John Chambers Marks Dull Innovation Summit Panel- Content Was"Slightly Less Useless" Than Prior Panels

Tom, feel free to be bored at an event that hundreds of others found compelling, but you do yourself a disservice when you cast aspersions on those who have done so much to better education.

What might be less boring to you (but require real research), is to talk to experts about the systemic problems in education; learn about what companies including Cisco are doing in the field to better education (hint: there is this thing called Google, it's pretty cool); and, spend some time talking to educators about what they actually want to improve learning.

And, for others who might read this, I'm not just posting a passive aggressive comment. I told this to Tom last night at an event, but, at his insistence, I also promised to comment here today.

Tom is a good guy who you can joke with at a party, but that still doesn't mean that he is even in the orbit of correct here.

Sean, It wasn't just me that felt that the event squandered a great opportunity to move things forward in terms of tech policy and education. And I didn't see that many people at the event.

I know I am not the only one that is fed up with hearing the same things, the same complaints regarding US education, year after year after year.

In my own tiny way, I'm trying to move the conversation forward by offering feedback for you and the other organizers of such events. Feel free to attack this post but let me remind you, it represents not just my views, but also of others who were at the event.

I applaud all the excellent work that Cisco and John Chambers has done to improve education around the world. However, I'm surprised that he would give up so easily with improving Silicon Valley's local schools.

There are many things that can be done, especially in applying the tools for building social media communities to schools--a key emerging business for Cisco.

Why not build a type of "cragslist" around every school? It would bring the local community together with its local schools; a collaborative platform could also be offered for the teachers and classrooms, etc. Teachers could post what they needed, volunteers could be recruited for tutoring etc.

Within walking distance of every local school there is a tremendous amount of resources that could help raise the standard of education for all, regardless of income.

Silicon Valley schools could very easily, and inexpensively become wonderful showcases for the transforming power of the technologies being developed here.

I refuse to believe that our local school system is broken and cannot be fixed, yet John Chambers has said this repeatedly. And I refuse to believe that John Chambers and our other local captains of industry cannot find a solution to this problem.

We have an amazing number of world class leaders here in the Bay Area, there is nothing that they cannot accomplish.

Where there is a will there is a way, and hopefully my humble post might renew Mr Chambers interest in revisiting this challenge.

Tom - I could not agree more about the need to use local resources to help our local population. There is a terrific non profit call the Anita Borg Institute (www.anitaborg.org) with the mission to connect women and technology - to keep our young women interested in technology -to stay in technical programs in universities and in technical jobs in companies. It is funded by corporations - most of them in Silicon Valley - where we have the biggest shortage of qualified engineers.

You may want to check out the Grace Hopper Conference in Orlando next week. ~1500 young technical women in one place debating how to improve their schools and companies to keep women in technology.

There's a lot of talk at the top of companies on the issues. ABI is doing something meaningful about it.

Thanks Elizabeth, I was surprised myself that Sean is so quick to critisize me but then won't say where I've gone wrong. Maybe he doesn't want to put the work into researching the facts :-)

The beauty of this platform is that companies can add their side of the story right next to the story. Sean's company represents Cisco, you'd think it would put the effort into setting the record straight. Leaving comments next problematic posts is all part of the new PR. Some practice it, others don't, at least not yet...

oh brother. you're "engaged in the conversation" on this site and many others for years and then you're accused of not "practicing new PR" (whatever that is) because of a precise response to post that perhaps deserved to be ignored in the first place.

My main point is that I hope that Tom practices some "old journalism" and actually spends some time talking to people who have been fighting the good fight to try to improve education and get their nuanced perspectives instead of relying on twisting comments made by a single executive in between superior yawns and eye-rolls.

That said, Tom's push to "move the conversation forward" here is certainly laudable. I just believe that it will be more effective if it is an informed conversation. I will post an additional comment on what Cisco and others have done and the accusations that they have "given up."

I'm "cross-commenting" here for posterity's sake. If someone comes to this post via Google in a few years, I'd like them to have my full response...

And, in reference to Tom's last comment on his "$10,000" post, I'm happy that "we are all on the same page now". I assume that this means that along your worthy path to raise awareness for education reform there is an acknowledgment that you got your facts wrong and you misdirected your target of ire.

Comment from other post below....

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Tom, if $10,000 gets raised for public schools every time I call you out for being factually challenged, than I really should spend more time dissecting your posts.

And, really, three cheers for the fundraiser. 463 will contribute (for the record, the company's name is 463 Communications. Our 3-year-old blog is "The 463.")

I also like the "Craigslist" idea for schools. Obviously, parental and community support has been critical in separating the good public schools from the ones needing help. And, advanced collaborations tools should be a natural for leveraging and extending community support (much like the fundraiser is doing).

But enough of the air kisses, my friend. You clearly need some context and clarity before you continue this worthwhile thread.

