Research

Deborah A. Chapin of Research by Design was commissioned to assist the project staff of HFM BOCES in evaluating the success of the NYSSTL model. The goals of the first year of the EETT Grant were:

• To see that every 7th grader in each participating school (about 30 middle schools HFM and WSWHE) is technology literate by the end of the 2009 school year.
• To help teachers with the integration of technology into student lessons, by providing constant in-house support in the form of resource preparation and technology expertise.
• To establish an active regional teacher network that models successful digital communication and technology integration focused on improving student learning.

The conclusions of this research showed that, overall, faculty advisors and NYSSTLs have made substantial progress towards building the foundation for an innovative, successful student leadership program. NYSSTLs also increased their social skills and developed a stronger sense of self-esteem.

In addition to Ms. Chapin’s continued evaluation, Dr. Matthew Baggetta from Harvard University will be investigating the development of civic engagement and leadership capacity in students and teachers during the second and third year of the grant.

Additional research, which illustrates the worldwide success of both the GenYES and TechYES programs, can be found at the following sites: GenYES research findings can be found here. TechYES research findings can be found here.