LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--New Tech Network announced at the New Tech Network Annual Conference (NTAC) in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that Los Angeles School of Global Studies (LASGS) 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, exemplifies the New Tech model and graduates students college and career ready.
“This award is an honor and we are proud to be recognized for our work in the community and with our students,” said Christian Quintero, recently promoted to principal at LASGS and was a founding teacher when the school opened in 2006. “Students at LASGS immediately see how the projects in their classes apply to the world outside our four walls. By applying their knowledge to their lives and their community, they realize their important role as change agents in our complex society,” said Quintero.
LASGS’s achievement was applauded by some 1,200 principals, teachers, superintendents, alumni and students—representing more than 120 schools nationwide attending this year’s conference. The event, which brought together educators to share strategies, celebrate successes, and strengthen the New Tech community, featured rigorous professional development tracks to support principals, teachers and district leaders prepare for the forthcoming academic year.
In addition to teacher training, conference events included a superintendent-focused forum, a student and alumni track, a track for those interested in starting a New Tech school, and academic leadership meetings. On Wednesday, July 18, additional awards were presented to schools in various categories including: Best Project in Network, the Network Legacy Award and the NTN Student Video Challenge winners.
“On behalf of the entire New Tech Network community, it is my pleasure to recognize the outstanding teaching and learning demonstrated at LASGS,” said Lydia Dobyns, President of New Tech. “The accomplishments within LASGS act as clear evidence that all students can learn and that we can prepare students with both the academic knowledge they need and the skills necessary to be college and career ready. LASGS’ achievement is an inspiration to us all.”
NTAC 2012 builds upon the New Tech Network’s momentum from the academic year just completed. New Tech will open over three dozen new schools in 2012, expanding to 120 schools in 18 states and Australia that will use the Network’s innovative design principles that create relevant and rigorous learning experiences. Those schools will join a nationwide group of schools that enjoy an annual graduation rate of 97 percent and a four-year cohort rate of 86 percent (for the academic year 2010-2011). In addition, the New Tech Network student acceptance rate to two- and four-year colleges was 98 percent. (Additional New Tech Network outcomes from the 2010-11 academic year can be found here.)
“LASGS has shown amazing strides in the effort to provide an education that is relevant for this century and has proven that a zip code will not dictate the type of education a student will receive,” said Chad P. Wick, Founder and Director of KnowledgeWorks and for whom the award was named. “New Tech’s methods are empowering educators to reinvent their teaching style and students to better prepare themselves for careers in today’s world. That means leaving the chalkboard behind, getting more actively involved in curriculum development, making technology an integral part of learning and speaking to students in ways that cultivate a true love of learning.”
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. For a full list of New Tech schools, visit our website at: http://www.newtechnetwork.org/newtech_schools.
To see New Tech’s highly successful approach in action, please visit: http://www.newtechnetwork.org/inside_newtech.
About the New Tech Network
New Tech Network (NTN) is a non-profit school development organization that partners with districts and organizations to implement innovative schools. With 120 schools in 18 states and Australia, New Tech schools are characterized by a student-centered school culture that empowers students and teachers, an engaging project-based curriculum, and the integrated use of digital learning to facilitate relevant, teaching and learning. New Tech Network provides customized strategic consulting, teacher and administrative training and coaching and access to the Echo Learning Management System for students and teachers. New Tech Network provides a wide range of professional services to help rural, urban and suburban communities build thriving New Tech schools that achieve meaningful student outcomes. New Tech Network is a subsidiary of KnowledgeWorks, which seeks to transform U.S. public education from a world of schooling to a world of learning.
About KnowledgeWorks
KnowledgeWorks is bringing the future of learning to America’s high schools and creating widespread, lasting change in the communities and states we serve. Our portfolio of high school approaches includes New Tech Network high schools, EdWorks high school redesign, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) and Early College High Schools.