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CELL Research SeriesSuccessful Schools: New Tech High @ Arsenal Tech

Jill Bradley-Levine

Gina Mosier

Tyonka Perkins

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TABLE OF CONTENTSLetter from Scott DeFreese, Director ��������������������������������2

What Is New Tech? ��������������������������������������������������������������3

What Does New Tech Teaching Look Like? �����������������������4Project-based Learning ����������������������������������������������������������������������������� 421st-Century Skill Learning �������������������������������������������������������������������� 4Findings on Curriculum and Instruction ���������������������������������������������� 5Findings on Partnership Development �������������������������������������������������� 5Findings on Technology Integration ������������������������������������������������������� 5

How Does New Tech Affect Student Outcomes? ��������������6Findings on Learning Outcomes ������������������������������������������������������������ 6

How Does New Tech Affect the School Environment? �����8Findings on School Culture ��������������������������������������������������������������������� 8Findings on Professional Culture ������������������������������������������������������������ 9

Research Design ���������������������������������������������������������������10

References �������������������������������������������������������������������������10

Letter from Scott DeFreese, Director

New Tech High School is a model that rocks teaching and learning to its very core, and the implementation of the model is unimaginably profound and complex� To provide guidance to those interested in implementing the model, here are some lessons

learned while navigating this immense transformation�

When implementing the model as a small learning community on a shared campus, do not isolate the New Tech program from the rest of the school� Doing so may create animosity between non-New Tech teachers and students, and deprive New Tech students of vital resources available on the larger campus� Instead, invite non-New Tech students and teachers into New Tech classrooms so that they witness first-hand what the model is all about� Emphasize that you are not “reinventing the wheel” or touting yourself as superior: show them that you are just trying something new�

Having proper staffing in place is paramount� To transform the student culture, you must transform the adults who lead it� Therefore, any staff members who are resistant to the model should transition out of the program� When seeking new candidates, be sure to write job descriptions that attract top talent and deter traditionally minded candidates from applying� Review candidates’ academic transcripts to ensure they are proficient in their content areas� Further, seek candidates with entrepreneurial, creative and innovative dispositions� Finally, ensure candidates have work experience in their fields of study, as it will enable them to develop real-world applications for the teaching standards�

Find one lead partner with a wealth of resources in the community rather than piecing together small partnerships� This will provide access to a wider array of resources, the most important of which is human capital� The nature of the model requires many non-educators to be involved in the school, as one of the main goals of the model is for students to master 21st-century skills� Therefore, they must have access to professionals who can provide rigorous and constructive feedback, as well as places to practice those skills� A strong community partner can link you to guest speakers, authentic audiences and internship opportunities� Additionally, such a partner can be influential in serving as an advocate for the program if there is any pushback regarding its implementation�

Finally, when revising your curriculum, do not focus on 21st-century skills to the point that you ignore other vital skills� The reality is that students are still assessed by state standardized tests and college entrance examinations� It would do them a disservice to refrain from teaching the skills necessary to succeed on those assessments� Fortunately, the New Tech model lends itself to integration of “basic” and critical-thinking skills� To do so, ensure that facilitators integrate test-taking skills, as well as reading and numeracy skills into high-level, wall-to-wall project-based learning (PBL) environments through scaffolding workshops and other supports�

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The New Tech High School model is administered by the New Tech Network (NTN), a non-profit organization based in Napa, CA that developed the model in response to a concern from local business leaders that just meeting basic standards would not ensure student success�

The model features three key elements� First, New Tech (NT) schools utilize the project-based learning (PBL) instructional strategy, which emphasizes technology use; rigorous, relevant and standards-based projects; and cultivation of community partnerships� Second, NT schools develop a school culture of “trust, respect,

and responsibility” whereby students and teachers are empowered to make meaningful contributions to school policy and learning� Third, NT schools emphasize full-scale technology integration into classrooms through one-to-one computing ratios, Internet access, and the use of a learning management system that transforms students into self-directed learners and teachers into learning facilitators�

The Indiana New Tech high school implementation has taken one of three forms� Schools that have implemented the model across their whole school

are characteristically smaller high schools located in rural communities� Autonomous schools, often located in small cities, operate like a magnet program drawing students from the district to a campus separate from the district high school(s)� Finally, small learning communities are programs within large district high schools and usually located in urban areas�

Implementation of the New Tech model is guided by the School Success Rubric (SSR), an NTN document that enables schools to self assess their progress�

What Is New Tech?

