> It raises a red flag, she said, because corporations shouldn't have
> control over public school curriculum. ``When a company comes in saying
> `this is what we need to teach you,' it blurs the line in a dangerous
> way.''
Full story is at
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1998/12/11/BU14158.DTL
included below. So with a Cisco-sponsored program, can Intel- and
Microsoft-sponsored classes be far behind?
> The Cisco Kids: Company sponsors networking classes in high schools
> Deborah Solomon, Chronicle Staff Writer Friday, December 11, 1998
>
> For three years, Sabrina Castillo lived on the streets of San Francisco
> -- doing drugs, hanging out with friends and avoiding school.
>
> Today, the shy 18-year-old is learning how to build and manage complex
> computer networks and dreaming of a job at one of Silicon Valley's
> high-tech companies.
>
> The striking transition from street kid to computer aficionada came
> after Castillo was sent to a drug rehabilitation program. It was there
> that she heard about Cisco Systems' Networking Academy -- a nationwide
> program for high school students who want to pursue careers in
> technology.
>
> She enrolled in the academy at Sequoia High School in Redwood City and,
> along with about 30 other students at the school, is learning about the
> inner workings of computer networks.
>
> The students at Sequoia are among the thousands that Cisco hopes to
> train, certify and, perhaps, recruit as part of its nationwide program.
>
> The Santa Clara company has set up academies in more than 1,000 schools
> across the country and also offers the program overseas. More than
> 17,000 students are now enrolled in a Networking Academy, which operate
> in all 50 states.
>
> The program is open to any student -- there is no prerequisite or
> entrance exam. It gives kids a chance at a $40,000- a-year job out of
> high school. Although it's designed mainly for students who don't plan
> on going to a four-year college, some students who do plan to attend a
> university take the course for experience.
>
> Cisco launched the program a little more than a year ago to help fill a
> high-tech worker shortage. The tech industry has been plagued by a
> severe lack of skilled workers and has struggled to fill jobs that
> require intense training.
>
> The program is designed primarily for juniors and seniors in high
> school, who take the courses during regular school hours as an elective,
> much like wood shop or home economics.
>
> Students are taught at the school by a staff teacher, usually a computer
> science instructor. But the curriculum is provided online by Cisco.
> Tests are also administered on the computer, although some teachers
> substitute their own written exams.
>
> At the end of the two-year program, which takes 280 hours to complete,
> students get a certificate that qualifies them to be network
> administrators. Students can get summer internships at some of the
> high-tech companies where they might want to eventually work.
>
> ``This puts kids on track to a high- paying job,'' said Keith Fox,
> Cisco's vice president for worldwide corporate marketing. ``And it will
> give them the opportunity to learn the new life skills that they most
> likely will require into the next century.''
>
> Any high school in the country can become a Networking Academy,
> according to Cisco, as long as it has a dedicated instructor, can afford
> the equipment and provides the space for the networking labs.
>
> Cisco donates the curriculum and online support, but schools must pay
> for the networking equipment, which costs about $14,000. Schools also
> pay about $2,500 to have the academy's teacher trained by Cisco. Many
> schools apply for grants from the state or nonprofit agencies to cover
> the costs.
>
> Community colleges can also host regional networking academies and offer
> the courses to high school grads.
>
> While the program aims to help students set a career path, the program
> is by no means altruistic. By getting junior and senior high school kids
> certified as network administrators, Cisco figures it can create a
> well-educated, skilled workforce.
>
> ``The reason we did the program was fundamentally to address a worker
> shortage,'' Fox said.
>
> That has concerned some critics, who fear the program is yet another
> intrusion by private corporations into the public education system.
>
> A Cisco banner hangs at the Sequoia High School Networking Academy, and
> the company's logo is seen throughout the online curriculum. Cisco also
> sends guest speakers and provides tours of the company and others in
> Silicon Valley.
>
> Marianne Manilov of the Center for Commercial-Free Public Education in
> Oakland said the academies sound more like job-feeding programs than job
> training.
>
> ``It sounds like they're using public funds to do job-feeding to the
> company,'' Manilov said.
>
> It raises a red flag, she said, because corporations shouldn't have
> control over public school curriculum. ``When a company comes in saying
> `this is what we need to teach you,' it blurs the line in a dangerous
> way.''
>
> Manilov also said the time spent in the program gives students less
> exposure to other courses, such as language, math or science. ``That's a
> lot of time in front of the computer and it's not adding to any other
> training,'' she said.
>
> Those involved in the Networking Academies say the program is helpful
> and that students wouldn't be able to learn these skills if Cisco didn't
> provide the curriculum.
>
> Some students, like senior Richard Porter, say they don't want to work
> for Cisco, but would rather start their own businesses with the skills
> they learn in the academy.
>
> ``The hands-on labs and the curriculum really teaches you a lot and it
> sticks with you,'' said Porter, 17. ``I didn't know anything about this
> before but it's opened a lot of doors to me. Now I think want to have my
> own network consulting firm.''
>
> Cameron Dodge, one of the two academy teachers at Sequoia, said the
> program provides a great opportunity to some students who would normally
> have gone on to minimum-wage jobs after high school.
>
> ``Part of the goal is to bring kids into an environment where they can
> learn to earn two to three times what they would make at minimum wage,''
> said Larry Wagner, another academy instructor.
>
> For Castillo, the chance to make good money and work at a Valley company
> is reason enough to slave through the course, which she and other
> students said is challenging.
>
> ``It's hard, but I know this will help me out,'' Castillo said. ``I was
> on and off the streets for three years and this is definitely different
> from what my life used to be like. But I've always liked computers and
> now I want to get certified and go work for a big company.''
>
> For more information on Networking Academies, go to
> http://www.cisco.com/edu/academies
----
adam@cs.caltech.edu
Our critics are our friends, for they do show us our faults.
-- Bill Clinton quoting Ben Franklin in a speech, 12/11/98