First off, let's get to where you are wrong. You based the whole premise of the previous education post and repeated it here on your suggestion that John Chambers and other tech leaders have given up on local schools. I took the time to review the podcast of the 2005 Cisco forum that you reference. Here is (pretty much) exactly of what John Chambers said in response to your call at that forum for more involvement of tech CEOs in Valley schools:

“This is where we need some help. We’ve actually tried really hard. We literally jumped over fences; paid schools, put the technology in. We got the school bond issue changed in California. That was tech led and cost about $20 million dollars. We know what can be done technology wise. I know what’s capable, but, boy, we have not found the incentives to get the right people to make the changes. And, I agree with you, it’s embarrassing to be here in Silicon Valley, the high-tech capital of the world, where our education system in K-12 is broken. So, I am very open to what we can do, but it’s not for lack of effort. The CEOs will rally behind efforts and get both the company’s money, but more importantly, our own monies and finance efforts. We have just been unsuccessful in pushing it over the goal line.... Getting education to change and getting the organizational structure to change at the top is the hard one. I am very open to ideas.”

He never said schools "can't be fixed."

Next item... You dig yourself deeper in this post by saying: "Cisco was a big supporter for school vouchers, a controversial proposal designed to let parents help pay for private education with public school funds."

Nope. Wrong. Actually, Tom, you are referring to a failed initiative that was led by Tim Draper. TechNet didn't back this. Neither did Cisco or John Chambers.

Let's now look at what Chambers/Cisco/TechNet has done for public education.

1) In 1997, Chambers, John Doerr and Jim Barksdale founded TechNet and made education policy one of the organization's top-two priorities.

2) In 1998, TechNet pushed an initiative that would create competition and greater accountability among public schools by creating charter schools. Instead of having to have to spend millions on getting the initiative passed, TechNet was successful using it as a tool to pass similar legislation (AB 544). This was a huge win at the time.

3) In March of 2000, John Doerr, John Chambers and current NetFlix boss Reed Hastings raised $23 million to try to pass a statewide initiative that would lower the vote needed to pass a local school bond from a 2/3rds majority to a simple majority. This bill lost by two percentage points.

4) In November 2000 and during the same election cycle as Draper's push for vouchers, Chambers/Doerr and Hastings again teamed with other TechNet CEOs to win Proposition 39. Here's the description of the initiative: "Proposition 39 makes it easier for school districts, community colleges and county education offices to pass bonds for school construction and repairs. They can also use the bonds to buy or lease land for schools and to buy school furnishings and equipment, such as computers. These bonds are debts paid back with local property tax increases. The measure would lower the super-majority needed to pass a school bond from two-thirds of voters to 55 percent."

Each of the three execs gave millions of their own money to make this happen. Just stop and think at what this one single effort has done to raise needed funds for education infrastructure all over the state since 2000. (A whole bunch).

4) Ten years ago, Cisco started its first Networking Academy to provide networking training in high schools and community colleges. It quickly accelerated to the point where today it’s offered in over 150 countries and half a million students have graduated from the program.

This helps Cisco by ensuring that there is a large pool of prospective employees not just for Cisco but to fill the demand for computer and networking-related jobs across the economy. And the program fulfills a larger purpose by preparing young people for the jobs of the future. Nearly 30% of the graduates go on to start their own information technology business.

5) Finally, in an effort to show that if Cisco and others can make a difference in a place as ravaged and as need as those places impacted by Hurricane Katrina, then they can make a difference around the world (including closer to home), Cisco started the 21st Century Schools effort. The company is putting $40 million into this. $2 million came personally from John Chambers.

Taken from a page of News@Cisco: "The 21S Initiative's vision is to transform the approach to learning, creating a 21st century education model that improves the quality of education, prepares students with 21st century skills, and creates a foundation for economic opportunities and community success. 'This is an opportunity to show how technology can improve education and help to make our students competitive on the worldwide stage," Cisco's Fowler explains. 'This isn't technology for technology's sake; it's being used to improve the lives of students and their communities. The ultimate goal of the 21S Initiative is to build a 21st century education model that is scalable and replicable, in the future, and in other communities.'"

The 21S Initiative was cited by former president Bill Clinton last month when he gave Chambers his first Clinton Global Citizen Award for "demonstrating remarkable and innovative solutions to global challenges". Chamber's was awarded the "private sector" award.

The bottom line, Tom, is not that Cisco has done its share and shouldn't be bothered with calls to do more. Rather, TechNet leaders are eager to do more to support education reform efforts here and in other places.

However, they are extremely well-aware that the solutions aren't turn-key and require the commitment and involvement of all those who lead and drive public education.

Thanks Sean, I stand corrected, John Chambers and Cisco are doing a lot for local education... Hopefully we'll see the results of those efforts showing up very soon. In the meantime, I'm happy to try and help out in my tiny way, by helping to raise $10k for the schools. And I hope SVW readers will join in this laudable effort.

BTW, you are practicing the right kind of PR. Google will kick up my posts time and again, and if there is something that needs to be corrected it is best to put it in the comments. Believe it or not, there are few PR practicioners that understand this yet, (even at GOOG.) Certainly none at Wells Fargo...