How do we measure educational success? And how many of us actually believe that attaining a high school diploma today is sufficient for a young person to earn a living wage? Thought so.
In the private sector, we give significant attention to shareholder ROI. Students, parents and community members are shareholders of something, too -- a common ideal -- and have the right to look for a return that goes beyond high stakes standardized tests or a high school diploma.
Innovation in education has no boundaries. It's apparent that overcoming obstacles to providing an innovative and relevant curriculum that promotes trust, respect and responsibility is not limited to the U.S.
Thousands of students, teachers and administrators will commemorate Digital Learning Day on Feb. 1. The effective use of technology in the classroom may be reaching new levels of acceptance, but for many of us
My recent blog on school culture struck more than a few chords among readers eager to have the role of parents included in the education dialogue. Parents ARE critical role models for students. In a way, parents go to high school, too.
A recent visit to Cleveland's East Tech@New Tech High School stopped me in my tracks.
Deeper Learning delivers the skills and knowledge students will need to succeed in a world that is changing at an unprecedented pace. Earlier this month, the Deeper Learning Community of Practice gathered to answer the question: “What do Deeper Learning teachers know and do?”
Last month, I was visiting one of my daughters who attends college on the East Coast. The crispness of Fall was in the air. And while I was delighted with the early signs of the changing season, I was also very aware that it was up to me, as a parent and an adult, to make sure that my California daughter was well outfitted for her first real winter, with temperatures sure to plummet to below freezing and ample doses of rain and snow.
A critical challenge in the national discourse around education is to stop the frequent changes in direction (looking for the new, quick fix), being held to a failed national policy (No Child Left Behind) and the tendency to present choices in "either/or" terms.
How much more impactful would Race To The Top be if it had been launched after states and districts knew they had a clear path to come up with improvement plans that were achievable
In the best examples of educational practice, technology is used not only to organize curriculum and data, but as a tool to enable communication between the school community and the world at large. It engages students and is a path for learning embraced by many students.
Were you able to carve out time this summer for rejuvenation and reflection? Mine happened in a most unusual place-- the New Tech Annual Conference in Grand Rapids. It was a school spa intensive: intellectually stimulating, emotionally moving and downright fun. Nearly 1,000 educators all connected by the same driving question: what can we do to deepen the impact we have on the lives of our students?
In a few short weeks, NTN students across the country will receive their diplomas signifying the completion of one critical step in the pursuit of a successful life beyond high school. But how does matriculation from a New Tech high school prepare these students for the challenges that lie ahead?
Think about how many times a day we invoke the partnership concept, both literally and figuratively. Educators partner with parents- administrators partner with teachers-students partner with other students. You get the picture. We’re right there, too: New Tech Network partners with communities to create relevant and engaging high schools that prepare students for college and career.
NTN isn't "joining" the outcomes bandwagon so much as pushing ourselves to add more substance to how we measure student success.
Here at New Tech Network we welcome the national attention on the crisis in our public school system; however, amid segments on CNN and headlines in the New York Times, we want to move that spotlight to show what's working in public high school reform.