The Future Ready Schools - New Jersey (FRS-NJ) initiative advancing with the assistance of New Jersey Institute of Technology has honored 63 schools by awarding them certification for implementing effective digital learning policies and practices. The schools, the first to receive FRS certification, were formally recognized on October 24 at Workshop 2017, the state's largest convention for educational leaders, held in Atlantic City.
FRS-NJ is a partnership of the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) and NJIT. It is based on the National Future Ready Framework and the Sustainable Jersey for Schools Certification program.
The FRS-NJ program is designed to promote digital learning throughout New Jersey's elementary and secondary public schools, as well as to engage students in developing 21st-century skills by encouraging the best use of digital-learning tools by educators.
"It is our mission to ensure that each and every student across the state of New Jersey is ready for his or her future -- a future that requires technological knowledge and skills," said Education Commissioner Kimberley Harrington. "We launched the Future Ready Schools - New Jersey program as a road map for schools to help students meet the demands of today's technology-based economy, and I am excited that so many schools achieved certification in the first year of the program."
"NJIT is proud to be part of the Future Ready Schools Program and takes great pride in its work to build and diversify the pipeline of future STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) students and graduates who will fuel our economy and improve the quality of life in numerous ways," said NJIT President Joel S. Bloom.
"Future Ready Schools - New Jersey enables schools to use technology in ways that encourage enhanced student engagement, collaboration and individualized instruction," said Dr. Lawrence S. Feinsod, NJSBA executive director. "We congratulate the schools that are in the first 'class' to achieve certification and urge all New Jersey districts to participate in this program."
###
The list of 63 schools that were honored can be found on the FRS-NJ website.
Schools throughout the state are working to qualify for the 2018 FRS-NJ certification cycle. A series of Future Ready Resource events to assist schools are ongoing -- information about upcoming events can be viewed at http://www.frsnj.org/events.
The FRS-NJ team invites all educators, educational leaders and other educational stakeholders to join the 2018 task forces to help improve the program for future participants and ensure that all perspectives are considered in the program's continued development. Learn more about the task forces on the FRS-NJ website at http://www.frsnj.org/task-forces.
About NJIT
One of the nation's leading public technological universities, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is a top-tier research university that prepares students to become leaders in the technology-dependent economy of the 21st century. NJIT's multidisciplinary curriculum and computing-intensive approach to education provide technological proficiency, business acumen and leadership skills. With an enrollment of 11,400 graduate and undergraduate students, NJIT offers small-campus intimacy with the resources of a major public research university. NJIT is a global leader in such fields as solar research, nanotechnology, resilient design, tissue engineering, and cybersecurity, in addition to others. NJIT is among the top U.S. polytechnic public universities in research expenditures, exceeding $130 million, and is among the top 1 percent of public colleges and universities in return on educational investment, according to PayScale.com. NJIT has a $1.74 billion annual economic impact on the State of New Jersey.