> Cisco Meeting uses existing technology.

The Cisco Meeting software can be installed on existing computers and used over the well established UEN network, once the C20 hubs are installed. This system requires relatively little new equipment and provides greatly expanded service to the participating schools.

The addition of C20 hubs and Cisco Meeting software to the network in these school districts will make support services for students and teachers more readily available and more frequent. This will improve the education outcomes of high-needs students as well as the instruction of their teachers. The proposed project is relatively inexpensive since it can use existing infrastructure and computers as a basis for the new services.