The Elizabeth Forward School District is using creative and innovative technologies to engage students in learning, and those initiatives are getting results.

In just the past few years, we’ve seen drop-out rates fall drastically, from 24 students in 2009 to one in 2012. Enrollment in our Entertainment Technology Academy has exploded since starting these projects, from a mere 29 students in January of 2012 to over 200 students in multiple courses during the 2012-13 school year. Out of the 497 school districts in the state, ours has leapt from #240 in 2009 to #155 this year—82 spots in four short years, and things continue to move forward.

The Entertainment Technology Academy, EF Media Center, and the SMALLab are all several ways that we are helping students remain excited about learning, and providing technologies for their use that will prepare them for future learning.