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A well-educated workforce is essential if communities and individuals are to prosper in the 21st century. Cisco’s education initiatives help fill the global networking talent pool. But just as important, they serve as models for learning innovation that makes instruction more effective and students more capable.

Number of Countries¹ with Active Networking Academy Sites, by Year

Bar graph detailing Number of Countries with Active Networking Academy Sites, by Year. 7 in 1998, 27 in 1999, 71 in 2000, 128 in 2001, 142 in 2002, 149 in 2003, 155 in 2004, 163 in 2005, 164 in 2006, 164 in 2007, 166 in 2008 and 168 in 2009. Data is reported as of July 31 of each year.

¹For administrative purposes, we have defined some geographical areas as countries that are not autonomous states or are not recognized as countries by international bodies such as the United Nations. Examples of these include American Samoa, Hong Kong, and Puerto Rico. The numbers from FY05 through FY08 have been adjusted downward by 1 in this year’s report because French Polynesia is no longer counted as a separate country.

² Data as of July 31 of each year.

Program Highlights

Cisco Networking Academy may be the largest educational organization of its kind in the world. In FY09, it offered 14 courses to more than 800,000 students. Cisco has invested over $350 million in the program to date. Networking Academy continues to emphasize participation by women, such as the F-email program in Central and Eastern Europe. Besides networking skills, courses teach self-evaluation, assertiveness, and person-to-person skills that help students get jobs. In Serbia, 100 percent of graduates found employment. Learn more about Cisco Networking Academy.
Cisco 21st Century Schools Program in Louisiana and Mississippi aims to raise student performance and increase educational efficiency by deploying multimedia technology in schools, training teachers in new educational methods, and linking schools more closely with parents and education resources. For example, during FY09 the Jefferson Parish Public School System in Louisiana expanded its professional development offerings to include hands-on workshops that used Web 2.0 technology and videoconferencing. In August, the district conducted a two-day instructional technology institute for all of its 5000 teachers. Seventy-three percent of 3340 survey respondents rated the institute a positive or very positive experience.
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Cisco invested $2 million in the New York City iSchool initiative, which sets up model four-year high schools that blend innovative technology with a project-based curricula. The typical school enrolls a high percentage of low-income and special-needs students. Twenty-three percent of students passed the Global Studies Regents exam after only five months of instruction. The iSchool students’ pass rate was 93 percent at the end of the year, compared to 50 percent for all New York City schools.
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Cisco’s Transforming Education New window

Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills New window is a research initiative aimed at making global education more effective by defining the skills needed by today’s students and developing strategies for measuring progress.

GETideas.org New window serves as a point of connection for education system leaders and academics to exchange ideas about 21st century learning and educational transformation.

SmartCity@Malta New window is a futuristic project that seeks to position Malta squarely in the global knowledge economy. Cisco has entered into a partnership to provide technology training.

Learn more about Cisco social investments
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