For further information, contact:
Brian Crosley, Pioneering Partners, (317) 770-8180, crosley@iquest.net
Karen Sanborn, (313) 223-7194, karen.sanborn@ameritech.com

Teaching Teams Win Regional Pioneering Partners Award

CHICAGO Twenty-four educator teams from across the Great Lakes Region were chosen to receive the Pioneering Partners award for their creative use of technology in education.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: See Attachment #1 below for a complete listing of all the 1998 winning teams and their projects.)

The teams each receive $3,000 from the Pioneering Partners Foundation (PPF) to help disseminate their best practices to other students and teachers nationwide, encouraging the adoption of such classroom innovations elsewhere. The 24 new teams are joining more than 100 past winners who continue to collaborate and share their technology integration and teaching strategies.

The teams will attend the PPF/Ameritech Education and Leadership Summit on July 22 through 26 at the Mayerson Academy in Cincinnati, Ohio where they will get special training and an opportunity to network with other winning PPF teams, business, governmental and legislative leaders from the eight Great Lakes states. Ameritech has provided lead financial support to PPF for the past two years.

"This growing knowledge base of educators successfully using technology to impact the skills of students can be shared around the region and across the country," said Ameritech Educational Relations Director Lyn Allen. "The program values the impact that risk-taking educators can have when they tap into the resources of teamwork, community and sharing with each other, as they prepare students for working in a world requiring new skills."

Winners were screened by a committee comprised of past Pioneering Partner award winners with final selections made by the PPF board of directors. The states currently participating are Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Created in 1991 in cooperation with the Council of Great Lakes Governors, the Pioneering Partners program was transitioned to a non-profit foundation in 1995. The Foundation's mission is to recognize successful educators and to extend their integration of technology in grades K-12 through the examples and practices of these educators. The Foundation's web site -- www.pioneeringpartners.org -- connects new winners with the current community of Pioneering Partners.

Ameritech has a strong tradition of giving back to the communities it serves. Last year, the company contributed more than $26 million to over 3,800 nonprofit organizations, and Ameritech Pioneers -- some 46,000 employees and retirees throughout the Midwest -- volunteered 419,000 hours of community service by supporting health and human services, civic and community projects and educational and arts programs. Ameritech provides a full range of communications services, serving millions of customers in 50 states and 40 countries.

# # #

Attachment #1

1998 Pioneering Partners Winning Educator Teams

Illinois
* Beulah Park Elementary, Zion - Integrating Technology into the Curriculum
* Wheeling and Rolling Meadows High Schools - Motorola/district 214 FIRST Partnership
* Newberry Mathematics and Science Academy, Chicago - Real Scientists = Real Science

Indiana
* Carmel Elementary and Smokey Row Elementary, Carmel - 3, 2, 1 Blast Off! How Do We Get There?
* James A. Garfield and Parkview Elementary, Indianapolis - Canine Keypal
* Crown Point High School, Crown Point - A Community Safe Haven

Michigan
* West Iron County High School, Middle School and Stambaugh Elementary, Stambaugh - West Iron County Interactive
* Hickory Grove and Della Lutes Elementary Schools, Bloomfield Hills and Waterford - The Electronic Generation Connection
* Atwood, Chesterfield and Graham Elementary, Macomb, Chesterfield and Harrison Townships - Keyboard Kids

Minnesota
* Gatewood Elementary School, Minnetonka - Expanding Natures Corner for the 21st Century
* The Cathedral School, Crookston - Discover Minnesota
* Buffalo Hanover and Montrose Schools, Buffalo - Student Created Webfolios: Learning as a Communications Tool

New York
* Ryder School, Cobleskill - Walking in a Strangers Shoes
* Berne Elementary, Berne, & Bozeman Public School, Bozeman, MT - Common Ground
* Public School 279, Brooklyn - Operation K.A.V.E.

Ohio
* Southgate and Hoover Schools, Canton and North Canton - SNAPS: A Special Needs Application of Problem Solving
* Sycamore High School, Cincinnati - Connections Through Technology
* Cincinnati Country Day School - Anytime Anywhere Learning

Pennsylvania
* Roosevelt Jr. High School, Altoona - CyberFair 97: Roosevelt's Rockin and Rollin Web
* Valley High School, New Kensington - Web Ed
* Overbrook School for the Blind, Philadelphia - Overbrook 2001

Wisconsin
* East Troy High School, East Troy - Project Connect/Adopt-A-Mod
* North Woods Elementary, La Crosse - Expanding Horizons through Systemic Planning
* Madison University High School, Milwaukee - Meet the Candidates

###