New Tech Network High School Graduation and College Enrollment Outperforms National Average for Fifth Consecutive Year
Napa, California, May 20, 2015 (PRWEB) May 20, 2015 -- New Tech Network (NTN), today 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 160 public K-12 schools in 25 states and Australia.
"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. "Research shows that only 30 percent of students graduate high school with the minimum skills for college or career. This means far too many graduates go to college requiring remediation or are simply ill prepared for the rigor of college work. Our focus at New Tech Network is helping to prepare every high school student to graduate ready for college and career. This 2015 data is significant because not only do we see continued rates of success, we also see these positive comparisons persist during a time of rapid expansion of new schools joining the Network."
Based on 37 high schools with graduating classes in 2014, New Tech Network schools demonstrated an average graduation rate of 93%. This rate represents impressive growth given that in 2010 (when there were only 10 NTN high schools), NTN had a graduation rate of 83%. With nearly four times as many schools, NTN students are graduating at an even higher rate.
In 2013, 72% of NTN graduates enrolled in college compared to only 66% of high school graduates nationally. For the student cohort that graduated in 2012, 84% of New Tech alumni who enrolled in college continued their post-secondary education into a second year, substantially higher than the national average.
NTN students’ track record to persist in college is evident for both NTN students who attend 4-year colleges, where 92% return for their sophomore year, and students who attend 2-year institutions, where 74% return for a second year.
NTN schools continue to receive national and/or state recognition. Four California NTN schools were awarded Gold Ribbon status by Superintendent Tom Torlakson. In Louisiana, Ruston @ New Tech and Patrick F Taylor recently were ranked in the top ten public high schools. Many NTN schools were awarded gold, silver and bronze status in the US News and World Report Best High Schools list and three schools were selected as national exemplars for deeper learning by the Partnership for 21st Century Learning.
New Tech schools are grounded in three key design principles: teaching that engages (centered on project-based learning), a culture that empowers students and adults, and the pervasive use of technology to enable learning. Often working with the existing school district principals and teachers, NTN provides the training and coaching to implement the new school designs. The students in New Tech schools are as diverse as the states, communities and schools in which they learn and grow. Twenty-two percent of students in NTN schools are Hispanic, 20% are African American, 5% are Asian and Pacific Islander and another 5% identify with multiple ethnicities, and the remaining 45% are Non-Hispanic, white. English Language Learners comprise 9% of the student population, 11% of students are eligible for special education services and 52% qualify for free or reduced price meals.
NTN schools reflect the diversity of the states and communities in which they reside, from low-income urban and rural neighborhoods to more affluent suburban areas. The proportion of students eligible for free and reduced lunch in NTN schools ranges from less than 5% in three schools to 100% of students in 11 schools, and four schools serve a predominantly English Language Learner population.
"Students today need the skills of critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication to be successful in their post-secondary lives," said former U. S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley. "I've seen students at New Tech schools acquire content knowledge and develop those skills so that they’re prepared to solve real-world problems now and in their future. It's very encouraging that the results produced at New Tech schools reflect favorably on the potential for positive change in our diverse communities. In South Carolina, we have nine New Tech schools and hope to have more. We look to NTN to help all students, especially those in our economically challenged areas, achieve success after high school – whether they choose college, career or the military."
To support its national Network, NTN works directly with district leaders, school administrators, and classroom teachers aligning learning systems to dramatically improve student accomplishment. Teachers and administrators participate in comprehensive professional development and receive on-site and virtual coaching from NTN. Through adult learning opportunities, teachers become skillful at creating authentic learning that is grounded in inquiry, reflection, and individual agency. Teacher learning is at the core of Professional Learning @ NTN, a multi-faceted, personalized system of adult learning. All schools in the Network utilize Echo, a proprietary Learning Management System (LMS). Echo is the only LMS designed to support classroom-based PBL and assessment of deeper learning outcomes. In the fall of 2015, NTN will open more than 25 new elementary, middle and high schools across the country.
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New Tech Network (NTN) works with public district and charter schools to ensure that all students have the skills, knowledge and attributes they need to thrive in college, career and civic life. We are an independent non-profit school development organization that partners with districts to create vibrant schools and engage a national network of educators in continuous improvement. We provide professional development, coaching, access to Echo, our learning management system, and ongoing participation in improvement initiatives so that all systems to support learning are focused on college and career readiness.
New Tech schools are grounded in three key design principles: teaching that engages (centered on project-based learning), a culture that empowers students and adults, and the pervasive use of technology to enable learning.
For a full list of New Tech schools, visit our website at:
http://www.newtechnetwork.org/newtech_schools
Twitter: @NewTechNetwork
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NewTechNetwork
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Krista Clark, New Tech Network Inc, http://www.newtechnetwork.org, +1 (707) 259-5972, [email protected]
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