“The Detroit Public Schools and Apple Computer Inc. have inked an up to $1.2 million, four-year deal in which the district will lease computer equipment for a new small technology-focused school inside Crockett High School,” Christine MacDonald reports for The Detroit News. “Apple in turn will give the district more than 100 days worth of technology and teaching support, including on-site help in classrooms as teachers and students learn to use the laptops, said the district’s Chief Academic Officer Juanita Clay Chambers. Detroit is using federal dollars to pay for the lease.”
MacDonald reports, “The district will get about 780 laptops, as well as iPods, digital cameras and computer software. About 240 of the computers will go to the freshman class of the new Detroit Digital Learning Community High School at Crockett. And another 14 Detroit middle schools will get the remaining laptops, in hopes that many of those students go on to enroll in the new school once they get older… Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Detroit Public Schools officials and representatives from Apple plan on revealing more details about the program today at a press conference… ‘The governor sees this as the first of a whole new generation of high schools in Michigan,’ said Chuck Wilbur, Granholm’s education adviser. ‘It is the first of what we will hope to be a wave.’ Granholm is trying to get support from the Legislature for a $180 million loan fund that would pay for the creation of more small high schools. And the state has partnered with the Skillman Foundation to reach out to private lenders to support those schools as well, Wilbur said.”
Full article here.
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