Demographic ProfileNew Tech High @

Arsenal Tech(N=190)

Indiana Secondary School Population

(N=318,914)*Race/EthnicityAmerican Indian/Alaska Native 1 (0.5%) 1,098 (0.3%)

Black (Not of Hispanic Origin) 105 (55.3%) 37,553 (11.8%)

Asian 1 (0.5%) 4,883 (1.5%)

Hispanic Ethnicity 22 (11.6%) 21,678 (6.8%)

White (Not of Hispanic Origin) 54 (28.4%) 242,582 (76.1%)

Multiracial (Two or More Races) 7 (3.7%) 10,954 (3.4%)

Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0 (0.0%) 166 (0.1%)

Special Education ParticipationSpecial Education 24 (12.6%) 44,010 (13.8%)

Not Special Education 166 (87.4%) 274,904 (86.2%)

Free and Reduced-Price Meals/MilkFree Meals/Milk 132 (69.5%) 99,914 (31.3%)

Reduced-price Meals/Milk 23 (12.1%) 24,606 (7.7%)

Paid Meals/Milk 35 (18.4%) 193,246 (60.6%)

Limited English ProficiencyEnglish Language Learner 24 (12.6%) 8,930 (2.8%)

Not English Language Learner 166 (87.4%) 309,984 (97.2%)

*1,148 (0.4%) of students statewide had no meal status recorded.

Race/EthnicityNew Tech High @ Arsenal Tech (NTH@AT) has a diverse student population� By race/ethnicity, almost three-quarters of the population were students of color (71�6%)� The percent of minority students at NTH@AT was almost twice as large as the comparison school (37�6%) and three times larger than the Indiana secondary school population (23�9%)�

Special Education QualificationSpecial education students represented 12�6% of the NTH@AT population� The proportion of special education students at NTH@AT was less than that of the comparison school (20�8%) and the Indiana secondary school population (13�8%)�

Free and Reduced MealsMore than 80% of NTH@AT students were eligible for free or reduced-price meals/milk (81�6%)� The percent of students that was eligible for free or reduced-price meals/milk was almost twice as large as the comparison school (46�8%) and more than twice that of the Indiana secondary school population (39�2%)�

Limited English ProficiencyEnglish Language Learners (ELLs) represented 12�6% of the NTH@AT student population� The proportion of ELLs at NTH@AT was twice as large as that of the comparison school (5�9%) and more than four times larger than that of the Indiana secondary school population (2�8%)�

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What Does New Tech Teaching Look Like?

21st-Century Skill Learning PBL encourages more rigorous learning because it requires students to take an active role in understanding concepts and content related to projects� PBL also enables students to develop critical 21st-century skills including critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration� These skills increase students’ workforce readiness and foster an enduring curiosity and hunger for knowledge (BIE, 2011) while enhancing engagement and content relevancy� PBL also facilitates opportunities for career exploration, technology use, and community relations (Blumenfeld, Soloway, Marx, Krajcik, Guzdial, & Palincsar, 1991; BIE, 2011)�

Specifically, students in PBL classrooms benefit from improved critical-thinking and problem-solving skills (Mergendoller, Maxwell & Bellisimo, 2006; Shepherd, 1998; Tretten & Zachariou, 1995)� One study found that after being immersed in a PBL environment, low-ability students saw a 446% increase in their use of critical-thinking skills such as synthesizing, evaluating, predicting, and reflecting (Horan, Lavaroni & Beldon, 1996)� High-ability students also saw an increase in their use of those skills by 76% (Horan, et al�)� Moreover, during PBL instruction, students showed increased initiative, as they were observed utilizing

resources and revising work, all behaviors that were uncharacteristic of them before being immersed in PBL instruction (Barron, Schwartz, Vye, Moore, Petrosino, Zech, Bransford & The Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt, 1998)�

PBL also fosters students’ development of collaboration skills� Special education students in PBL-taught classes developed social skills, such as patience and empathy (Belland, Ertmer & Simons, 2006)� Further, low-ability students demonstrated initiative, management, teamwork, and conscientiousness as they worked in groups (Horan, et al�, 1996)� In addition, students reported enjoying PBL work because it gave them opportunities to interact with current friends and make new friends through cooperative projects (Belland, et al�; Lightner, Bober & Willi, 2007)�

