Generation YES and "No Child Left Behind" Funding for Educational Technology
Generation YES, Inc. supports schools and districts looking for scientifically based, research proven programs to support whole-school technology infusion. Of the 4 models we publish, the best known of these is Generation Y.
Planning to submit a No Child Left Behind funding application? We can help. The information on this page will give you an overview of how Generation YES programs can meet your needs - and receive funding. Information from all parts of the Generation YES site is pulled together on this one page to help you add Generation YES programs to your funding application.
Generation YES Programs
Did You Know?
Generation Y has received a rare "exemplary" rating by the U.S. Department of Education's Expert Panel on Educational Technology.
| Generation Y | Student-centered technology skills integrated with sustainable professional development for teachers |
| Generation SCI | Rigorous curriculum for students working with school hardware |
| Generation GIT | Girls Issues in Technology |
| Generation DiD | Advanced technology projects and leadership skills |
Additional Information
For more details and discuss program costs for your school or district, call toll free (1-888-941-4369), or contact Sylvia Martinez at [email protected]
| Generation YES Programs and the ESEA Technology Funding (EETT) |
- Title IID - Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) is a combination of the funds previously distributed through technology challenge grants. Generation YES programs fit with ALL 8 purposes and goals of EETT. (Detailed analysis)
- Title V-A - Promoting Innovative Programs can also be used for Generation YES programs. (Detailed analysis)
| ESEA Guidelines |
Generation YES Programs |
| Emphasis on Proven Strategies | The Gen Y program is one of the most well-researched in education technology.
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| Professional Development � "25% of its allocation must be for high-quality professional development activities to prepare teachers to integrate technology into instruction." | The Generation Y program (Gen Y) has been providing quality staff development throughout the nation for six years. Gen Y is the only model of staff development that trains students to provide support for teachers as they infuse technology into their lessons. |
| Target High Need LEAs | Most of the schools that have delivered Generation YES programs fall into this category, including schools in Philadelphia, Washington DC, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas, along with many rural schools. |
Title II, Part D: Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT)
| EETT Purposes |
Generation YES Programs |
| (1) To provide assistance to States and localities for the implementation and support of a comprehensive system that effectively uses technology in elementary schools and secondary schools to improve student academic achievement. | The Gen Y program is one of the most well-researched in education technology.
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| (2) To encourage the establishment or expansion of initiatives, including initiatives involving public-private partnerships, designed to increase access to technology, particularly in schools served by high-need local educational agencies. | Gen SCI (Students Caring for Infrastructure) is a program that provides a rigorous curriculum for students who help care for school hardware and software. Teaching technology skills with an additional element of "soft skills" (communication, project planning and collaboration with others) makes Gen SCI a unique offering for schools who use student technologists. Using students to help care for technology infrastructure can reduce overall technical support costs and allow professional IT personnel to focus on the more important concerns facing them. |
| (3) To assist States and localities in the acquisition, development, interconnection, implementation, improvement, and maintenance of an effective educational technology infrastructure in a manner that expands access to technology for students (particularly for disadvantaged students) and teachers. | Gen GIT (Girls Issues and Technology) is an award-winning program that encourages girls to explore technology by focusing on the issues of importance to adolescent girls. Designed especially for girls who who have opted out of technology electives or "don't like computers," this program effectively closes the digital gender divide so often seen in technology classes. |
| (4) To promote initiatives that provide school teachers, principals, and administrators with the capacity to integrate technology effectively into curricula and instruction that are aligned with challenging State academic content and student academic achievement standards, through such means as high-quality professional development programs. | Generation Y is one of the only proven models that provides technology integration throughout the school. Teachers receive sustainable, authentic professional development as they partner with a student to build a technology infused curriculum component. |
| (5) To enhance the ongoing professional development of teachers, principals, and administrators by providing constant access to training and updated research in teaching and learning through electronic means. | Generation Y can support ongoing professional development programs by providing a scalable, cost-effective solution that works when and where your school needs it - in the classroom, everyday. Gen Y works with your schools unique technology program and provides support for it. Whether you are introducing laptops, handhelds, or wireless networking, having a cadre of knowledgeable students who can support teachers can make your professional development funds stretch to their full potential. |
| (6) To support the development and utilization of electronic networks and other innovative methods, such as distance learning, of delivering specialized or rigorous academic courses and curricula for students in areas that would not otherwise have access to such courses and curricula, particularly in geographically isolated regions. | Generation YES programs support the technology goals of the local school, district or agency. The inclusion of students to help design, develop, and support these programs, lessons, or infrastructure can allow districts to maximize their use for a very low cost. |
| (7) To support the rigorous evaluation of programs funded under this part, particularly regarding the impact of such programs on student academic achievement, and ensure that timely information on the results of such evaluations is widely accessible through electronic means. | All Generation YES programs are completely supported by online tools that assist the teacher in class and project assesment. The pre- and post assessments are filled out by both the student and their partner-teacher (for Gen Y). All Gen Y projects are assessed by expert teachers to ensure the excellence of all projects. |
| (8) To support local efforts using technology to promote parent and family involvement in education and communication among students, parents, teachers, principals, and administrators. | The Gen Did (Advanced Technology & Leadership) program expands on the Gen Y curriculum and can be offered to students who want to continue after Gen Y. Many Gen Y graduates are eager to continue working with the school to further technology plans. The Gen Did curriculum offers both advanced technology instruction and guidance to expand the students leadership potential by contributing to the school, administration, parent outreach, or local community with their technology skills. |
Title V, Part A: Innovative Programs in Education
| Innovative Program Purposes |
Generation YES Programs |
| (1) To support local education reform
efforts that are consistent with and support statewide education reform
efforts.
