Napa New Technology High School Selected for Filming Site

New Tech Network (NTN) announced Wednesday that Napa New Technology High School was selected as a national filming site for instructional videos. New Tech epitomized a school with excellent instructional practices in PBL/PrBL (Project-Based Learning and Problem-Based Learning) classrooms.

A video library of best practices compiled by NTN will feature those schools that exemplify effective instructional practices in Project-Based and Problem-Based Learning. Examples of instructional videos to be showcased are those that generate a project idea and include outstanding methods for helping students progress and gain greater independence in the learning process in large and small group workshops.

“We hear time and again from educators everywhere ‘I want to see great examples of Project-Based Learning’. The schools we are featuring in these videos have teachers who excel in the design and delivery of powerful learning experiences for their students,” said Lydia Dobyns, NTN President and CEO.

Napa New Tech High will be featured in instructional practice videos that focus on relevant projects that model skills students will need in the real world. This process will highlight teacher led workshops, research protocols and assessment strategies and will be shared with more than 5,000 educators and leaders nationally.

New Tech Network recently released its 2014 Data Report showing the high rate of college enrollment is evident in NTN schools in diverse communities across the nation.

New Tech Students:

● Graduate from high school at a rate 14% higher than the national average

● Enroll in college at a rate 9% higher than the national average.

● Persist in college at a rate of 83%.

The goal of schools in the New Tech Network is to create exceptional teaching and learning experiences that provide paths for students to gain deep knowledge in core curriculum areas, aligned with state standards, and to develop skills and competencies essential to succeed in college and career.

“We are very proud of New Tech High,” said Dr. Patrick Sweeney, superintendent of Napa Valley Unified School District. “The students, parents and staff create a culture of learning that focuses on real-world problem-solving.”

Unlike students in traditional schools, where most teachers lecture and use

textbooks as a teaching approach, teachers in New Tech schools design

rigorous, real-world projects tied to state and district standards and

customize them to their location and the interests of students. The result:

Students who are deeply engaged in learning and develop important skills

such as critical thinking and collaboration.

Napa New Tech High opened in 1996, as the District’s first New Tech Network school. The school, located in Napa, CA is now in its 18th year and is the original school in the New Tech Network. It was created when local businesspeople came together to develop a school in which students would learn the skills necessary to succeed in the New Economy. They aimed to solve the problems of a lack of skilled local employees, students graduating unprepared for jobs in a technologically advanced marketplace and the community’s frustration with the quality of public education.

About the New Tech Network

The New Tech design is a blueprint, accompanied by a set of core beliefs, tools and strategies to help each school fulfill its purpose. New Tech design principles provide for an instructional approach centered on project-based learning, a culture that empowers students and teachers, and integrated use of technology in the classroom. Through extensive professional development, personalized coaching and access to Echo, a learning management system, NTN empowers principals, teachers, and students to develop compelling, relevant and meaningful learning communities.

--Information and image from Napa New Technology High School