Research Shows Way to Effective, Sustainable Technology Infusion
Generation Y Meets Provisions of California EETT

The $40 million Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program is part of the federal Title II D funds allocated to the states. The funds may be used for educational technology programs and professional development. You can read about it at: https://www.cde.ca.gov/funding/profile.asp?id=260

This is a golden opportunity to get Gen Y classes for your Title 1A eligible school or district. Gen Y meets all the provisions of the EETT funding requirements with an innovative, research-based and scientifically-proven program. Gen Y is more than a technology class, it is a school-wide technology infusion model with real professional development impact. Gen Y has been recognized by the US Department's Expert Panel on Educational Technology with a rare exemplary rating. Six years of evaluation and research results support their endorsement.

Lock in Your Funding Now

• Contact your district grant committee and request that they include Gen Y classes in your district’s EETT application for next year and beyond.
• Remind them that Gen Y is research-based and supports effective use of technology school wide - a key component of the funding requirements.
• Gen Y can be counted towards the professional development requirement, a cost-effective solution for stretching your funding dollars.

Don’t wait until it’s too late - this application is due October 29.

We Can Help
Generation YES (the organization behind Gen Y) can provide you and your grant team with language that is tailored for the EETT grant applications. We know that it can be difficult for people who haven’t seen Gen Y classes in action to really grasp the incredible impact the program has on students and teachers. Attached to this email is a Word document to share with your grant writer, technology director or curriculum coordinator. This document introduces the Gen Y model and provides a rationale for how it fits in your technology plan.

Generation Y
Generation Y (also known as Gen Y) is a scientifically proven program that works to infuse technology throughout the school. The model blends authentic student learning with site-based, sustainable professional development for teachers. Gen Y is grounded in research-based methods that have been tested in real schools and woven into a comprehensive semester program. The program has enjoyed success in diverse schools throughout the nation, including many in California. See the links below for articles, evaluation studies and information about this award-winning program.

Generation Y is an innovative curriculum and resource solution for grades 3-12 that promotes school-wide technology infusion. It is a technology class with a twist. Gen Y students develop technological fluency while learning how to share their knowledge with others. Each student is paired with a classroom teacher who needs help integrating technology into their practice. Each student/teacher team decides on a curriculum component or lesson to enhance with technology. Students learn about pedagogy and lesson plan design while developing their communication, planning and project management skills. The partner teacher receives support for their technology projects when and where they need it - in their classroom.

Generation YES (the publisher of Gen Y) supplies the comprehensive support system - professional development, curriculum materials, online tool suite, coaching and project evaluation throughout the entire term of the class. The Gen Y website offers a supportive learning community, complete with collaborative project planning and reporting tools.

Generation Y Features:

• Scientifically-proven and research-based - 6 years of studies by the Northwest Regional Labs (NWREL) show improvement in student achievement, teacher understanding and use of technology and attitudes.
• Recognized - Rated “exemplary” by the U.S. Department of Education expert panel in technology. Only 2 out of hundreds of extensively reviewed programs were given this rare rating.
• Authentic project based learning for students - Extensive curriculum materials and online project management tools support rigorous projects. Grade and subject level experts work with every Gen Y student to provide feedback on their projects in order to ensure excellence. Every student/teacher project results in technology enhanced lessons aligned to content standards that teachers report using year after year.
• Sustainable technology professional development support for teachers - teachers are supported with in-classroom resources to help them realize their technology potential, and to fulfill the educational goals of the school.
• ISTE NETS technology standards alignment- Generation Y classes provide a rich, project-based learning experience while satisfying application skill standards. Generation Y exceeds these technology standards, but does not teach technology skills in a vacuum. Many students traditionally left out of technology classes (girls, non-math/science majors) do extremely well in Generation Y.
• Immediate Return on Investment - For less than the cost of running a one-day pullout workshop for 20 teachers, those same 20 teachers receive support to succeed in their technology initiatives all year long.
• Reduce support costs - Professional development staff can focus on the big picture knowing that teachers will be supported in the classroom. The cost benefit is also realized by reducing your tech support costs. With students helping teachers with easily solvable problems, you will realize a lower demand on scarce technology support personnel.
• Supports YOUR technology plan - Gen Y student projects can focus on any hardware or software initiatives of the school. For example, investing in new hardware, such as Palm Pilots or laptops can be a huge initiative. Even with workshops for teachers, there may be a longer than anticipated ramp-up time to integrate new hardware into daily teaching. Gen Y student projects may be directed to setting up and supporting the new initiatives, and providing “just-in-time” help for teachers learning to setup hardware, create lessons, and provide the day to day troubleshooting that tends to stall new hardware projects. Harnessing the energy and ability of these students can take your technology dreams and turn them into achievable goals.