| State: Pennsylvania | Number of Students: 2,354 |
| School Type: Public School District | Free and Reduced Lunch: 36.1% |
| Grade Level: K-12 | English Language Learners: 0.0% |
School Context
Driven by Data: The district ensures that K-12 instruction is driven by lots of data. The district supports a comprehensivesystem that monitors academic process and delivers academic intervention or enrichment to students who need it most.
Career-Ready Students: Elizabeth Forward’s curriculum is consistent across grades and levels, prioritizing 21st centuryskills and real-life application of knowledge.
Smooth Transitions: The district aims to create a smooth transition from middle to high school, recognizing 9th grade as apivotal year in determining high school and career success.
Community Counts: The district aims to provide training for all members of the EFSD community through relevantacademic and technological programs.
State of Technology
iPads for All: Elizabeth Forward has a 1:1 student to iPad ratio in gradesK-12. Students are each assigned an iPad that they take home at night andover the summer for a true continuous learning experience.
Well-Deserved Treats: After launching the Dream Factory, a collaborativework space that combines computer science, technology and artinstruction at the middle school, EFSD came up with a pretty sweetproject. Middle school students created chocolate bars. They started byusing SketchUp to sketch the model of their candy bar; this model wasthen converted to a mold using a 3D printer. After a science lesson aboutchocolate, students poured chocolate into their molds to create a realcandy bar. Before eating their creations, students had to create a companylogo, a business plan and a 30 second commercial using iMovie.
No SMALL Feat: Elizabeth Forward has one of six SMALLabs in thecountry, a high tech class model designed by Arizona State University. Inthe SMALLab, which is housed at the district’s middle school, studentsinteract with educational games that are controlled through their physicalmovement. The game used in the SMALLab is called BrainSTEM, which wasdeveloped by Carnegie Mellon University graduate students. Building onthe success of the SMALLab, the district concocted an Embodied LearningLab for elementary students, which facilitates learning, reading, and mathconcepts through play, including through the XBox Kinect system.
Science Reenergized: In 2014, Chevron funded the creation of an energylaboratory at Elizabeth Forward Middle School through a collaborationwith Carnegie Mellon University. The new lab is an interactive environmentthat looks more like a space simulator than a classroom. It is centeredaround an interactive touch film and used in seventh grade earth andspace science classes to teach students through simulation.
Gaming for Good: The district implemented an EntertainmentTechnology Academy (ETA) at the high school in collaboration withCarnegie Mellon. ETA is set in a classroom designed as a collaborativeworkspace where students take courses in game and application creation.Eleventh and 12th grade students develop apps and games for localnonprofit organizations.
Tech Needs & Requirements
Technology tools must be iOS compatible.
Initiatives
A mobile fab lab for elementary students is in the works. The lab will consist of laser cutters, vinyl cutters, 3D printers, andother technologies.