Lydia Dobyns
NTN was founded on the core belief that public school districts can create, operate, and sustain innovative high schools so that students graduate truly prepared for college and career.
Napa, California (PRWEB) April 11, 2013
New Tech Network (NTN), a subsidiary of KnowledgeWorks, today released its 2013 Report Card showing that graduates from NTN high schools across the country are more likely to attend college and, once enrolled, persist in college at higher rates than the national average (17 percent higher for four-year colleges and 46 percent higher at two-year colleges). The New Tech Network consists of 109 public district schools, 10 charter schools and one independent school in 18 states and Australia and is dramatically increasing students’ deeper learning, and subsequently the level of student accomplishment.
At NTN schools, 74 percent of graduating students enroll in college, a level 9 percent greater than the national rate, regardless of locale. The data were obtained through the National Student Clearinghouse from geographically and racially diverse high schools in urban areas like downtown Los Angeles, suburban areas in Texas and Louisiana and rural schools in North Carolina and Indiana.
According to the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, by 2018, 63 percent of jobs will require a college degree and workers who earned at least a Bachelor’s degree earn nearly twice the income of high school graduates.
“Millions of high school seniors have received college acceptance letters, but 40 percent of students who enroll in college never complete a degree,” said Lydia Dobyns, president of New Tech Network. “This should sound an alarm that earning a high school diploma and getting accepted into an institution of higher learning is not synonymous with college readiness.”
Dobyns continued: “NTN was founded on the core belief that public school districts can create, operate, and sustain innovative high schools so that students graduate truly prepared for college and career. As the data from the National Student Clearinghouse suggests, NTN schools graduate more students who attend college at higher rates and persist in college at higher rates than the national average.”
The NTN 2013 Report Card contains findings from the College and Work Readiness Assessment (CWRA), which tests high school students on critical thinking, analytic reasoning, problem solving, and writing. Data shows that NTN students – including those from diverse socio-economic backgrounds in urban, suburban and rural communities – develop 75 percent more in “higher order thinking skills” between freshman and senior year than a comparison group.
“We believe that for students to compete in a complex global economy, they must be able to think critically to be able to solve real world challenges,” said Barbara Chow, Education Program Director of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. “Students who experience deeper learning — thinking critically, working collaboratively, communicating effectively, and learning independently — are better prepared for college. NTN schools demonstrate that the teaching practices necessary to support deeper learning can be implemented successfully in all types of public school districts.”
New Tech Network Expanding in the Fall
In the fall of 2013, NTN will open additional schools in five new states, bringing the total number of states that have New Tech schools to 23. In addition, NTN will extend its work to new middle schools and will support its first elementary school cohort. NTN directly supports teachers and school leaders with a systematic and strategic process to transform teaching and learning.
In its work with public school districts and charter schools, NTN strives to ensure all students have the skills, knowledge and attributes they need to thrive in post-secondary education, career and civic life. NTN, a national nonprofit, contracts with districts to create and sustain innovative K-12 schools.
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.
NTN is a subsidiary of KnowledgeWorks, a social enterprise that seeks to create sustainable improvement in U.S. student readiness for college and careers by incubating innovative schools, influencing education policy, and engaging in education research and development. Our portfolio includes New Tech Network, EDWorks and Strive.
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