Future Ready Schools-NJ Honors First Certification Recipients

Future Ready Schools-New Jersey (FRS-NJ), a program designed to promote digital learning readiness throughout the state, has honored 63 schools for achieving certification and implementing effective digital learning policies and practices, the New Jersey School Boards Association, one of the founding partners, announced.

The schools received their awards on Oct. 24 at Workshop 2017, the state’s largest conference for educational leaders, held at the Atlantic City Convention Center. The 63 schools represent the first cohort to earn certification. The schools and their school districts are listed below.

Future Ready Schools-New Jersey is a partnership of the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) and New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). It is based on the National Future Ready Framework and the Sustainable Jersey for Schools Certification program.

By participating in the program, schools receive the direction, guidance, support, and resources to achieve success achieving the benchmarks that are required for Future Ready certification.

“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.”

FRS-NJ was launched a year ago. Beginning early in 2017, several groups of educational stakeholders jointly developed the FRS-NJ “Indicators of Future Readiness,” the benchmarks schools must achieve. Schools were able to start working toward certification in May.

Currently, 39 school districts and 83 schools from those districts are participating in the program.

“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 New Jersey Commissioner of Education 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 pathways of future STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) students and graduates who will fuel our economy and improve quality of life in numerous ways,“ said Dr. Joel S. Bloom, NJIT president. “Each year, our Center for Pre-College Programs provides STEM programming for more than 4,000 students who are predominantly underrepresented females and minorities from the greater Newark area and prepares them for success in STEM disciplines.”

Celebrating the Inaugural Cohort The inaugural cohort was announced at a special ceremony on Oct. 24 in the Exhibit Hall theater at the Atlantic City Convention Center. The ceremony was followed by a panel discussion in which educators and leaders who participated in the first certification cycle shared their experiences with the wider New Jersey education community.

Next Year’s Certification Effort 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 www.frsnj.org/events.

Educators, education leaders, and other stakeholders may join task forces that will help improve the program for future participants and ensure that all perspectives are considered in the program’s continued development. Further information about the task forces is available on the FRS-NJ website at www.frsnj.org/task-forces.

The 2017 Honorees The schools and districts honored on Oct. 24 include: