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New York City
May 2003

Pittsburgh Steeler Brings Technology to Brooklyn School

Brady Keys, Jr., former All-Pro Defensive Halfback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, is determined to replace the ubiquitous student backpack as main means of communication between parent and teacher. To improve upon the system of hand-written notes, his Keys Technology Group has designed HIP (Helping Involve Parents), a means of communication based on the telephone and the computer. Using software from EPOS systems, which is used by many colleges and universities, as well 1-800 phone numbers dedicated to specific schools, HIP allows parents to access homework assignments, see grades, receive and reply to messages from teachers and administrators, and hear of disciplinary issues or absenteeism. Teachers can assign homework and special projects, communicate with individual parents and students, and lighten their own workload by increasing parent-student interaction. Students can check homework assignments, hear school announcements, and communicate with their teachers. All of the communications and information is secure and available 24/7. In addition, a Family-Life Skills module offers help in time-management, study habits, and child rearing. A Message Center facilitates conversations among users. The Notifier reports events, deadlines, and problems in real time.

Participants receive the same benefits whether using telephones or computers. Keys is keenly aware of the lack of computer literacy (or computers) in some homes, as well as the difficulties some parents have speaking face to face with teachers. In a three-month pilot project in Georgia involving 18 schools, 10,000 students, 10,000 parents, and 1,100 educators, almost equal numbers of parents used the telephone as the Web. Teachers accessed HIP almost exclusively by the Web. Student usage was 65 percent by Web and 35 percent by phone. High teacher usage is key to success of the system. The pilot indicated broad teacher acceptance as well as need for both Web and phone access to HIP.

HIP is being adopted by PS 246, the Walt Whitman Middle School in Brooklyn. Georg-ina Thompson Brown-Brook, PTA head, is convinced that “If the system works in the South it will surely work in New York where a school with 1,282 students is so massive, it is a job to try to get information to the parents.” She marvels that HIP allows 24-hour parental access to teachers and administrators, “something you pay for in a private school.” Melanie Radley, an education planner and reform advocate, is “intrigued that people in the field haven’t heard about the system.” She believes, “Parents should know this choice is available.”

Brady Keys’ interest in helping children and including parents in their education goes back to his very successful career as a pioneering African-American entrepreneur in the fast-food business; he was the first of his race to own Burger King and KFC franchises. When he hired a youngster, he always involved the parent. He credits this policy for low employee turnover. Studies have shown that parental involvement is a key component for school success. Keys is determined to couple that knowledge with the revolution in technology for the benefit of children. #

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