Building upon the maxim that great people make great organizations, Microsoft is making available to all educational institutions its newly created Education Competency Wheel, developed for the School District of Philadelphia and a significant outcome of the ongoing collaboration between the District and the Microsoft Partners in Learning Program in building the Philadelphia School of the Future.

The Education Competency Wheel is a set of guideposts for achieving educational excellence that centers on identifying and nurturing the right talents in a district’s employees, partners and students. The Education Competency Wheel documents the spectrum of characteristics across various roles that can help a school district succeed in the 21st century. Philadelphia school officials recently began using the Education Competency Wheel and related materials to guide hiring decisions and professional development activities throughout the district. The Education Competency Wheel materials are posted on the Microsoft Education Web site (http://www.microsoft.com/education/competencies/default.mspx) for other school districts to adapt and use in creating their own competencies.