Albany, NY (PRWEB) July 25, 2013
Tech Valley High School teacher Leah Penniman was named Best In Network winner for her project, Ayiti Resurrect, at the recent New Tech Network Annual Conference (NTAC) in New Orleans, Louisiana. New Tech Network annually gives the award to a teacher who exemplifies the goal of: Building Bridges in Local and Global Communities by Providing Authentic Learning Experiences for Their Students.
The Ayiti Resurrect Project was initiated by Ms. Penniman, who teaches at Tech Valley High School in Rensselaer, NY. Collaborating internationally with Ayiti Resurrect in Haiti, freshmen designed and implemented a reforestation project that was environmentally conscious and manageable and financially viable by local residents.
Pennimans achievement was applauded by more than 1,400 principals, teachers, staff, superintendents, alumni and students representing more than 130 NTN schools nationwide attending this years conference. The event brought educators together to share strategies, learn new techniques and deepen the understanding of how best to support students in New Tech schools. It featured professional development to support principals, teachers and district leaders to prepare students to be college and career ready.
Projects like Ayiti Resurrect inspire us all, said Lydia Dobyns, President of New Tech Network. On behalf of the entire NTN community, it is my pleasure to recognize the outstanding teaching and learning demonstrated by this project. The Best in Network award is one way we highlight exemplary project design by teachers in New Tech schools. This project is academically challenging while also increasing student awareness about social issues and providing paths for students to act. Ayiti Resurrect demonstrates that all students can be engaged in a real and relevant project while gaining both academic knowledge and the skills necessary to be college and career ready.
Other NTN schools have been recognized recently for their focus on college and career readiness. President Obama visited a New Tech school for the launch of his Middle Class Jobs and Opportunities tour. The President visited Manor New Technology High School located outside Austin, Texas, to highlight the schools transformative approach to education and focus on the STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).
New Tech Network, in partnership with public school districts and charter organizations, will support 30 new elementary, middle and high schools joining the Network in 2013, expanding to more than 130 schools in the U.S. and Australia. The most recent data from New Tech high schools shows that New Tech students graduate at a rate 6 percent greater than the national average, enroll in college at a rate 9 percent greater than the national average, persist in 4-year colleges at a rate 17 percent greater than the national average and stay at 2-year colleges at a rate 46 percent greater than the national average. (Additional NTN outcomes for 2011-12 can be found here.)
First introduced in Napa, California, in 1996, the New Tech model has proven successful across diverse student populations in urban, rural and suburban public schools.
For a full list of New Tech schools, visit our website at http://www.newtechnetwork.org/newtech_schools.
About the New Tech Network
The New Tech design is a blueprint, accompanied by a set of core beliefs, tools, and strategies to help each school fulfill its purpose. New Tech design principles provide for an instructional approach centered on project-based learning, a culture that empowers students and teachers, and integrated use of technology in and outside the classroom. Through extensive professional development, personalized coaching and access to Echo a learning management system, NTN empowers principals, teachers, and students to develop compelling, relevant and meaningful learning communities.
NTN is a subsidiary of KnowledgeWorks, which seeks to transform U.S. public education from a world of schooling to a world of learning.
Media Contacts:
Krista Clark
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707-307-3345
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