North Daviess Junior-Senior High School is on track to become one of Indiana’s newest New Technology High Schools. The high school will join Columbus Signature Academy and Bloomington New Tech High with an August 2008 opening. North Daviess will be the second school in Indiana to implement the New Tech model schoolwide.
North Daviess Community Schools first learned about the New Tech model at an informational meeting in late January. Wanting to utilize available funds through the National Governors Association Honor States Grant, administered through the Indiana Governor’s Office, the school corporation conducted initial research and requested funding to assist with the exploration phase. School leaders presented the idea to several classroom teachers. A visit to Napa and Sacramento followed, which allowed a small group of teachers, administrators and school board members to experience New Tech firsthand and to learn about the integration of project-based learning. The group presented their experiences from New Tech to the full staff of North Daviess, who decided they wanted to implement the model within their school.
The incoming ninth-graders will be the inaugural class of New Tech students at North Daviess. The students will have two classes that are project-based in addition to other extracurricular and co-curricular classes offered at the school. Word Studies will combine World History, English and Language Arts. Algebra 1 will be linked to Computer Literature and Digital Tools. In the second year of implementation, the school will expand the project-based approach to both the eighth and 10th grades. Within four years, all teachers in grades seven through 10 will use the project-based methodology. Project Lead the Way also is working with the school to establish a STEM-based curriculum.
North Daviess Junior-Senior High School is located in Elnora, a rural town with a population of about 1,000. Despite its small size, the community has played a large role in the school corporation’s decision to implement the New Tech High School model. Robert Bell, superintendent of North Daviess Community Schools, said, “An important factor in deciding to go forward was the community’s willingness to try new concepts.”
The Daviess County Economic Development Corporation has been supportive of the New Tech initiative, as has Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center. Todd Whitlock, technology coordinator for North Daviess Community Schools, said, “Crane is a major employer and is looking for employees competent in 21st-century skills. Three board members work at Crane and are aware of the global and technological demands of the 21st-century economy.”
The district is moving quickly to prepare the high school for an August opening, but several factors already exist that are helping with the implementation. The high school currently has a 1-1 student-computer ratio in its Language Arts curriculum. The school’s classrooms are equipped with high-speed internet access and the district is in the process of upgrading its network wiring capacity to support 50 computers in each classroom. Several classrooms also have collapsible walls, which support the collaboration that is an integral part of the New Tech model.
North Daviess is implementing the New Technology High School model with the future in mind. The community will soon host Crane Tech Park, which is staged to bring high-tech jobs to the community. Indiana’s expansion of Interstate 69 also will bring new commerce to the area. The implementation of New Tech is contributing to the school district’s innovative ways of preparing students for the 21st century and attracting new people to the community.
Jeffrey “Jed” Jerrels, principal of North Daviess Junior-Senior High School, said, “Based on the research, we are trying to do what is best for all students, whether college or the business world. We are trying to give them the 21st-century learning skills that they will need to better themselves when they leave our school.”
North Daviess wants to become a leader in the implementation of New Tech High School and hopes to help other school districts replicate the model in the future. The district already stands out in its commitment to addressing the needs of both its students and the community.
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September 11, 2008
Indiana New Tech High School Network Meeting
September 18, 2008
Indiana Early College High School Network Meeting
November 17-18, 2008
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Responding to Tomorrow's World -
Breaking the Mold of Today's High Schools
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