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The Generation Y program (Gen Y) has been providing quality technology training and staff development throughout the nation for six years. Gen Y is the only model that trains students to provide support for teachers as they infuse technology into their lessons, thus supporting local goals. |
| (2) To provide funding to enable State educational agencies and local educational agencies to implement promising educational reform programs and school improvement programs based on scientifically based research. | The Gen Y program is one of the most well-researched in education technology.
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| (3) To provide a continuing source of innovation and educational improvement, including support programs to provide library services and instructional and media materials. | Generation YES programs provide innovative support to accelerate the technology goals of the school, district, and state. |
| (4) To meet the educational needs of all students, including at-risk youth. | Most of the schools that have delivered Generation YES programs fall into this category, including schools in Philadelphia, Washington DC, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas, along with many rural schools. |
| (5) To develop and implement education programs to improve school, student, and teacher performance, including professional development activities and class size reduction programs. | Generation YES licenses include all the material, resources and support to ensure success. |
To read the full legislation and guidance, go to the Department of Education web site.
Contact us for more information on meeting ESEA guidelines with Generation YES programs.
| What Is Generation Y? |
Generation Y (Gen Y) began as a technology challenge grant in the Olympia school district in Washington State in 1996. The vision was to include students in the effort to infuse technology into curriculum and schools. After 6 years, the program is not only going strong in Olympia, but also has also spread to schools throughout the country and around the world.
Generation Y is summarized in the sections below for educators looking for programs that meet the No Child Left Behind criteria. To find out more, visit the Generation Y section of the Generation YES web site where there is more detailed information about Gen Y.
| Model: Student Inclusion = Technology Infusion |
The heart of the program is a Gen Y class. Each student in this class is paired with a partner-teacher at the school. Each team then decides what lesson plan, curriculum unit, or other school need will be addressed by a collaborative, technology-enriched curriculum project, which the partner-teacher and the Gen Y student produce together.
Whether it is to create technology-infused lessons aligned with standards or to build homework web pages, it all works to give students a part in the process, provide sustainable professional development for teachers, and reinforce the learning community in the school. Students become agents of change, assuming responsibility for helping to improve the educational resources available to themselves and their classmates.
| Make the Most of Your Funding Dollar |
Funding these days is increasingly tied to programs that have real scientific research foundations and evaluations. This is one of the key changes of the �No Child Left Behind� modification of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) funding. Gen Y will fulfill the requirement for the educational technology portion to have 25% of the funding go towards professional development that is proven and research-based.
But for that same money, you also get a technology class that meets the ISTE NETS standards, gain a cadre of students who understand the school technology from an educational perspective, and a way to reduce your site-based support budget.
| Proven by Scientific Research |
Many programs claim a basis in scientific research, but very few can actually prove it. Generation YES can.
The Gen Y program is one of the most well-researched in education technology. Not only have the results been proven, we have continually improved and updated the program based on the feedback from real schools. The resulting program combines curriculum and support that works in school settings from urban to rural and everything in between.
Northwest Regional Education Laboratory (NWREL) evaluation reports can be found here.
