From Academic Emergency to Continuous Improvement in 2 years

"The Activclassroom System has become my primary teaching tool - every day, for every subject."

Diane Zidian, teacher 4th grade, Eagle Heights Academy

Challenges and Goals

Established in 1998, Eagle Heights Academy is a large urban community school, created to provide a choice in public education. During the past five years, the charter school, in partnership with families and the community has provided a deep-seated learning environment that motivates students to explore, excel and become life long learners.

During this same time, administrators and teachers alike have been faced with the challenges of meeting heightened performance standards under tighter financial restraints, making technology procurement and integration a constant struggle.

That is, until early in 2003, when Tony Cann, an executive from Promethean, makers of the Activclassroom System, was in Youngstown on business. A friend of his, Bruce Beard, was involved in sponsoring a charter school, and Cann was interested in getting a first hand look at the facility. He heard that this family-school-community partnership was making great strides with the daily challenges of teaching predominately "at-risk" students. Cann was eager to share Promethean's innovative Activclassroom System, and explore ways it could further enhance the academic success of Eagle Heights' students.

It was during this initial meeting that the administrators and teachers at Eagle Heights were introduced to the interactive whiteboard system.

"It was love at first sight," said Linda Mansfield, master teacher. "I knew instantly that this was the teaching solution of the future -- our future -- at Eagle Heights."