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Connecting Kids to Their Future

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Connecting Kids to Their Future

Rhode Island’s Department of Education engaged Gurnet to provide Program Management for their Wireless Classroom Initiative, a $20 million program to provide wireless network access for every classroom, library, and media center in the State.
The Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (RIDE) established a $20 million capital bond project to increase the technical capacity of Rhode Island districts and schools by improving school and classroom wireless infrastructure (WIC). WCI is critical for RIDE to execute its educational improvement initiatives and to participate in the Federal Race To The Top program, a $4.35 billion United States Department of Education contest created to spur innovation and reforms in state and local districts’ K-12 education. Upon completion, WCI will allow students to take advantage of the growing trend for personal computing devices for academic research, instructional software and to participate in secondary and college preparatory proficiency testing. The project will involve approximately 350 schools in 57 districts and is scheduled to be finished in June of 2015.
  • Challenge
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The Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (RIDE) established a $20 million capital bond project to increase the technical capacity of Rhode Island districts and schools by improving school and classroom wireless infrastructure (WIC). WCI is critical for RIDE to execute its educational improvement initiatives and to participate in the Federal Race To The Top program, a $4.35 billion United States Department of Education contest created to spur innovation and reforms in state and local districts’ K-12 education. Upon completion, WCI will allow students to take advantage of the growing trend for personal computing devices for academic research, instructional software and to participate in secondary and college preparatory proficiency testing. The project will involve approximately 350 schools in 57 districts and is scheduled to be finished in June of 2015.
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As the largest technical initiative in RIDE history, the State needed solid project over-site, management and technical expertise to ensure the program met the bond’s and federal Race to the Top program requirements. Gurnet Consulting was engaged to establish the Program Management Office with a focus on technical execution and financial accountability. Key activities included:
• Program leadership
• Organizational structure and governance
• Strategic approach and delivery methods
• Functional and technical subject matter expertise
• Vendor management
• Centralized planning, controlling, monitoring and reporting
• Communication management
• Quality assurance
Over the span of three years, Gurnet’s PMO successfully governed and managed project portfolios over $6 million annually, involving municipalities, schools district, vendor and RIDE resources.
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Through Gurnet’s Technology Strategy and Program Management expertise, RIDE’s highly publicized and mission critical program continues to be delivered within scope, time and budget. At engagement end, The State of Rhode Island will have satisfied:
• Federal Race to the Top Program requirements
• Functional and financial Bond requirements
• Statewide capabilities to conduct college preparatory PARCC online assessments
• Upgrade of all Rhode Island Schools technical infrastructure
• Ability to scale to the demands of 21st century education system
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