The Expert Panel on Educational Technology examined evaluation data from 134 programs to determine the effectiveness of each program. These program evaluation experts found only one with a professional development component � Generation Y � to be exemplary. (Click to view evaluation report)
Northwest Regional Education Laboratory (NWREL)
NWREL evaluated Generation Y (then known as Generation www.Y) for four years. The comprehensive evaluation contains surveys, case studies, statistics and numerous interviews with stakeholders and participants.
�Through this model, participating educators receive individualized support as they strengthen their use and integration of new technologies. Students learn technology, communication, collaboration, and project management skills in an authentic, personally meaningful context, and many go on to further extend their skills through advanced school or community service projects.�
NWREL - Overview of Generation www.Y
NWREL: Final Generation www.Y Project Evaluation
From the evaluation reports...
- 90 percent of the students completed their projects
- Their partner-teachers consider the projects to be of high quality (93 percent)
- The majority of the partner teachers (92 percent) reported using the projects in their regular classes and planning to update or extend the projects in future class activities (94 percent).
- About 90 percent of the responding teachers reported that as a result of the Gen Y, they learned about technology and their students learned about technology and a content discipline.
- Nearly all (about 95 percent) consider Gen Y a good method for providing support and assistance to teachers as they integrate technology into their classes, reported a desire to continue participating in the program, and said they would continue to rebuild lesson plans to benefit from using educational technology.
- Eighty-two percent of the teachers reported that the experience would change the way that they teach in the future.
- When asked their opinion about using technology in education after participating in Gen Y, virtually everyone (98 percent) said they felt technology facilitates positive changes in classroom teaching and learning practices; 52 percent said they wanted to learn more about using new technologies; and 62 percent attributed these results to their participation in Gen Y
US Department of Education - Expert Panel on Educational Technology
After an extensive 2 year evaluation of hundreds of educational technology models, an expert panel commissioned by the US Department of Education awarded Generation Y an "exemplary" rating. Only one of two models to receive this award, the panel praised Generation Y for it's unique, yet effective combination of vision, curriculum, and support.
"...substantial learning gains on the part of participating students."
"The format provides a model of project-based, authentic, student-centered, multidisciplinary teaching and learning enhanced by technology."
"... the course is supported with an array of resources (some online) for coordinating teachers that can be adapted for different school settings serving all populations using virtually any hardware/software infrastructure."
Full Report (HTML) (PDF version)
Generation Y Evaluation (HTML) (PDF version)
Home Page of Exemplary and Promising Educational Technology Programs
| Flexible and Cost Effective |
Gen Y has run in grades 3 - 12, and has been successful in urban, rural and suburban schools. It works with any hardware or software that the school has, or any philosophy of education. Since it�s been recognized as valuable professional development, we�ve been able to offer continuing education units to the partner-teachers.
The resulting community of technology users at the school site level can save the district technology budget for more important training and support needs. In addition, the long-term classroom-based support that teachers receive can serve to extend the value of existing professional development programs. The teachers get daily help with the technology from students, levering their numbers to help serve all teachers who need assistance.
Graduates of Gen Y classes often continue to provide assistance to teachers with technology needs.
| All-Inclusive Program |
Generation YES provides all the pieces of the program for one low price. Comparable to the cost of a one-day workshop for 30 teachers, this program provides authentic, sustainable professional development for 30 teachers for a full year, plus student technology training.
The price is "all inclusive" - teacher training, all materials, access to the online reporting and project management tools, access to Gen Y mentors, and pre and post-evaluations that automatically produce summary reports. These reports are great for administrators, boards, etc who are looking for proof of success. Also included in the price is an evaluation of EVERY student project by Gen YES expert consultants. These consultants are chosen for their grade level and subject expertise and provide feedback on resources, correlation to standards, and other advice that make the projects the best they can be.
| Unique Company |
Our company, Generation YES, was created to continue the work of the grant by publishing the materials and running the Gen Y program. The name of the company stands for �Youth and Educators Succeeding� and our mission is to provide unique models of student and teacher collaboration that include students in the important work of introducing the power of technology throughout the educational process.
Generation YES is led by Dr. Dennis Harper. Dr. Harper has been an international leader in the educational technology field for over 3 decades. He wrote the first college text on computer education, RUN: Computer Education while a faculty member at the University of California. Dr. Harper has taught in universities around the world and has been instrumental in bringing the first computers into schools in numerous countries.
Additional Information
For more information or to discuss program costs for your school or district, call toll free (1-888-941-4369), or contact Sylvia Martinez at [email protected] (310) 944-3655.
