4th GRADE PROJECT MANAGEMENT

An Innovative Approach to Education Reform: Project Management for 4th Graders 

Indianapolis technology guru proves that “everything you need to know in order to run a Fortune 500 IT Department can be learned in the 4th grade.” 

For more information contact Vija Dixon, (317) 475-9311.   

To get your own PM for 4th Graders kit email RMA.

August 13, 2001, Indianapolis, IN.  Years spent in pursuit of IT excellence has taught Lou Russell that many of the technology problems facing major corporations could have been avoided if only better project management skills had been taught – in the 4th grade, so she developed the first-ever project management skills program for her daughter Kelly’s fourth grade class.

 

Russell, President of the Indianapolis-based technology training firm Russell Martin & Associates, has used her many years of expertise counseling corporate project managers to develop a unique approach to “starting them young” – a program designed to assist fourth grade students master project management skills.  “This is valuable knowledge,” says Russell, “that these students will be able to put to use when organizing their school projects this Fall – and their company work plans in the decades to come.”

 

The genesis for this idea began when Lou noticed her own daughter’s tendency to put off class assignments until the last possible moment – usually Sunday evenings when all of the stores were closed and none of the essential supplies were available.  With that in mind, she approached administrators at her local elementary school in Fishers, Indiana with the same exercises she uses on her adult clients.  The results were astounding – if not surprising. 

 

“The students assumed a lot instead of seeking to clarify,” says Russell.  “They competed when they should have collaborated, and often pretended to be successful when they obviously were not.  All the same bad habits I encounter everyday on the job.  That’s when I decided to develop the platform for Project Management for 4th Graders.”  The result?  “No more midnight runs to Target for oak tag or colored paper, and better grades.” 

 

A free Project Management for 4th Graders kit can be obtained by contacting Lou Russell at info@russellmartin.com or by visiting the Russell Martin website, www.russellmartin.com.

 

Russell Martin and Associates, based in Indianapolis, IN, is a consulting and training company that focuses on improved planning, process, and performance.  Clients include Nike, Sparta, LL Bean, and other Fortune 500 firms, as well as churches, schools and colleges.