FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 24, 2002
CONTACT: Sylvia Martinez 310.944.3655

Research Shows Way to Effective, Sustainable Technology Infusion
Generation YES Program is Awarded Rare Exemplary Rating

San Antonio, Texas � June 24, 2002 -- Generation YES, Inc. announced today at the National Educational Computring Conference (NECC) how its programs align with the new "No Child Left Behind" legislative initiatives. The Federal No Child Left Behind legislation directs states to allocate money to educational practices that research evidence has shown to be effective in improving student performance.

Generation Y (Gen Y) is an innovative model of technology infusion that combines student technology training with teacher professional development. The model has been proven effective by scientific research and was named as a rare "exemplary" program by a U.S. Department of Education expert panel on educational technology.

The Gen Y program, and its advanced component, Gen Did are among some 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)
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. All data, reports and evaluations can be found on the Generation YES website at: https://www.genyes.org

“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.”

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.

These experts 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.

"...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."

For links to all reports and evaluations and more information about Generation Y and other Generation YES programs, visit the website at https://www.genyes.org.

Generation YES, Inc. provides services, materials and support for schools throughout the world with student centered programs aimed at improving learning through the inclusion of modern technologies. Based in Olympia Washington, Generation YES has worked with schools in 44 states and around the world for the past 6 years, and continues to grow.

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