New Tech Network Students Above National Average in High School Graduation and College Enrollment Rates
Napa, California (PRWEB) May 21, 2014 -- New Tech Network (NTN), today released its 2014 Data Report showing the high rate of college enrollment is evident in New Tech Network schools in diverse communities across the nation.
New Tech Network 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%.
High school graduation is an essential element of preparation for college, career and civic life. New Tech Network students attain this goal at an impressive rate. Across 22 schools with graduating classes, NTN schools boast an average graduation rate of 95%, a rate that has grown considerably in the last several years. In the most recent year for which comparison data is available, 2011, New Tech Network schools demonstrated a 91% graduation rate, a rate 14% greater than the national rate of 80%.
The trend of high graduation rates persists across NTN schools in different geographic locations. New Tech schools in suburban areas demonstrate the highest graduation rates with an average of 98%, while NTN schools in mid-size towns across the nation graduate students at a rate of 92%. In urban and rural areas, where graduation rates often lag, New Tech Network schools achieve impressive graduation rates of 93% and 96% respectively. Further, average graduation rates for New Tech schools exceed 92% in every state with a New Tech graduating class.
Between 40% and 50% of NTN graduates from suburban and rural areas, as well as mid-size towns, enroll in 4-year colleges, compared with only 38% of students nationally. In urban areas, a larger proportion of New Tech students enroll in 2-year colleges than in 4-year institutions, for a total of 68% enrolling in formal post-secondary education.
“Students today need the skills of critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communications to be successful in their post-secondary lives,” said Dan Ronk, Superintendent of Rochester Community Schools, a rural Indiana school district located 120 miles from Chicago. “NTN gives our students the skills required after high school whether they choose college, career or the military.”
Once New Tech graduates enroll in college, they have the skills and attributes necessary to persist. For the class of 2011, 83% of New Tech Network graduates who enrolled in college continued their post-secondary education into a second year. The ability to persist is evident for both students attending 4-year colleges, where 91% return for their sophomore year, and students attending 2-year institutions, where 71% of enrollees return for a second year.
“New Tech Network’s annual data report demonstrates that schools can enable all students to achieve college and career readiness regardless of socio-economic status, geographic location or ethnic background,” said Tim Presiado, Interim President of New Tech Network. “This type of education, centered on Project-Based Learning and the principles of Deeper Learning, is beneficial for every student.”
The results show that New Tech Network schools in rural, suburban, and urban areas, as well as mid-size towns across the country, are preparing students for college and career. On average, the characteristics of NTN students are similar to the overall U.S. student population. Fifty-three percent of students in New Tech Network schools are students of color, a slightly larger percentage than the 48% found in public schools in the U.S. Twenty-one percent of students in NTN schools are African American, 21% are Hispanic, 5% are Asian, 2% are Pacific Islander, 1% are Native Americans and 3% identify with multiple ethnicities.
Yet, there is vast diversity between the individual schools within the Network. The students in NTN schools reflect the diversity of the states and communities in which they reside, from low-income urban and rural areas to more affluent suburban areas. In New Tech Network schools, the proportion of students eligible for free and reduced lunch ranges from less than 5% in two schools to 100% of students in eight schools. Schools serving the highest proportion of Hispanic students and English Language Learners are located in California and Texas. The percentage of African American and white students enrolled in individual New Tech schools also varies greatly.
Through collaboration with schools and districts, New Tech Network ensures college and career readiness for all students in diverse communities on two continents. The results presented in this report are based on the schools that have graduated at least one class, from freshman to senior year as a NTN school. Originally founded as a single high school in 1996, today New Tech Network serves 135 schools across 23 states and Australia. Of these, 109 are high schools, 20 are middle schools and 6 are elementary schools. One hundred fifteen of New Tech schools are public district schools, 18 are charter schools and 2 schools operating in Australia are independent.
Since its launch as a school development organization in 2001, New Tech Network has focused on partnering with communities interested in providing students with relevant and rigorous learning experiences. New Tech Network’s rapid growth is the result of the determination and collaboration of educators, business leaders and government officials across the country as they strive to ensure that all high school graduates are prepared for success in the contemporary work environment. Today, New Tech Network is a dedicated network of leaders, teachers and learners, focused on dramatically increasing students’ deeper learning and, subsequently, the level of student accomplishment.
New Tech Network Expanding in the Fall
In the fall of 2014, NTN will open more than 30 new schools, including schools in Washington DC and Australia. NTN will also continue to extend its work to middle and elementary schools and with district-wide design. New Tech Network 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 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
Media Contacts:
Krista Clark
707-307-3345
kclark(at)newtechnetwork(dot)org
Twitter: @NewTechNetwork
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NewTechNetwork
Krista Clark, New Tech Network, http://www.newtechnetwork.org, +1 (707) 307-3345, [email protected]
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