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HON's Progressive SmartLink Furniture Provides Solution For Educational Program
10.8.09 | Muscatine,
IA | This summer, while most children were
splashing at the pool or playing at the local playground, 80 middle school math
students in New York city were hitting the books. 
Smartlink RoomBut the summer school
they attended was unlike any other: called the “School of One,” the
innovative learning project involves a radically different approach to teaching
– and learning. And to help facilitate this novel
educational program, the New York City Department of Education selected The HON
Company’s innovative SmartLink™ classroom furniture for the entire
project.
The mission of the School of One is to provide students with personalized, effective and dynamic classroom instruction customized to their academic needs and learning styles. It reinvents the traditional one-teacher and 25 student classroom model: instead, each student participates in a combination of teacher-led instruction, one-on-one tutoring, independent learning and work with virtual tutors.
To organize this type of learning, each student receives a unique daily schedule based on his or her academic strengths and needs. As a result, students within the same school – or even classroom – can receive profoundly different instruction; each student’s schedule is tailored to the skills they need and the ways they best learn. Teachers acquire data about student achievement each day and then adapt their live instructional lessons accordingly.
“The School of One project is truly unlike any other educational program that exists today – and therefore, it demanded furniture as progressive as its mission,” said Bruce Reinhart, national education sales manager for The HON Company.
Local HON dealer Dan Wheeler with Office Equipment Company of New York (OECNY) agreed, explaining, “HON’s SmartLink furniture was the perfect fit – it’s a total package solution for the ever-changing and increasingly interactive classroom.”
Born out of findings from the responses of teachers, principals, administrators, students and designers through meticulous research, HON’s SmartLink classroom furniture is a comprehensive, visually coordinated, adaptable and durable technology-centric furniture solution designed to organize and manage the K-12 classroom with a single product line.
“When we began the process of selecting furniture for the School of One, we had three things in mind: first, we wanted a proven name in furniture; second, we wanted a durable, adaptable product with the highest quality standards; and third, from an aesthetic standpoint, we wanted furniture that was modern and stylish – that represented what ‘school’ would look like in five to ten years. We got all this – and more – with SmartLink,” said Jonathan Skolnick, manager of School of One program operations and director of innovative strategy with the New York City Department of Education.
Skolnick continued, “We received extremely positive feedback on the SmartLink furniture from parents, children – and especially the teachers. They appreciated the furniture’s mobility and adaptability, and the fact that the classroom looked modern and mature – more college-like; rather than a typical middle school classroom.”
The educational results of the first School of One learning project are still being reviewed, however all indications show that it was extremely successful. New York City anticipates that additional funding will allow the School of One project to expand to other schools starting this year.
“We were thrilled to be part of such an exciting initiative,” said Reinhart. “HON believes wholeheartedly in the School of One learning model and hopes to see it expand exponentially in the future.”
For more information about The HON Company and its SmartLink furniture, visit www.hon.com.
For more information on the School of One, visit http://schools.nyc.gov/schoolofone.
About The HON Company
The HON Company is a leader in the design and manufacturing of workplace furniture including chairs, storage, panel systems, tables and desks. Headquartered in Muscatine, Iowa, The HON Company has numerous manufacturing facilities strategically located throughout the United States, and markets its products through a nationwide network of dealers and retailers. The HON Company is an operating company of HNI Corporation (formerly HON INDUSTRIES). For more information, visit www.hon.com.
Smartlink RoomThe mission of the School of One is to provide students with personalized, effective and dynamic classroom instruction customized to their academic needs and learning styles. It reinvents the traditional one-teacher and 25 student classroom model: instead, each student participates in a combination of teacher-led instruction, one-on-one tutoring, independent learning and work with virtual tutors.
To organize this type of learning, each student receives a unique daily schedule based on his or her academic strengths and needs. As a result, students within the same school – or even classroom – can receive profoundly different instruction; each student’s schedule is tailored to the skills they need and the ways they best learn. Teachers acquire data about student achievement each day and then adapt their live instructional lessons accordingly.
“The School of One project is truly unlike any other educational program that exists today – and therefore, it demanded furniture as progressive as its mission,” said Bruce Reinhart, national education sales manager for The HON Company.
Local HON dealer Dan Wheeler with Office Equipment Company of New York (OECNY) agreed, explaining, “HON’s SmartLink furniture was the perfect fit – it’s a total package solution for the ever-changing and increasingly interactive classroom.”
Born out of findings from the responses of teachers, principals, administrators, students and designers through meticulous research, HON’s SmartLink classroom furniture is a comprehensive, visually coordinated, adaptable and durable technology-centric furniture solution designed to organize and manage the K-12 classroom with a single product line.
“When we began the process of selecting furniture for the School of One, we had three things in mind: first, we wanted a proven name in furniture; second, we wanted a durable, adaptable product with the highest quality standards; and third, from an aesthetic standpoint, we wanted furniture that was modern and stylish – that represented what ‘school’ would look like in five to ten years. We got all this – and more – with SmartLink,” said Jonathan Skolnick, manager of School of One program operations and director of innovative strategy with the New York City Department of Education.
Skolnick continued, “We received extremely positive feedback on the SmartLink furniture from parents, children – and especially the teachers. They appreciated the furniture’s mobility and adaptability, and the fact that the classroom looked modern and mature – more college-like; rather than a typical middle school classroom.”
The educational results of the first School of One learning project are still being reviewed, however all indications show that it was extremely successful. New York City anticipates that additional funding will allow the School of One project to expand to other schools starting this year.
“We were thrilled to be part of such an exciting initiative,” said Reinhart. “HON believes wholeheartedly in the School of One learning model and hopes to see it expand exponentially in the future.”
For more information about The HON Company and its SmartLink furniture, visit www.hon.com.
For more information on the School of One, visit http://schools.nyc.gov/schoolofone.
About The HON Company
The HON Company is a leader in the design and manufacturing of workplace furniture including chairs, storage, panel systems, tables and desks. Headquartered in Muscatine, Iowa, The HON Company has numerous manufacturing facilities strategically located throughout the United States, and markets its products through a nationwide network of dealers and retailers. The HON Company is an operating company of HNI Corporation (formerly HON INDUSTRIES). For more information, visit www.hon.com.
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