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Release Governor James B. Hunt, Jr. Named Chair of Advisory Board for Wireless Generation Nationally Recognized Leader in Education to Help Guide Company Pioneering New Handheld Computer Assessment Tools New York, NY (April 19, 2004) Wireless Generation, the leading provider of handheld software for K-12 observational assessments, today named Governor James B. Hunt, Jr. as the Chair of its Advisory Board. Governor Hunt is a nationally recognized leader who has dedicated years to improving education in his home state of North Carolina as well as across the country. As Chair of the Wireless Generation Advisory Board, Governor Hunt will lead a team of education experts who advise the company on product development directions, and provide guidance on enhancing the company’s growing role in assessment and learning. Governor Hunt will also help to inform key education stakeholders and influencers about how Wireless Generation’s innovative offerings are transforming the way teachers and administrators use assessments. Wireless Generation offers handheld computer versions of the most commonly used reading assessments for grades K-3, known as mCLASS (for mobile classroom assessment) solutions. By putting paper-based assessments on a handheld used by the teacher, mCLASS software makes administration easier and faster, eliminates time-consuming paperwork, and makes assessment data valuable by delivering results instantly so the teacher can adjust instruction. When the handheld is “synced” to a computer, educators can access Web-based tools for reporting and classroom planning. “I only choose to work with education companies that I believe can profoundly enhance the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom,” said Governor Hunt. “I have dedicated more than 25 years to education improvement, and Wireless Generation is one of those rare companies that is bringing terrifically innovative approaches to the most fundamental needs of K-12 educators.” Governor Hunt has long been at the forefront of education reform in the United States, promoting excellence in teaching and learning. As North Carolina Governor for a historic four terms, he put into place one of the nation’s most rigorous approaches to measuring student performance and providing assistance to turn around failing schools. In 1985, he co-chaired with David Hamburg the “Committee of 50,” which led to the Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy and eventually, to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. He served in that capacity for ten years, developing standards for what accomplished teachers in America need to know, and be able to do, as well as assessments to “Board certify” them. He has served as chairman of the National Education Goals Panel and vice chairman of the board of Achieve, Inc. Now a partner in the law firm of Womble Carlyle Sandridge and Rice, Governor Hunt has maintained his commitment to education. He chairs the board of the James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy, established in 2001 to work with current and emerging political, business and education leaders on a national level to improve public education. In addition, he serves as the chairman of the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, and chairman of the National Center on Public Policy and Higher Education in San Jose, California. “It is a tremendous honor for Wireless Generation, a young company, to have Governor Hunt serve as the Chairman of our advisory board,” said Larry Berger, Co-Founder and CEO of Wireless Generation. “We focus on building solutions that make innovative education policy practical and achievable. In order to continue doing so, we need guidance from the people who have created such policy innovations. Few leaders have done more in this area than Governor Hunt.” Governor Hunt has been the recipient of numerous awards for his contributions to education in the U.S.. These include the Education Commission of the States “James B. Conant Award;” The Horace Mann League’s “Friend of Education Award;” The Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize in Education; The Children’s Defense Fund Award; The National State Board of Education’s “Policy Leader of the Year Award;” and the National Education Association’s “Friend of Education Award.” Governor Hunt joins other nationally recognized leaders in education and technology on Wireless Generation’s Boards of Directors and Advisors, including Linda Roberts, former director of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology during the Clinton administration. Wireless Generation offers handheld computer versions of assessments including the TPRI®, DIBELS®, PALS™, reading records, QRI™, Tejas LEE™, IDEL™, and CIRCLE™. Educators in over 35 states assess students with mCLASS solutions, citing the software’s ease of use, significant time-savings, ongoing progress monitoring, and support for instructional planning. Preliminary studies of mCLASS assessments show a time-savings of 50% – adding up to 3-5 days of instructional time per year. About Wireless Generation |
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