Sacramento New Technology High Wins Social Justice Award
Sacramento New Tech meets the needs of a diverse student population through the extraordinary efforts of a committed and passionate teaching staff. Most students represent the first generation in their family to attend college, said CEO Lydia Dobyns.
Napa, Ca, (PRWEB) July 30, 2015
New Tech Network announced at its national conference held in Chicago, Illinois, that Sacramento New Technology High in Sacramento, CA, was named recipient of the Chad P. Wick Award for Social Justice. This award is given to a school that demonstrates success in closing the achievement gap for underserved students.
Wick, founding board member of New Tech Network and President Emeritus for Cincinnati-based KnowledgeWorks has sought to create equitable education opportunities for all students as his personal passion.
“I want to see public education in this country that prepares all students for a successful future,” said Wick. “I know that every child is capable of learning, no matter their background, parent income, learning style or native language. There are no circumstances that should ever determine or prohibit a child's access to a quality education in America.”
This year’s conference theme was: Are they Ready -- Preparing All Students for College, Career and Civic Life.
Kenneth Durham, Principal at Sacramento New Technology High School, received the award for, as he said, “believing that every child can succeed in mastering the content, skills, and mindset they need to be college, career and life ready.”
Durham continued, “Our school community is working hard to make sure that our graduates leave Sacramento New Tech amazed by their experience and equipped to participate in the global community. Like you, we value innovation and creativity, and seek to inspire our students to embrace these values so they can do great work while each traveling their unique path. I am honored to accept this award on behalf of Sacramento New Technology High School’s staff and students. We could not have achieved this honor without help and support from our coaches and sister schools in the New Tech Network, along with parents and the Sacramento City Unified School District. The model works, and this shows what New Tech schools do is right for all students."
The school's achievement at NTAC was applauded by more than 1800 principals, teachers, superintendents, alumni and students — representing 182 schools and districts nationwide — attending this year’s conference, which was held July 20-24, 2015.
The conference provided professional development and collaborative learning for educators from more than half of the US states and Australia and China. The Chicago event provides training to support the launch of new schools as well as sessions focused on the comprehensive redesign of elementary, middle and high schools anchored in three key elements:
-Teaching that engages through Project-Based Learning
-A culture that empowers both students and adults
-A pervasive use of technology that enables teaching and learning
“As a country, we dwell on the ‘going-to-college’ problem, yet the even bigger crisis is that in the U.S we graduate far too many students who are not ‘ready-for-college’,” said Lydia Dobyns, President and CEO of New Tech Network. “Sacramento New Tech meets the needs of a diverse student population through the extraordinary efforts of a committed and passionate teaching staff. Most students represent the first generation in their family to attend college. The school is entering its thirteenth year, and even with multiple principals in the last few years, the quality of instruction remains consistently strong. The majority of teachers have been there for more than eight years.”
New Tech Network (NTN), recently released its 2015 Data Report showing a higher than national average rate of high school graduation and college enrollment from NTN schools located in diverse communities across the country. New Tech Network’s strong student performance continues from previous years’ outcomes and is noteworthy as the number of schools has expanded to more than 175 public K-12 schools in 28 states and Australia and China.
First introduced in Napa, California, in 1996, the New Tech model has proven successful across diverse student populations in urban, rural, and suburban public high schools. New Tech is emerging as one of the fastest-growing approaches to transforming high school education in the U.S.