Kenneth Komoski was an educational advocate, nonprofit executive, and former teacher. He died November 15, 2017, aged 89. Komoski served as head of the Center for Programmed Instruction and the Educational Products Information Exchange Institute. In 1964, ''
Life Magazine
''Life'' was an American magazine published weekly from 1883 to 1972, as an intermittent "special" until 1978, and as a monthly from 1978 until 2000. During its golden age from 1936 to 1972, ''Life'' was a wide-ranging weekly general-interest ma ...
'' named him to their list of Young Leaders of the Big Breakthrough. The magazine noted that he "was among the first to explore the new field of education by teaching-machines, such as keyboard devices, microfilm, and computers". Several years later, Komoski coined the term "learner verification and revision" for formative evaluation and modification of instructional materials (aka field testing with learners). His work in educational technology led the
International Society for Performance Improvement
The International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) is a non-profit association for performance improvement professionals dedicated to improving individual, organizational, and societal functioning, productivity, and accomplishment in th ...
to award him their Honorary Lifetime Member Award in 1979.
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Morristown School (now Morristown-Beard School) in
Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown () is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...
in 1947. Komoski then completed a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in history and philosophy at
Acadia University
Acadia University is a public, predominantly undergraduate university located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada, with some graduate programs at the master's level and one at the doctoral level. The enabling legislation consists of the Acadia ...
in
Wolfville
Wolfville is a Canadian town in the Annapolis Valley, Kings County, Nova Scotia, located about northwest of the provincial capital, Halifax. The town is home to Acadia University and Landmark East School.
The town is a tourist destination du ...
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
.
After graduating from Acadia University, Komoski returned to Morristown School to work as a teacher. He then taught social studies at the Collegiate School in New York City and served as head of its middle school. Komoski later served as the director of the Automated Teaching Project at the Collegiate School. Begun during the late 1950s, this project led efforts to test
programmed instruction Programmed learning (or programmed instruction) is a research-based system which helps learners work successfully. The method is guided by research done by a variety of applied psychologists and educators.Lumsdaine A.A. 1963. Instruments and media ...
in both elementary schools and secondary schools. Faculty members programmed machines that asked students' questions and then presented them within immediate answers to facilitate learning. While working at the Collegiate School, Komoski participated as one of 27 invited educators at the 1960 Designs For Learning national conference in
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sout ...
. Run by the
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...
's Educational Facilities Laboratories, the conference discussed school designs to meet changing educational needs.
Career in educational development and technology
In 1961, Komoski began working as president of the Center for Programmed Instruction (CPI). Started as an independent nonprofit organization, the center affiliated with the Institute for Educational Technology at Columbia's
Teachers College
A normal school or normal college is an institution created to train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high school level, turni ...
. Funded by the
Carnegie Corporation of New York
The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to support education programs across the United States, and later the world. Carnegie Corporation has endowed or otherwise helped to establis ...
, CPI supported the development of programmed instruction as a practice. Komoski later served as associate executive director of the Institute for Educational Technology and adjunct associate professor of education at Columbia. While at Columbia, Komoski authored the first publication to document that many educational materials did not undergo field testing. Developers did not revise the materials with feedback from real learners.
During the 1960s, Komoski consulted on
educational technology
Educational technology (commonly abbreviated as edutech, or edtech) is the combined use of computer hardware, software, and educational theory and practice to facilitate learning. When referred to with its abbreviation, edtech, it often refer ...
for
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
(the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization). He taught workshops on programmed instruction in
Ramallah
Ramallah ( , ; ar, رام الله, , God's Height) is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank that serves as the ''de facto'' administrative capital of the State of Palestine. It is situated on the Judaean Mountains, north of Jerusale ...
,
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
(now a
Palestinian
Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
city in the
West Bank
The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...
) and
Ibadan, Nigeria
Ibadan (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the List of Nigerian cities by population, third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano (city), Kano, with a total population ...
. Komoski later consulted for the
U.S. Department of State
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...
and President Lyndon B. Johnson's Commission on Instructional Technology. In 1970, Komoski authored the report "Toward the Development of Effective Instructional Technology for American Education". This work served as a supporting paper for the 1970 Commission's final report to the President and Congress.
In 1983, Komoski began hosting the half-hour TV show ''Educational Computing'' on
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
. Funded by the
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is an American publicly funded non-profit corporation, created in 1967 to promote and help support public broadcasting. The corporation's mission is to ensure universal access to non-commercial, ...
, the show discussed how computers support learning in classrooms and at home. ''Educational Computing'' featured news stories, interviews, and demonstrations of recommended
educational software
Educational software is a term used for any computer software which is made for an educational purpose. It encompasses different ranges from language learning software to classroom management software to reference software. The purpose of all t ...
