How It All Began

The city of Napa is best known as the southern tip of California's most famous wine-making region, but is becoming famous as the birthplace of an educational revolution. When several local businesspeople first tossed around the idea of a school in which students would learn the skills necessary to succeed in the New Economy, revolution was not a word they used. "Frustration" came more readily to their minds - local business leaders' frustration with the lack of skilled local employees; students' frustration as they came out of school unprepared for jobs in a technologically advanced marketplace; and the community's frustration with the quality of public education in general. Out of frustration came inspiration, and New Technology High School was born.

Since opening its doors in 1996, New Technology High School has graduated 756 students, sending them to an impressive list of top colleges and internships with nearby Silicon Valley companies. The students themselves helped design its elegant modern facade and also assist in maintaining its interior landscape, the NTHS website. The classrooms are visions of modern industriousness; with each student seated at his or her own personal computer. Students use the latest software to do everything from accessing daily bulletins to completing math assignments. Some students have been computer junkies all their lives. Some have never touched a mouse before arriving at NTHS.

The most exciting aspect of education at NTHS is directly connected to this access to technology. It's called "project-based learning", and it very nearly comprises a revolution in itself. Instead of plugging their knowledge into fill-in bubbles on scantron sheets at finals time, students present tech-based projects about the subject at hand. You won't find simple book reports at New Tech High - you're more likely to see a detailed website with original graphics and links to related sites, or a beautifully designed Power-Point presentation combining digital photography and original text.

Parents shouldn't fear that all this technology overshadows core academics. Students fulfill all district requirements and some extra ones specific to NTHS. They can also get college credit at local Napa Valley College. They need not sit behind a computer screen all day - extracurricular organizations include clubs, dances, and off-campus trips. Students can enroll in music and sports at nearby Napa or Vintage High Schools. In addition, students learn self-sufficiency and time management and participate in what the school's founders call "A Community of Trust." Small class sizes and personal relationships with instructors create an environment in which students are responsible for their own learning. There are no bells telling them when classes begin and end and no hall passes required to go to the bathroom. It's more like college, or even a workplace, than a high school. In addition, the atmosphere of trust and respect makes students feel comfortable leaving their backpacks behind in a classroom. A seemingly insignificant privilege, it comes at a time when too many students across the country fear that the locker next to theirs may hold a weapon.

The enormous success of the NTHS experiment brings some inevitable questions, including how to keep up with the latest technological developments. The NTFoundation was created to support the school and effectively channel grant money. In addition, the NTFoundation has assisted other communities to replicate a New Technology High of their own.