Spectrum Consulting Group (SCG), a division of Spectrum International, specializes in working with public school districts to undertake initiatives that will enhance teaching and learning and lead to excellence in student performance.

SCG's principal consultant, John Q. Porter, served for seven years as Chief Information Officer and Deputy Superintendent of the Montgomery County (MD) Public Schools. Subsequently, he was Superintendent of Oklahoma City Public Schools. From his experience, Mr. Porter has developed a thorough understanding of public school administration coupled with a progressive approach to the use of technology in today's public schools. His achievements include: transforming a district with limited focus on technology into a district with a nationally recognized model for use of technology in education; developing the Technology Modernization program; implementing a Digital Divide initiative to ensure that students and parents in high-poverty areas have equitable access to technology; developing and implementing a Data Warehouse to enable data-driven decision making; and implementing an Instructional Management System, a set of Web-based tools. During this time, Mr. Porter was the recipient of many awards, including Public CIO magazine's CIO of the Year Award, The Win Win Strategies Foundation's Educational Leader of the Year, the Education Technology Think Tank's Leaders Investing in Equitable Futures Award, the Congressional Black Caucus Champion Leadership Award, and the MICCA Technology Leadership District Award, among others. He is a nationally known speaker and writer on technology in education, offering expertise on such topics as data-driven decision making, knowledge management systems and professional development. Mr. Porter works directly with school superintendents, advising them on technology strategies and how to use data and systems to drive instruction.

SCG's mission is to assist educational leaders in assessing and addressing the roadblocks to student achievement and to provide innovative system-wide pathways to excellence in performance for our nation's diverse student population.

SCG's approach seeks to identify the key elements of school improvement and organizational development that must be supported in every office and every school in order to promote high levels of student achievement. This approach applies from the highest levels of our school districts, with the key stakeholders (superintendents, school boards and collective bargaining units), all the way down to measuring and assessing individual student progress.

The framework of SCG's approach involves determining a number of best practices within the organization. These best practices are then applied and integrated at all levels of the organization. For example, in many school districts, one best practice has been found to be "Managing for Innovation," which is the process by which stakeholders are supported in creating meaningful change in programs or processes that create new value for student achievement. This best practice would then be applied at all levels of the organization, from the district, to the school, to the classroom level.

SCG does not just look at IT systems or business processes in a vacuum to offer answers, but systematically examines every aspect of the district to provide solutions that are focused on the organizational goals of dramatically increasing student performance.