. Episodes also discussed
computer networking
A computer network is a set of computers sharing resources located on or provided by network nodes. The computers use common communication protocols over digital interconnections to communicate with each other. These interconnections are ma ...
and the
digital divide
The digital divide is the unequal access to digital technology, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and the internet. The digital divide creates a division and inequality around access to information and resources. In the Information Age in ...
separating poor school districts from districts with more resources.
EPIE Institute
In 1967, Komoski authored ''Development of a System for An Educational Products Information Exchange''. This report discussed a long-term federally funded study on the development of an exchange to evaluate educational products. The findings led Komoski to co-found the Educational Products Information Exchange Institute (EPIE Institute) and serve as its executive director. The EPIE Institute developed model practices for whole curriculum approaches to align curriculum with learning goals and evaluate learning resources. It also reviewed and evaluated teaching aids and educational technology. In 1982, the EPIE Institute began a partnership with the
Consumers Union
A consumer is a person or a group who intends to order, or uses purchased goods, products, or services primarily for personal, social, family, household and similar needs, who is not directly related to entrepreneurial or business activities. T ...
, the producer of ''
Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports (CR), formerly Consumers Union (CU), is an American nonprofit consumer organization dedicated to independent product testing, investigative journalism, consumer-oriented research, public education, and consumer advocacy.
Founded ...
''. The two organizations jointly produced the Pro/Files series of reports to evaluate computers, software, and accessory equipment. Funding from the
Richard Lounsbery Foundation
The Richard Lounsbery Foundation is a philanthropic organization in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1959, to enhance national strengths in science and technology (in the United States) and to foster strong Franco-American cooperation. To this ...
and the Ford Foundation supported the project.
During the mid-1990s, the EPIE Institute helped to found the Learning and Information Networking for Community Through Technology (LINCT) Coalition. The Institute then served as LINCT's managing partner organization working with law professor
Edgar S. Cahn
Edgar Stuart Cahn (March 23, 1935January 23, 2022) was an American law professor, a counsel and speech writer to Robert F. Kennedy, and the creator of TimeBanking. He co-founded the Antioch School of Law (now the David A. Clarke School of Law at ...
(the creator of
time banking
In economics, a time-based currency is an alternative currency or exchange system where the unit of account is the person-hour or some other time unit. Some time-based currencies value everyone's contributions equally: one hour equals one service ...
) and researcher Curtiss Priest. LINCT operated as a nonprofit coalition of socially-concerned organizations working with businesses, schools, libraries, governments, and social service agencies.
In 1996, the EPIE Institute published ''Creating Learning Communities: Practical, Universal Networking for Learning in Schools and Homes''. Co-authored by Komoski and Priest, the report presented the findings of a two-year research study on the development of intentional educational networks. The
MacArthur Foundation
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is a private foundation that makes grants and impact investments to support non-profit organizations in approximately 50 countries around the world. It has an endowment of $7.0 billion and p ...
funded this work to support collaborations among schools and their communities.
Work to address the digital divide
In 1983, Komoski launched the Excellence and Equity in Electronic Education (4E) project at the EPIE Institute. Funded by a
San Francisco Foundation San Francisco Foundation is a San Francisco Bay Area philanthropy organization. It is one of the largest community foundations in the United States. Its mission is to mobilize community leaders, nonprofits, government agencies, and donors to advance ...
grant, 4E taught schools how to train parents on the use of computers to support home learning. The project also sought to help low-income families attain computers for use at home.
During the mid to late 1980s and early 1990s, Komoski consulted for networking projects in
Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, Michigan, Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo River, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek River, Battle Creek rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle C ...
and
Indian River County, Florida
Indian River County ( es, Condado de Río Indio, link=) is a county located in the Treasure Coast region of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 159,788. Its seat is Vero Beach. It is Florida's 7th richest county ...
that connected schools and local communities. The work led him to publish "The 81% Solution" in ''
Education Week
''Education Week'' is an independent news organization that has covered K–12 education since 1981. It is owned by Editorial Projects in Education (EPE), a nonprofit organization, and headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland in Greater Washington ...
'', which discussed challenges in addressing learning needs through technology. The article noted that children spend most of their time (81 percent) at home and only 19 percent of their time at school. Komoski proposed the use of
community network
A community network is a computer-based system that is intended to help support (usually geographical) communities by supporting, augmenting, and extending already existing social networks, by using networking technologies by, and for, a communit ...
s to help meet the learning needs of children, particularly
at-risk youth
An at-risk student is a term used in the United States to describe a student who requires temporary or ongoing intervention in order to succeed academically. Richardson, Val, comp. "At-Risk Student Intervention Implementation Guide." The Education ...
from poorer communities. He also suggested ways in which children and families could earn computers donated from businesses while developing their skills.
