The Cisco Networking Academy Program is in its first full year at schools.
But the pilot semester at one site, Thurgood Marshall Academic High School
in San Francisco, provides an indication of the potential impact: more than
25 percent of the students involved in the school's program in Spring 1996
secured summer jobs as a direct result of their single-semester experience.
And for teachers who have seen the early impact on students and their
futures, the Academy stands as a model for school-to-work programs.
Dennis Frezzo, technology instructor at Thurgood Marshall says, "In one
leap, Cisco has helped us have the most effective school-to-work program
I've seen locally, and we're proud of that."
"The energy level of these students is so high, it's hard to find the words
to describe it," says Barry Williams, who oversees Regional activities for
the Round Valley School District in Springerville, Arizona. "Once, about
half of my students had permission to leave school about 20 minutes early.
But not a single one left. I talked topologies and media for 90 minutes
without a break."
