4GL School Solutions Vice President to Lead SIF Special Programs Working Group.

TOWSON, Md. -- The Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF) has tapped Theo Ewers, vice president of product management for 4GL School Solutions, to chair the Special Programs Working Group and serve on the 2004-05 SIF Technical Board.

SIF is a nonprofit organization that brings together vendors, government agencies, state departments of education, and other industry leaders to develop a specification that ensures that primary and secondary (K-12) instructional and administrative software applications can share information seamlessly. 4GL, the leading provider of comprehensive, special education management solutions to top-tier school districts across the United States, has been an active member of SIF since 2002.

During her one-year term, Ewers will lead the Special Programs Working Group in carrying out its multi-pronged mission. The group will work to expand its two current data objects (also known as record layouts) to support specific state reporting requirements, and resolve specific architectural issues around accommodating variations between states. It will expand the two objects and add new objects, if necessary, to support special programs other than special education, such as Section 504 and Title I. It will also add new objects to support other reporting requirements such as the exchange of statewide testing accommodations information. In addition, the group will develop best practices documentation to facilitate the implementation and use of the objects.

"Through our work with districts across the country, 4GL Schools knows first-hand how important it is that software applications seamlessly share information to reduce the administrative burden, so education professionals can focus on the most important part of their work: educating children and improving student achievement," said Ewers. "The concept behind SIF is very much in alignment with 4GL's own mission in this regard. We're eager to contribute our expertise to help improve data management and accessibility in schools, and ensure that educators who work with special populations have the information they need to best support their students."

As part of her role leading the Special Programs Working Group, Ewers will also serve on the 2004-05 SIF Technical Board. The SIF Technical Board reviews and discusses organizational and work group issues, provides a forum for identifying and resolving issues that span more than one work group, and helps set the strategic direction for future releases.

Ewers has more than 30 years of training, education and experience in data quality issues and data analysis, and in software requirements, development and implementation. She has worked in these fields in both the private and public sectors, the latter including more than eight years of experience in the K-12 education with particular focus on the requirements and management of programs for special populations.

About the Schools Interoperability Framework

The Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF) is a 501 (C) 3 non-profit organization driven by K-12 education technology providers and users to revolutionize the management and accessibility of data within schools and school districts and states. SIF enables diverse applications to interact and share data efficiently, reliably and securely regardless of the platform hosting the applications. SIF has united over 100 education technology providers in an unprecedented effort to give teachers more time to do what they do best: teach. For further information, visit http://www.sifinfo.org.

About 4GL School Solutions

4GL School Solutions Inc. is the leading provider of comprehensive, special education management solutions to top-tier school districts across the United States. 4GL's depth and breadth of experience in special education help districts drive successful program implementations based on effective business processes and best practices.

Focused solely on K-12 education, 4GL's Web-based, ENCORE! suite of products provides a complete solution for managing the administrative complexities and critical decision-making processes inherent in programs for special populations. 4GL's proven, data-driven solutions help districts eliminate compliance issues, reduce the paperwork burden, increase revenue recovery, increase efficiency, improve staff satisfaction, ensure accountability, and support successful achievement of IEP goals.

Founded in 1996, 4GL School Solutions serves more than 95 school districts representing more than 1.9 million students nationwide. For more information, visit http://www.4glschools.com or call 877-678-8070.