New tech school 'redefining' high school education, reporternews.com
Director outlines his plans at session for parents
By Emily Peters
Thursday, April 16, 2009
When she was 3, Merrilee Bradfield already was figuring out how to access the operating system on her parents' computer. "We had to put a password on it just to keep her out of there," said her mom, Bernice Hege. "It seems to be one of her natural abilities." Now, as an eighth-grader at Mann Middle School, Bradfield is learning how to fix computers with the school MOUSE Squad. That's why Hege attended a seminar to find out how her daughter can be one of the 100 freshmen to enroll in the New Tech High School at Abilene Christian University this fall.
A handful of parents and eighth-grade students attended the informational session Thursday. The turnout was low, possibly because of a middle school track meet, but parents have two more opportunities to attend sessions next week. John Martinez, director of the tech school, told the parents how the facility is "redefining the secondary-school classroom."
He said with "project-based learning," students typically won't sit in separate English or science classes. Instead, teachers will work together to develop hands-on projects that encompass all subjects and help students apply the concepts to real-world scenarios. The projects also will present all the skills necessary for students to pass the TAKS and graduate.
Martinez, called director instead of principal to reflect the school's alternative environment, has hired five teachers and soon will fill out his staff with a sixth. Each teacher has years of experience in local schools and certification to teach multiple subjects. Logistically, Martinez said, plans are coming together. Although the lease is not yet final, the school plans to meet for the first year in 11,000 square feet on the first floor of the Texas Tech engineering building on Pine Street.
Next school year, the school will move to an unknown location on the ACU campus, where students will get to be a part of the college culture, Martinez said. That includes some college classes, the library, "and even the freshman 15 that comes with eating at the cafeteria," he joked. While at the Texas Tech building, the students probably will eat at a cafeteria at the Abilene Independent School District's nearby administrative offices, at downtown restaurants or in power lunches hosted by local business leaders.
Students will ride the bus to their zoned school; another bus will pick them up and take them to the NTHS campus. That means NTHS might have slightly different start and finish times. No physical education program will be offered because schools with career and internship tracks can waive that requirement. However, students who want to take part in individual sports can possibly participate at their host schools if the sports don't interfere with regular school hours at NTHS. Parents should e-mail athletic directors at Cooper High or Abilene High to ask about specific sports.
Juniors and seniors probably will have real-world internship experience as part of their school schedules. Juniors likely will shadow industry professionals, while seniors are expected to spend 50 hours working throughout the year, possibly in paid positions.
With dual courses and access to college classes, NTHS students probably will earn 12 to 30 hours of college credit before graduating, Martinez said. Also, parents will be required to serve 10 volunteer hours at the school each year. This summer, the students who have been accepted will be invited to social activities to get a jump-start on the "family atmosphere" that the high school will strive to provide.
The school is funded with a $480,000 Texas Education Agency T-STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) grant. The curriculum is based on the New Tech Foundation, based in California. There are four other New Tech high schools in Texas, but the number will grow to seven next year.
The grant will pay for each student to have a laptop, but that T-STEM grant lasts only two years. Grant writing will be a constant process to fund the school and the continually advancing technology, said Cathy Ashby, AISD associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction. Only a few students have turned in NTHS applications, but that number is expected to rise by the May 9 deadline if the interest is as high as it was for the fifth-grade magnet school at McMurry University. That school had 160 students apply for fewer than 30 spots in its first year. The New Tech High School in Coppell had 300 applicants its first year, Ashby said.
The Abilene school's freshman class will be selected in a lottery after applications are mailed in.
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