Business Alliance- Mission

The Business Alliance for Tech Valley High School was formed in January 2005 to help Questar III and Capital Region BOCES shape and sustain Tech Valley High School. The Alliance is chaired by Bert Tobin, executive vice president/human resources of MapInfo Corporation, Troy. There are currently 33 members representing business, higher education, K-12, economic development and organized labor.

The Role of the Business Alliance

The Business Alliance for Tech Valley High School is designed to impact economic development in Tech Valley by influencing and sustaining a regional high school focused on emerging technologies. The Business Alliance focuses on:

• Workforce development: To address the employment needs of businesses focused on emerging technologies in our community.
• Professional development: To foster the partnership between business and education.
• Economic development: To provide a link between economic drivers and educational initiatives.
• Educational reform: To help effect a regional reformation in education.

The scope of work of the Business Alliance includes three areas:

In forming the model, the Business Alliance will:

• Offer guidance in defining Tech Valley High School (branding the school) and its mission.
• Help to shape criteria utilized for selecting students and required support services.
• Provide business input into selecting and developing curricula that are responsive to the global context of the modern diverse marketplace.
• Reach out to the business community to identify and recruit teaching team members.
• Champion project-based learning and other innovative teaching techniques.
• Help design, shape and influence the business campus and its integration with Tech Valley High School and its programs.

In evolving the model, the Business Alliance will:

• Continuously define and update the evolving needs of business in the high-tech world.
• Serve as a liaison between classroom theory and actual practice in the marketplace.
• Develop a platform for meaningful dialogue between business and education.
• Bring critical issues to the table for reflection, discussion and strategy development.
• Assist in identifying real-world applications for the classroom.
• Provide guidance in the development and implementation of a strategy for evaluation of Tech Valley High School.
• Partner in the design and implementation of professional development opportunities for teachers and staff.
• Facilitate the articulation of Tech Valley High School programs with higher education partners.
• Seek out best practices from business, K-12 and higher education in the areas of curriculum, staff development and partnerships – both locally and nationally.

In sustaining the model, the Business Alliance will:

• Help create opportunities for real-life applications of curriculum through internships, field experiences, shadowing, and other activities in the workplace.
• Facilitate and seek out new partners to fulfill the Tech Valley High School mission.
• Advocate for Tech Valley High School before business, government and the community as a whole.
• Assist with the identification and acquisition of funding to provide for continuous evolution of the school and its mission.