Partnership is First in Gateway's New Grassroots
Initiative to Help People Get More Out of Technology
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Unveiling the first of several major
new alliances to help local communities get more out of technology, Gateway
Inc. (NYSE: GTW) today announced a strategic relationship with Family
Education Network (FEN) to support local schools and use technology to
facilitate interaction between families, teachers and school administrators.
The leading provider of PCs to the education market, Gateway kicks off its
new partnership with FEN's SchoolCash e-fundraising program, an innovative
online approach to raising money for schools. Customers purchasing a Gateway
PC can designate the K-12 school of their choice to receive "Gateway Bucks" --
a credit of $25 which schools can use toward future purchases of Gateway PCs.
In the coming months the SchoolCash program will be followed by a
Gateway/FEN community-based education program leveraging the training
capabilities of more than 300 Gateway Country stores to help teachers harness
the power of technology in their classrooms. Additional Gateway/FEN efforts
are being developed to create stronger relationships between schools and their
communities, and leverage technology to improve the quality of education in
K-12 schools.
Family Education Network, part of Learning Network for K-12, provides
current educational, family and child-related information for parents,
teachers, school administrators and professionals. Among its programs, FEN
operates http://www.familyeducation.com, an award-winning parent site, and
http://www.myschoolonline.com, where classroom-specific websites provide information
for parents on their child's school schedules, classroom activities, homework
assignments, lunch menus and more.
"Gateway's relationship with FEN is an important step in our plan to build
a unique community network among teachers, administrators, parents and
students, while strengthening our ability to build lifelong customer
relationships," said Cliff Holtz, senior vice president, Gateway Consumer
division. "Family Education Network's unique content and tools will help them
share information in real time and in ways that will have a positive impact on
education at the community level. We believe it's one of the most vital uses
of the Internet."
Complementing its relationship with FEN, Gateway's Teacher:)Ware and
College:)Ware packages provide computing solutions designed specifically for
teachers and college-bound students, including training that shows them how to
make the most of technology. Gateway Country stores also offer free clinics
for teachers to help familiarize them with technology's possibilities, as well
as Gateway "technology ambassadors" whose mission is to work with community
groups to help demystify technology.
Gateway also has successfully forged alliances and created solutions that
enhance student learning. The company's relationship with N2H2
(Nasdaq: NTWO), a leading Internet infrastructure company, provides K-12
schools with filtering solutions that help make Internet usage safer and more
productive for students. The company also teams with Lightspan
(Nasdaq: LSPN), a leading provider of curriculum-based products to deliver
educational solutions to schools.
"We're thrilled that Gateway supports us in our primary work to use new
technology to create a better home-to-school connection in our communities,"
said Jon Carson, co-founder of Family Education Network, now part of Learning
Network. "This new relationship is a shared win for our three core audiences
-- parents, teachers, and students -- as we mutually work together to support
the learning and overall development of our children."
About Family Education Network
Headquartered in Boston and founded in 1990, Family Education Network is
the Internet's largest and fastest growing K-12 and parent network. Family
Education Network uniquely brings together leading organizations from both the
public and private sectors to help parents, teachers and students use online
tools and other media resources to positively effect children's education and
overall development. Beginning in September 2000, Family Education Network
will be part of Learning Network -- the Internet's premier education source.
Together, Family Education Network and Learning Network aim to empower
parents, teachers and students to reach their fullest learning potential. For
more information, call 1-888-881-3472 or visit http://www.familyeducation.com on the
Internet.
About Gateway
Gateway (NYSE: GTW), a Fortune 250 company founded in 1985, focuses on
building lifelong relationships with consumers and businesses through complete
technology personalization. Gateway ranked number one in U.S. consumer
PC revenue in 1999(1) and was rated among the top ten best corporate
reputations in America according to a survey conducted in August of 1999 by
Harris Interactive and the Reputation Institute and published in The Wall
Street Journal. In 1999, Gateway was seventh in total return to shareholders
among Fortune 500 companies and tenth in total shareholder returns over the
past five years.(2) Gateway employees worldwide provide clients with services
and built-to-order computers that consistently win top awards from leading
industry publications. Gateway had total global revenue of $8.65 billion in
1999 and shipped 4.68 million systems. For more information, visit our Web
site at http://www.gateway.com
(1) According to GartnerGroup/Dataquest US PC Quarterly statistics.
(2) According to Fortune Magazine, April 17, 2000.
SOURCE Gateway Inc.
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.gateway.com
CONTACT:
Brad Williams of Gateway, 858-799-2511,
brad.williams@gateway.com; or Dominic Brodeur of Family Education
Network, part of Learning Network, 617-542-6500, ext. 1729,
Dbrodeur@fen.com
|
