GOAL Academy High School has once again been recognized by Microsoft for its commitment to education transformation, led effectively by Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Constance Jones, and has consequently become part of the 2022-2023 Showcase School program cohort. Even more exciting, GOAL is very humbled to have been selected as one of only three schools worldwide to receive the distinction of “Biggest Impact School.” The three awards bestowed were for Asia, Europe, and the Americas. According to Christina Thoreson, Director of Worldwide Education for Microsoft, the designation is a result of GOAL achieving the “highest levels of innovation and expertise in the optimal use of technology in teaching and learning.”
GOAL’s fifteen years of experience has been complemented by embracing technological transformation and leveraging Microsoft’s Education Transformation Framework to drive a positive culture of teaching and learning. Consequently, GOAL was able to not only successfully navigate the pandemic, but also assisted other educational leaders along the way during those challenging times.
Dr. Jones relayed that “Receiving this recognition of being the Biggest Impact School in the Americas is not only a wonderful honor, but it is also such an important validation of our mission to truly impact the lives of the students we serve. GOAL teachers and staff are committed to creating the best learning environments possible and that requires having highly effective instructional tools and utilizing the most current research and solutions. We thank Microsoft for their support and partnership that has helped us to prepare our students with relevant work-based skills for the future.”
Chief Information Officer, Jamie Trujillo, still in awe of this latest hallmark, states that, “Being a showcase school is hard. Most schools will never make it there.” He cites a very intentional schoolwide approach to “future-ready skills, educational leadership, and smart deployment of technological assets” as the key to this level of success. “According to Microsoft, we’re the best. We are no longer Colorado’s premier online educator. We are one of the WORLD’S premier online educators. We are the best of the best.” Trujillo elaborates, “In tech we don’t ask ourselves if we can, we ask, why haven’t we yet? [It is] a relentless drive to empower students to do more with what they are given. We are preparing students for a life that is centered around technology.”
Thoreson “was blown away by how complementary our missions are. GOAL’s mission being to ensure that every student is able to achieve their full potential. For Microsoft’s education team, it’s about empowering every learner on the planet to achieve more.”