The ideas proposed in the "81 Percent Solution" later facilitated the work of LINCT to create solutions to address the digital divide. During the mid- and late 1990s, LINCT developed Learn and Earn programs for children and their families, low-wage workers, and unemployed persons. Participants in the programs learned skills in areas such as
word processing
A word is a basic element of language that carries an objective or practical meaning, can be used on its own, and is uninterruptible. Despite the fact that language speakers often have an intuitive grasp of what a word is, there is no consen ...
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system enabling documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet.
Documents and downloadable media are made available to the network through web se ...
. After completing the Learn and Earn programs, they could bring home a computer for use at home. LINCT piloted Learn and Earn in the
New York City metropolitan area
The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban area, urban landmass, at , and one of the list of most populous metropolitan areas, most populous urban agg ...
in partnership with the
Urban League
The National Urban League, formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan historic civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of economic and social justice for African Am ...
and other community organizations. The success of this program influenced the development of similar programs in Los Angeles,
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, and
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
. These programs later scaled down during the early and mid 2000s because of government funding cuts.
In 2012, Komoski started EPIE's Digital Age Family Literacy Program (DAFLP) at Southampton Intermediate School in
Southampton, New York
Southampton, officially the Town of Southampton, is a town in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, partly on the South Fork of Long Island. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the town had a population of 69,036. Southampton is included in the stret ...
. DAFLP runs a 12-week computing course for families of non-native English-speakers on Long Island. Participants earn home use of their laptop computer after completing the program.
Stephen H. Hess
Stephen H. Hess (born April 20, 1933 in New York City) is a senior fellow emeritus in the Governance Studies program at the Brookings Institution. He studies media, the U.S. presidency, political dynasties and the U.S. government. He first joined ...
, the conference discussed the needs of children aged birth to 13. The discussions in the Educational Technology Forum led to recommendations to incorporate educational technology in all federal education programs and Congressional legislation. Recommendations also suggested ways to strengthen individualized learning and incorporate educational technology into the proposed U.S. National Institute of Education. Komoski consulted for the study on the development of the Institute funded by the
Rand Corporation
The RAND Corporation (from the phrase "research and development") is an American nonprofit global policy think tank created in 1948 by Douglas Aircraft Company to offer research and analysis to the United States Armed Forces. It is financed ...
.
In 1976, Komoski presented at the Educating All Handicapped Children Conference (EAHCC) in
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
at the invitation of Elwood L. Bland. Bland headed the Learning Resource Division of the Bureau of Education of the Handicapped (now the
Office of Special Education Programs
Originally created as the Bureau of the Education of the Handicapped, the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is part of the U.S. Department of Education. OSEP provides leadership and support for professionals working with children with d ...
.) The EAHCC conference discussed implications for the use of educational technology to support implementation of the
Education for All Handicapped Children Act
The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (sometimes referred to using the acronyms EAHCA or EHA, or Public Law (PL) 94-142 was enacted by the United States Congress in 1975. This act required all public schools accepting federal funds to p ...
. (Passed in 1975, the act changed to the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a piece of American legislation that ensures students with a disability are provided with a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) that is tailored to their individual needs. IDEA was ...
in 1990.) Komoski's presentation discussed the evaluation of instructional materials to improve classroom instruction for students with disabilities.
Two years later, Komoski presented on "Publishers Responsibilities in Meeting the Continuing Challenge of Literacy" at the National Right to Read Conference. Run by the
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), located in Princeton, New Jersey, in the United States, is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent scholar ...
under contract with the U.S. Office of Education, the conference had a theme of Literacy: Meeting the Challenge. The conference organizers later published Komoski's presentation in an eight-part series of proceedings.
Congressional testimony
In 1971, Komoski testified before the Select Committee on Education of the House Committee on Education and Labor (now the
Committee on Education and the Workforce
The Committee on Education and Labor is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. There are 50 members in this committee. Since 2019, the chair of the Education and Labor committee is Robert Cortez Scott of Virginia.
Hi ...
). The
Congressional hearing
A United States congressional hearing is the principal formal method by which United States congressional committees collect and analyze information in the early stages of legislative policymaking. Whether confirmation hearings (a procedure unique ...
discussed legislation to establish the U.S. National Institute of Education in the
Office of Education
The Office of Education, at times known as the Department of Education and the Bureau of Education, was a small unit in the Federal Government of the United States within the U.S. Department of the Interior from 1867 to 1972. It is now separated i ...
of the
U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a Cabinet of the United States, cabinet-level United States federal executive departments, executive branch department of the U.S. federal government of the United States, fede ...
. (Federal educational agencies now stand alone as the
U.S. Department of Education
The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...
). In 1992, Komoski testified again before the House Subcommittee on Education. This hearing discussed legislation to reauthorize the
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) is the independent, non-partisan statistics, research, and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Education. IES' stated mission is to provide scientific evidence on which to ground education practice ...
United States Tennis Association
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, ...