New Technology High School is a

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

located in Napa,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. It focuses on project-based learning, student-centered culture,

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

and workforce readiness, and technology integration. It is the flagship school of the New Tech Network, a school design organization with nearly 200 schools in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

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History

In 1991, Vincent Butler began working on the concept for a high school designed to prepare students for the workforce. Butler began working with the

Napa Valley Unified School District The Napa Valley Unified School District (NVUSD) is a public school district located in Napa County, California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across ...

, who were looking to relieve crowding at

Napa High School Napa High School, established in 1897, is a four-year comprehensive high school located in Napa, California. The high school is a comprehensive high school of 1860 students. It is one of three comprehensive high schools in the Napa Valley Unifie ...

and

Vintage High School Vintage High School is a public, comprehensive high school with a student body count of over 1800. It is one of three comprehensive high schools in the Napa Valley Unified School District. The other comprehensive high schools are Napa High Scho ...

. In 1996, New Technology High School was opened as a two-year, 11th - 12th grade only, school of 240 students, and was officially established the next year. During the first few years of the school's operation, educators from across the United States grew interested in the model. In 2000, the

New Tech Network New Technology High School is a secondary school located in Napa, California. It focuses on project-based learning, student-centered culture, college and workforce readiness, and technology integration. It is the flagship school of the New Tech ...

was established to support similar schools, and quickly received grants from the

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was l ...

. By 2005, New Tech had expanded to a four-year high school, with a wait list for prospective students. Vincent Butler left the board of New Technology High School in 2006, severing the school's ties to the business community. However, New Tech continued its focus on college and career readiness.

Design

New Technology High School is designed to teach students the skills to thrive in college and future careers. This is accomplished through the use of

Project-based learning Project-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered pedagogy that involves a dynamic classroom approach in which it is believed that students acquire a deeper knowledge through active exploration of real-world challenges and problems. Students le ...

in all classrooms. Technology, such as computers and the Internet, is heavily utilized, including New Tech Network's

Learning Management System A learning management system (LMS) is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, automation, and delivery of educational courses, training programs, materials or learning and development programs. The learni ...

, Echo. In addition, students are made familiar with computer programming, digital design, and animation. Alongside the methods of teaching in the classroom, skills are taught through requirements outside of the high school. All students are required to take 12 transferable units through

Napa Valley College Napa Valley College, formerly Napa Junior College and Napa Community College, is a public community college in Napa, California. The tree-lined main campus is on overlooking the Napa River and includes a performing arts center, a child develop ...

. Several college classes are held on the New Tech campus each semester. Further graduation requirements include an internship related to the career a student wishes to pursue, 30 hours of school and community service, and the completion of a digital portfolio showcasing a student's work over four years.

School Culture

New Tech fosters a student-led culture. The design of the learning method trusts students to regulate themselves and their learning. Without bells or hall passes, the campus is run somewhat like a college or workplace. Students are also trusted to run the school in some capacity, with the student-elected government allotting funds to clubs and making and modifying rules. The school culture assumes trust, respect, and responsibility, the source of the New Tech motto.

La Strada

La Strada dell' Arte is an annual community festival hosted by New Technology High School. The students showcase their year's work, raise funds for clubs, and exhibit art and music. A chalk art competition is open to both students and local artists, including many New Tech graduates. La Strada began in 2006 and was originally a student-lead gallery of Project Based Learning at the

Copia Copia may refer to: * Copia Vineyards and Winery, a premium winery in Paso Robles, California * Copia (or Copiae), the ancient city and bishopric also called Thurii or Thurium, now a Latin Catholic titular *COPIA, a metal band from Melbourne, Aust ...

. Although La Strada was a success, there was a brief cancellation in 2009 due to financial issues, and the festival was relocated in 2010 to the New Tech campus.

Center for Excellence

Since its inception, New Technology High School has hosted over 20,000 visitors from around the globe in its Center for Excellence. The Center for Excellence offers tours and training in the New Tech style of learning to educators and schools across the globe. Aaron Eisberg, a nationally certified project-based learning trainer, runs the program.

References

External links

*
New Tech Network
{{authority control High schools in Napa County, California Public high schools in California Educational institutions established in 1997 1997 establishments in California