IMPROVING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH INNOVATION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(BOSTON 5/10/12) – Innovation is the driving force of progress. Nowhere is innovation more vital than in education. In our hypercompetitive global economy, America’s success depends on the skills of its workforce; and that workforce is trained by our education system.
At 10:00 AM on May 30, in the Gardner Auditorium at Massachusetts State House, JFYNetWorks will recognize a group of educational innovators who have helped keep Massachusetts in the forefront of American education during the past year. These JFYNet partners represent the vanguard of innovation in education.
Honorees
North Shore Technical High School
Malden High School
Revere High School
Knox Trail Junior High School
Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School
Essex Agricultural Technical High School
Shawsheen Valley Technical High School
MIT Office of Educational Innovation and Technology, Software Tools for Academics and Researchers
Solution Grove
The College Board
Pearson Education
Each year, JFYNetWorks presents awards to a select group of individuals and schools that have made significant contributions to the cause of improving student achievement. This year, the awards are focused on innovative uses of technology in the classroom—the heart of the JFYNet program.
JFYNet has been helping schools use technology to improve student achievement since 2000. This year, the program is providing technology-enriched instruction to more than 6000 students in 28 middle schools, high schools, community colleges and community agencies in two states. JFYNet has compiled a twelve-year record of success in raising student achievement on the MCAS. In the past year, the new Accuplacer Readiness program has helped students qualify for college-level courses and avoid non-credit “developmental” courses.
Gary Kaplan, JFYNet’s Executive Director is quite passionate about the programs offered through JFYNet and shares this:
“Massachusetts was the first state in the Union to institute universal public education in 1852 thanks to its pioneering secretary of education Horace Mann.” He adds, “The Bay State’s educational leadership has continued through the current era of standards-based education reform. The goal of JFYNet is to continue that leadership into the age of online student-centered instruction.” Mr. Kaplan’s enthusiasm continues through his final thought with us, “Innovation has always been a core competency of the Commonwealth. JFYNet is proud to be part of that long tradition.”
The JFYNet blended learning program helps schools use technology effectively to improve student achievement. In 12 years of operation in schools throughout Massachusetts, JFYNet has helped more than 60,000 students meet high school graduation standards and prepare for college-level work.
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The year 2011 was the most transformative in JFY’s history, culminating in our year-end move to 44 School Street from the Tremont Street building we had occupied for a decade and a half. Though only a two-block distance, the move signified a much longer journey in organizational evolution. 
Our decision to focus on digital instruction has both qualitative and quantitative components. Qualitatively, language and math skills are the most potent determinants of employability. The struggles of our public education system, and our steady decline in international student assessments, are well known. JFYNet’s targeted, assessment-driven online instruction has proven its effectiveness in raising student achievement as measured by the MCAS and gaining access to college by helping students pass the Accuplacer. Quantitatively, JFYNet has already reached more than 50,000 students and can easily double that number in the next few years. This impact far exceeds the magnitude attainable in any other program. 
