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KnowledgeWorks Foundation Commits $10 Million to New Tech High Schools
By Christine Marson

On March 9, 2009, KnowledgeWorks Foundation held a national press conference with Governor Mitch Daniels to announce a $10 million grant to the New Technology Foundation based in California. “Our primary objective at KnowledgeWorks is to drive innovation in public education, and we believe that New Tech is the best-in-class, most highly scalable approach to learning in the 21st century that we have seen,” said Chad Wick, chief executive of KnowledgeWorks Foundation in Cincinnati, Ohio. “New Tech needs this support so they can strengthen their organization and support the Indiana schools and the growing number across the nation.”

As part of this partnership, KnowledgeWorks will provide up to $10 million to New Technology Foundation over a four-year period, along with operational guidance and strategic expertise, to help develop the infrastructure necessary to support the rapidly growing network of New Tech schools. The management teams have been working together over the past nine months with a focus on operations and further developing New Tech’s technology platform.

In his remarks, Wick recognized Governor Daniels, the State of Indiana, and the Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL) for serving as national education leaders. “Indiana is leading the pack on a national level. KnowledgeWorks applauds you. We hope that other states can learn from what you’re doing in Indiana,” he said.

Governor Daniels agreed. “There’s nothing we’re more committed to in Indiana than better education for our kids, particularly for the high-tech world of this century,” he said. “Indiana has become the leader in the New Tech model, which provides a new way to learn and places a new emphasis on the skills that are most relevant to our economic future. We intend New Tech’s rapid expansion over the next few years.”

Susan Schilling, chief executive of New Technology Foundation, appreciated this new partnership. “We are delighted that KnowledgeWorks Foundation has decided to invest in us and our capacity to scale,” she said. “We have not only their infusion of cash to help, but we also have their knowledge and their wisdom of how to do this at a national level with the high school world. We’re pleased with the announcement and the strategic partnership that they represent for us.”

Schilling noted that the New Technology Foundation has proven its scalability with its 39 New Tech schools across the country with a third in rural, a third in suburban, and a third in urban environments. She said the foundation has data and research that demonstrates that the schools succeed at not only creating students who are interested in learning, but at creating students who go on to higher education and pursue careers and courses of study in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.

KnowledgeWorks Foundation examined the national landscape for over a year in order to partner with a state that had effective teaching and rigorous learning, was student-centered and STEM focused, and had a successful postsecondary network. Currently, Indiana hosts six of the 39 New Tech high schools in the nation. The New Tech national network comprises 8,500 students in nine states, with 13–15 schools expected to open by August 2009. Indiana will open three New Tech schools this fall with another 18 in the exploratory research phase.