GenYES Training Offered Through Education Service Center, Region 20
EETT Funding Results in Sustainable Services in Texas
San Antonio, Texas, February 1, 2006 "Generation YES Corp. and Education Service Center, Region 20 in San Antonio, Texas (ESC-20) today announced a partnership to offer low-cost local training and support for the GenYES model of professional development in Region 20 schools and districts. GenYES offers technology training for students who work with teachers in their own schools to integrate technology into classroom lessons.
Funded for the previous three years by TARGET (EETT) funding, 30 districts participated in evaluating the model in elementary, middle and high schools. In this time, hundreds of GenYES students partnered with teachers to produce thousands of technology-infused lessons. The grant allowed Region 20 staff to learn how to support the GenYES program locally, while evaluation of the model showed it to be an effective support system for Region 20's technology professional development for teachers. In this new partnership, schools in Region 20 will receive training and support for their GenYES programs directly from Service Center staff, thereby lowering costs and improving sustainability."
Evaluation of the 3-year GenYES TARGET grant was conducted by the University of North Texas and the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL).
"We are very excited to take the GenYES model to the next level in our schools," said Susanna Garza, Instructional Technology and Media Coordinator at Region 20, Education Service Center. "Our evaluation of the GenYES program over the past three years proved that it was an effective technology professional development model. GenYES offers students authentic experiences that teach valuable real-world skills, and at the same time teachers learn from these students how easily technology can be integrated into everyday classroom activities."
Region 20 is comprised of 51 public school districts and 26 charter schools serving more than 600 campuses and more than 350,000 students in the south central region of Texas, in and around San Antonio. ESC-20 offers services and support to schools to improve student performance and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of school operations. GenYES is one of three student-centered technology support programs offered by the Generation YES Corporation of Olympia, Washington. Originally funded as a federal Technology Innovation Challenge grant, the GenYES model has a ten-year research base that shows its effectiveness in improving teacher's technology use in the classroom.
"This is the way grants are supposed to work," said Dr. Dennis Harper, CEO of Generation YES. "The Region 20 staff have been marvelous to work with and started thinking about long-term sustainability from day one. Their evaluation of the GenYES model confirm what 10 years of nationwide research prove "that students can be a key success factor in improving technology integration in the classroom. The grant funding planted this seed and students and teachers will be able to reap the rewards for years to come."
This project shows that student-centered technology integration support has a firm foundation in Region 20 in Texas. Full support and training for the GenYES model will be provided by ESC-20 staff starting in the 2006-2007 school year, and in the future, ESC-20 may be working with other Texas regions to expand these services.
Education Service Center, Region 20 (ESC-20)
Education Service Center, Region 20 is one of 20 regional education service agencies within Texas that assist school districts in improving student performance and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of school operations. Located in San Antonio, Texas, ESC-20 offers programs, technical support and professional training for schools in 51 local districts and 26 charter schools. (www.esc20.net)
Generation YES
Generation YES works with schools all around the world to plan, implement and enhance student technology programs through consulting, innovative curriculum and research-based support services.
