NTI is cited as exemplary school in the New Tech Network

The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation’s New Tech Institute (NTI) was recently selected as a National Demonstration Site by the New Tech Network, a national non-profit that works with nearly 200 schools nationwide to create innovative learning environments. Demonstration sites epitomize the best example of the New Tech mission – to help students gain the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in life, college and the careers of tomorrow.

“We applaud the significant work necessary for schools to meet the demonstration site criteria.  We consider them exemplary schools within the New Tech Network of nearly 200 schools. Through the school’s hard work, students are better prepared for life and college, they have also developed a deep love of learning,” said NTN President and CEO, Lydia Dobyns.

To receive this distinction, New Tech Institute demonstrated many notable accomplishments. The school had to develop a clear set of student learning outcomes consistent with skills required to succeed in college, career or civic life. These include content mastery tied to state standards as well as work ethic/collaboration, critical thinking and oral and written communication. All courses demonstrated rigorous and relevant Project-Based Learning (PBL) to amplify deeper learning while engaging students in the classroom. The deep integration and use of technology is present in all classrooms. Finally, a school culture that establishes students at the center, built on trust, respect and responsibility must be evident throughout the school.

New Tech Institute opened in 2010 with its first class of 64. NTI focuses on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and Entrepreneurial Leadership with a mission to provide students with “relevant project-based learning and leadership opportunities in an atmosphere of trust, respect, and responsibility.”

“Since opening seven years ago, we have continually worked to grow our practice around student-centered project-based learning to provide meaningful learning for our students,” said NTI Principal Chris Gibson. “This recognition helps reaffirm our efforts to provide our students with a relevant 21st century education that they can take and be successful in life.”

In May 2016, New Tech Institute received STEM-Certification from the Indiana Department of Education for the five-year period 2016-2021.

Demonstration site schools play a key role in showcasing the New Tech model in action by opening their campus to other communities.  NTI will host tours for national, state and local schools and districts to experience a New Tech school firsthand.  Visitors will take part in student-led tours to learn about the fundamentals of the school, including project-based learning examples, integrated use of technology and the culture shift that is integral to every New Tech. Last year, NTN schools hosted thousands of visitors wishing across the country. In addition to tours, demonstration sites play an important role in hosting New Tech training events. These trainings often provide an authentic immersion experience for teachers and administrators as new districts and communities prepare to open and teach in their own schools.

New Tech Network recently released its 2016 Outcomes  Report showing strong success among four key findings:

New Tech Network Students:

·   Graduate from high school at a rate 9% greater than the national average.

·  New Tech students grow 61% more in higher order thinking skills between freshman and senior years than comparison group.

·   Attend college at 70%

·   Persist in college in 4-year colleges at a rate of 92% and in 2-year colleges at a a rate 72% over the past five years

The EVSC’s New Tech Institute is currently accepting applications for the 2017-2018. For more information and to apply, visit www.evscschools.com/newtech.

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TRUMP RIGHT TO WORRY ABOUT AT&T, TIME WARNER MERGER

Making Sense by Michael Reagan

On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary committee held a significant hearing on the proposed $84 billion merger between AT&T and Time Warner, which owns CNN.

AT&T’s CEO Randall Stephenson testified, and faced tough questions from senators who seemed to understand allowing this merger will have important implications for a free press and American democracy for many years to come.

During the recent election candidate Trump said, “AT&T is buying Time Warner, and thus CNN, a deal we will not approve in my administration because it’s too much concentration of power in the hands of too few.”

Since then a number of press reports —- no doubt pushed by AT&T —- are suggesting President Trump will have a laissez faire approach and the deal will go through.

Knowing of the grassroots concerns that many conservative leaders share, I doubt President Trump or Congress will rubber stamp this deal.

Trump was right when he warned of the massive concentration of media power in a few hands.

Consider that today 90 percent of cable television networks are owned by just six companies: Time Warner (CNN), Viacom, CBS, ABC, Comcast (NBC) and 21st Century Fox.

Of these major conglomerates only Fox gives conservatives a fair shake. New, independent networks like Newsmax TV are on the rise, but the big media still controls, dangerously, the flow of information to the public. Trump was their most recent victim.

A combination of AT&T and Time Warner will be toxic, further constricting competition and press diversity.

AT&T is a giant media company which also owns DirecTV. They also were a major corporate backer of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. They strongly opposed Donald Trump’s election.

Time Warner’s CNN was nothing short of the “Clinton News Network” —- a 24-hour propaganda machine spewing out anti-Trump and anti-Republican venom.

Right now AT&T has 26.3 million pay TV subscribers through DirecTV and ATT U-verse service —- controlling about 25 percent of the U.S. cable market. They are the largest cable/satellite operator in the U.S. bar none.

By owning the largest chunk of cable home distribution, AT&T will obviously be in a position to favor their own channels like CNN, over other channels like Fox News, Newsmax and many others.

The ability for AT&T to discriminate against other cable networks that could compete against CNN or their other networks would be endless.

AT&T, which controls a huge percent of the mobile telephone market, could exempt its mobile customers from data usage charges if they stream CNN content, but streaming independent news networks like Newsmax might continue to count against high speed data caps.

Frankly, I am usually in favor of government keeping its hands-off business activities.

But there are exceptions.

When certain businesses act like monopolies or near monopolies, have unusual access to publicly-owned or controlled distribution systems, and get preferential access to broadcast/satellite airwaves, then government has a compelling need to insure that such media companies act in a fair way to insure competition and the diversity of public opinion.

We already know that vertical integration of cable operators undermines competition.

For example, when Comcast completed its merger of NBC back in 2011, it promised that it would not favor its own channels over other channels, agreeing to a condition that would have put the Bloomberg financial news channel on equal footing with CNBC across its distribution platform.

It is well known that Comcast never honored the condition. For this and other reasons, Comcast’s recent effort to merge with Time Warner was rejected.

AT&T has not demonstrated, in my opinion, a real desire to support the public’s interest in the areas of competition, diversity and fairness.

Recently the Department of Justice sued AT&T and its subsidiary DirecTV for price fixing and illegally colluding to harm consumers.

There are many reasons why the FCC and Congress needs to handle this merger with intense scrutiny and remember this is not a business decision, but a matter that affects our democratic institutions.

President-elect Trump knows this first hand.

WK 12-9-16 DEATH LIST