Education & Distance Learning Enthusiasts- CART Celebrates Grand Opening with Gore and Bush Endorsements, $1 Million Distance Learning Deal in China

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CART Celebrates Grand Opening with Gore and Bush Endorsements, $1 Million Distance Learning Deal in China

Business Wire - October 24, 2000

Business/News Editors & Political/Education Writers

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CLOVIS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 24, 2000

Center for Advanced Research & Technology Launches Innovative Program,

Gives Students Real-World Business Experience to Prepare

Them for High-Tech Jobs

The Center for Advanced Research and Technology (CART), one of the nation's most aggressive and innovative secondary school reform programs, celebrated its grand opening last Friday with news that has educators buzzing.

At a ceremony at CART's Clovis, Calif., facility, CEO Pat Wright announced that CART has been endorsed by both major Presidential Candidates, Vice President Al Gore and Gov. George W. Bush, as a significant new educational model that has national implications. But the story doesn't end there. As reported in the Fresno Bee, CART officials also revealed that they have signed a $1 million contract with General Home Networks of San Jose to design and build a broadband Internet education program for students in China.

CART has received significant attention in recent months as a breakthrough in high school education reform for the 21st century. Its $34 million facility houses the latest in computers, software, telecommunications and laboratory equipment where 1,200 high school students daily prepare for the high-tech jobs of the Information Age. Unlike other programs that use technology only to assist students' normal studies, CART's program combines traditional academic instruction with business project-based learning.

Through collaboration among parents, educators, business leaders and mentors, students in grades 11 and 12 receive actual real-world experience in a wide range of scientific and technical disciplines, geared to building the skill sets demanded of workers in today's high-tech economy.

Vice President Al Gore said of CART, "This is truly a visionary and innovative educational program that offers the promise of closing the `digital divide'... Your approach is an example of the kind of creativity and partnership-building that should be replicated in communities and school districts across America."

Gov. George W. Bush also commented, "CART is a great example of the innovation we need in all our schools today ... we must be willing to challenge the status quo -- to think differently and boldly about education. My reform agenda will give young people the tools to learn and succeed by supporting the local efforts of schools like CART."

CART CEO Pat Wright said, "These endorsements reflect the key point -- that at CART, we're changing the lives of 11th- and 12th-grade high school students in California's Central Valley. We're giving our students opportunities they would never have otherwise. Thirty-five percent of these students are on or below the poverty level, and CART is helping them across the digital divide -- giving them the skills they need for jobs in today's high-tech world.

"At CART, we're stubborn about our students' success. In fact, the first thing a visitor sees on entering our facility is a neon sign that reads, `Your Future is at Stake - Failure is Not an Option.'"

Regarding the $1 million contract with General Home Networks, Wright noted: "This agreement is another significant step in CART's development. It means we have started to meet the goal we set out for ourselves -- to make the CART model easy to franchise across the U.S., and to leverage our ability to build successful learning modules in broadband Internet and distance learning projects worldwide. The General Home Networks program really demonstrates the global capacity of CART."

Frank Qian, president of General Home Networks, said: "We picked CART because CART is the first of its kind. Its unique content, curriculum and education online will be very welcome in China. This is a format that fits `anytime, anywhere learning.'"

Qian noted that the Chinese government wants to provide online access to 1 million full-time students and 10 million part-time students during the next three years, ranging from preschoolers to post-grads. CART will work with some of its affiliate partners, such as ACTV and its E-school Online division, to develop and design curriculum to General Home Networks' specifications. The curriculum will include multimedia and interactive distance learning.

CART has raised $34 million from government, business and private contributors. Key CART partners such as Microsoft, Cisco, AT&T Wireless, PacBell, Lawrence Livermore Labs, Hayworth Furniture and PG&E supply much of the equipment used.

About the Center for Advanced Research and Technology

Created by the Clovis Unified and Fresno Unified School Districts in California, the Center for Advanced Research and Technology is a national model for high school reform with an emphasis on science, technology and project-based curriculum. The curriculum provides students in the 11th and 12th grades with hands-on experience with the technologies and tools of the 21st century.

Students are immersed in real-world, on-the-job scenarios in classrooms and laboratories housed in an 80,000-square-foot facility furnished with the latest in computers, software, laboratory and telecommunications equipment. Students attend a half day at their regular high schools, where they learn English, math and social sciences, and then attend CART classes for the remainder of the school day.

CART students may choose from among four career clusters: professional sciences, engineering, advanced communication, or global economics. CART receives funding from federal, state and local governments, and from businesses and other partners.

Key CART partners, including Microsoft, Cisco, AT&T Wireless, PacBell, Lawrence Livermore Labs, Hayworth Furniture and PG&E supply much of the equipment students use. CART is located at 2555 Clovis Ave., Clovis, Calif. 93612. For additional information, telephone: 559/248-7400 or visit www.cart.org.

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