| Formation | 1995/1996 School Year |
|---|---|
| Founder | Tim Stephenson |
| Founded at | Greenbrier, Arkansas |
| Type | Nonprofit |
| 71-0863568 | |
| Headquarters | Little Rock, Arkansas |
President & CEO | Matt Dozier |
| Revenue | $3.7 million USD [1] (2024) |
| Expenses | $3.94 million USD [1] (2024) |
| Website | https://www.eastinitiative.org/ |
The EASTInitiative is an educational non-profit organization that oversees and trains for a school program, EAST, that operates primarily in the United States.
The program began in 1995 in Arkansas. It offers students and teachers professional technology and software for use in a loosely structured, self-driven environment. [2]
The EAST Initiative was founded by Tim Stephenson, a police officer turned teacher, at Greenbrier High School (Arkansas), in Greenbrier, Arkansas, in the 1995/1996 school year. [3] [4] [5] [6]
Authors, Sarah C. McKenzie and Gary W. Ritter, both from University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, describe the origin story In their Policy Brief, titled "EAST Initiative," part of the Office for Education Policy Series from ScholarWorks@UARK:
In an effort to connect with his at-risk students, Stephenson organized an outing to a wooded area with a creek and pond, where students sometimes went to skip classes. The first EAST project turned out to be building a bridge across that creek. One of the students’ parents volunteered to help teach students how to design the bridge by using technological tools. Stephenson’s students were excited about their accomplishment and proposed more projects. To help with these future projects, Stephenson arranged a partnership between his students and an Arkansas technology firm. [5]
EAST was originally an acronym for Environmental and Spatial Technology. [5] [6]
At some point after 2014, EAST was updated to now be an acronym for Education Accelerated by Service and Technology, as was reviewed in 2025. [7]
The EAST Initiative was determined by the Internal Revenue Service to be exempt from income tax under 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code and have a status as a Public Charity under IRS Code 170(b)(1)(A)(vi), beginning in 2002. [8]
Donations made to EAST Initiative are tax deductible, per the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, Publication 78 Data. [9]
EAST Initiative program adoption has fluctuated over the years, since its inception, but it appears that the early to mid-2000s represented the verified height of the U.S. nation-wide adoption, with 2004-2005 marking the peak where EAST projects were in place in more than 150 schools in Alabama, California, Hawaii, Illinois and Louisiana. [10]
As of 2022-2023, EAST Initiative self-reports there to be "EAST Programs" in 308 educational institutions, across 4 U.S. States, including Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania, though this does not appear to have been independently verified. [11]
Throughout its existence the EAST Initiative, or its Program Model, have been recognized by U.S. Federal Agencies and State Governments for its efficacy in assisting students in building skills in "arts," "tools," and "emerging technologies," and improving independent and interdependent, self-driven, project-based skillsets in "real-world" and "work-like" settings. [12]
In 2004, the United States Department of Education stated that "[t]he EAST [M]odel has been recognized nationally as an innovative, relevant, and successful approach to education," included the EAST Modal in its nationwide examples of programs which demonstrated that "results in educational achievement often have been significant." [12] [13]
The EAST Model was included in the United States Department of Education's 2004 "National Education Technology Plan." [12]
The EAST Initiative is recognized by the Arkansas Department of Education and the department continues to provide support and grant funding for the implementation of EAST Programs in Arkansas; most recently, the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education of the Arkansas Department of Education provided startup grant funding for 11 additional schools to add EAST Programs in 2024-2025. [7]
The Legislature of the State of Hawaii have introduced multiple Bills, including SB1921 (2007) and HB1630 (2008), in attempts to codify budget allotments and state-wide adoption of EAST Initiative Programs. [13] [14]
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