From Cox Communications and America OnLine, to Microsoft and Cisco, to Oracle and Xerox, private-public partnerships have been playing an increasing role in integrating technology into the classroom. Domenech said these partnerships have allowed the school system to increase distance and interactive learning, to increase professional and technical studies, and to bring education technologies beyond the classrooms and into the communities. Domenech noted the 20-year relationship the school district has had with the cable system that serves Fairfax County, which is now Cox Communications. In addition to funding, Cox provides FCPS with six cable channels, three of them available to all cable customers in Fairfax County and the other three available for use within the schools to deliver a variety of daily electronic classroom instruction. The programming includes staff development and training for FCPS teachers and electronic field trips that take students to places such as the Berlin Wall, South Africa, the Smithsonian, and NASA facilities to meet astronauts, scientists, and engineers.
All coursework is done online.
Next year, FCPS will introduce several more high school classes via e-learning, including World Studies, Algebra, and Biology. Distance learning has created a new opportunity for homebound and adult education students. The county's professional and technical academies have also benefited greatly from their business partnerships. The five academies focus on advanced technical and specialized courses such as Network Design and Engineering and Engineering Physics. Student participation in these courses has increased more than 400 percent in just five years.