Who is PRISM primarily designed for and why was it created?
PRISM is primarily designed for K-12 district and school mathematics, science, and technology educators who work directly and indirectly with classroom teachers. Targeted audiences include curriculum specialists, mentor and lead teachers, project directors, staff developers, and principals. A secondary emphasis is on classroom teachers themselves. PRISM is designed to save users time and frustration by filtering for the most useful resources among the thousands of available resources accessible through Google and other web-based search engines.

What kinds of materials can I find in the PRISM database and how are they organized and selected?
The majority of the over 500 resources listed in the database are web-based sites that contain online and printed material and/or access to other resource sites. PRISM also includes listings of seminal printed publications that are not available online. The database is organized across two key areas: 1) recommended individual resources (e.g., a discrete web page or document) and, 2) clearinghouse and education lab resources (e.g., the ERIC Clearinghouse). Materials in both these areas are further divided into seven key topics that are critical components of high performance learning organizations: 1. SMT Organizational Focus, 2. High Performance Leadership Teams, 3. Standards-based SMT Instruction, 4. Aligned Accountability/Assessment Systems, 5. Ongoing Professional Development for All, 6. Community Engagement/Stakeholder Involvement, and 7. Equity for all SMT Students.

Materials in the database were selected through a multi-step screening process that involved initial identification by research staff, and review and rating by expert consultants in each of the seven topic areas. Selection criteria included ease of use/access of the host site, depth of content, usefulness, and timeliness of the resources themselves.

What is the difference between the Recommended Resources and the Clearinghouse and Education Lab Resources menu options, and how are they related?
The Recommended Resources menu option provides access to resources that have been screened by content experts and organized in seven key topic areas (see FAQ #2). Selecting any of the key topic areas will provide a list of subtopics, where appropriate, and a database report of the recommended resources with brief abstract descriptions and hot links to the actual websites (see FAQ #4 for details on accessing these sites).

The Clearinghouse and Education Lab Resources menu option provides access to ten SMT megasites that include resources across all (or most) of the seven high performance topic areas. Choosing this menu option will lead you to a site map and tips for navigating each of the ten large sites (see FAQ #5 for details on accessing these sites).

Since megasites are comprehensive lists of materials that have oftentimes not been filtered, PRISM provides access to the megasites and their resources separately (Clearinghouse and Education Lab Resources menu option). However, select resource materials from the megasites that have been reviewed and recommended are also included in the Recommended Resources.
The two menu outputs therefore overlap at times.

What is the "wheel" and how do I access resource listings through it?
The "wheel" refers to the septagon graphic that houses the materials accessible through the Recommended Resources menu option (see FAQs #2 & #3). The wheel is subdivided into seven "spokes," the seven topic areas that are critical components of high performance learning organizations. Placing the cursor over any of the spokes will result in a pop-up description of that particular topic area. Clicking on any of the spokes will provide a list of subtopics, where applicable, and a follow-up listing of recommended resources.

Each item in the list of recommended resources includes a title, brief abstract, and hot link to the website (or author in the case of non-web-based material). Click on the small septagon graphic followed by the phrase "Return to the wheel" located on the bottom or sides of the database web pages to return to the main wheel.

What is the megasite table and how do I access resource listings through it?
The megasite table is a matrix that lists the ten clearinghouse and educational lab sites with separate columns for each of seven high performance topic areas. Each of the cells in the matrix contains a graphic indicator of the amount of resources available on that topic area within the corresponding site. Clicking on any of these indicators will provide a direct link to that area of the corresponding megasite.

Clicking on any of the ten listed sites in the table will provide access to an overview of the site, some tips for navigation, a site map and detailed overview, and a comprehensive listing of site hot links organized by the seven topic areas. Remember: Click on the site name for hot links to background information on the site; click on the individual grid cells to access a listing of resource links for the particular site and topic area.