Since 2011, the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi (CFNM) has partnered with EverFi Inc., a leading education technology company, to bring web-based learning courses in areas of financial literacy, digital literacy and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education to Mississippi youth. The CFNM initiative, called the Community Digital Scholars Program, brings these interactive resources to local students at no cost to the schools or the taxpayer. EverFi works with individual school districts, including Bolivar, Coahoma, DeSoto, Marshall, Leflore, Panola, Quitman, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tate and Tunica Counties, to place these online resources in classes best fit for each individual school.
EverFi’s platform uses simulation and gamification to teach important lessons that have a lasting impact on students’ lives, but can also be put to use immediately. For Community Digital Scholars’ financial literacy, digital literacy and STEM courses, this may include applying for federal college aid through FAFSA, responsible social networking and the basics of math and coding. In three years, CFNM’s program reached nearly 20,000 students in Mississippi with this critical education.
EverFi is the leading education technology company focused on teaching, assessing, and certifying K-12 and college students in the critical skills they need for life. The company teams with major corporations and foundations, like CFNM, to provide the programs at no cost to K-12 schools. Some of America’s leading CEOs and venture capital firms are EverFi investors including Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, Twitter founder Evan Williams, Rethink Education, New Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA), and Tomorrow Ventures (the investment arm of Google Chairman Eric Schmidt). The company has headquarters in Washington, D.C., with offices in Chicago and Boston, and a network of employees that spans 26 states.
The Community Digital Scholars Program continues to serve Mississippi students, preparing them with the foundational skills needed for a successful life.