Engaging MindsPBL improves student engagement (Belland, et al�, 2006; Brush & Saye, 2008) because it places students in real-world, problem-solving contexts (Blumenfeld, et al�, 1991)� A study of one economics class revealed that a PBL unit was successful in engaging both the lowest- and highest-performing students, as well as students who were least interested in

economics at the start of the unit (Ravitz & Mergendoller, 2005)� Another study found that PBL had a positive effect on student motivation to learn (Bartscher, Gould & Nutter, 1995)� Elementary teachers using 37% of their overall instruction time on PBL reported that students’ work ethic improved, as well as their confidence and attitudes toward learning (Tretten & Zachariou, 1995)�

Content KnowledgePBL also improves student content learning� Students in PBL-taught classes scored higher on standardized exams and ability tests measuring problem-solving skills, and content application to real-world problems compared to students in traditionally taught classes (Finkelstein, Hanson, Huang, Hirschman & Huang, 2010; Boaler, 1997; Penuel & Means, 2000; Stepien, Gallagher & Workman, 1993)� Students were also able to demonstrate specific content area skills after taking part in a PBL unit (Mioduser & Betzer, 2003; Peck, Peck, Sentz & Zasa, 1998) such as applying measurement skills to develop blueprints for a geometry project on architecture and design (Barron, et al�, 1998)� Additionally, students in PBL classes emerge with more useful, real-world content knowledge that can be applied to a variety of tasks (Boaler, 1997)�

Project-based LearningPBL requires students to tackle complex challenges, questions, and problems through the development of authentic products and presentations (Buck Institute for Education [BIE], 2011; Thomas, 2000)� PBL utilizes standards-based academic instruction and student-directed, or independent, learning to foster an environment of investigation (BIE, 2011)�

PBL curricula requires students to apply the knowledge and skills they learn throughout a project rather than projects serving as a supplementary component at the end of traditional instruction (BIE, 2011)� The entire PBL process is organized around an open-ended driving question that teachers use to connect content to current and relevant issues and problems� Through this process, students develop their own questions to drive learning, study concepts and information that answer those questions, and apply that knowledge to products they develop�

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School SuccessRubric Indicators

Curriculum & Instruction ○ Teachers use PBL as primary

instructional approach� ○ Teachers utilize a variety of

techniques to scaffold student skills�

○ Teachers create integrated, authentic, and community-based projects�

○ Teachers teach 21st-century skills�

School SuccessRubric Indicators

Technology ○ School maintains a one-to-

one networked computer-to-student ratio�

○ Staff uses NTN’s Echo Collaborative Learning Environment�

○ Teachers incorporate other digital and online tools to support student engagement and instruction�

School SuccessRubric Indicators

Partnership Development ○ School provides access to

college courses through postsecondary partnerships School offers internships through partnerships with local business�

○ School supports a community service learning component�

○ Staff facilitates positive relationships with parents and the New Tech Network�

Findings on Curriculum and InstructionResearch findings show that NTH@AT teachers utilize the PBL instructional approach to teach their classes� During the World Studies course, students were observed integrating English, history and geography skills to map the setting of a novel they were reading� In addition, students in the integrated Algebra II and Physics course were observed utilizing math and science concepts to predict the trajectory of a pulley car�

Teachers also designed authentic and community-based projects, forming partnerships with such local organizations as the Indiana Historic Society, Peace Learning Center, and Indiana Black Expo�

NTH@AT teachers focused on preparing students for the professional world by integrating 21st-century skills into their lessons� Students were observed working in groups or pairs in every classroom

researchers visited, which helped students hone their collaboration skills� Teachers used specialized collaboration rubrics to incorporate such skills into their grading� Further, teachers offered specialized workshops on skills like presentation design and etiquette, and offered a full course on citizenship and ethics�

Teachers utilize various scaffolding techniques to support student learning� Teachers modeled the strategies and end products they wanted students to develop� They also provided incentives to incite student participation, and reviewed assessments and homework to ensure content mastery�

Teachers frequently checked in with students to see if they needed more time to complete their work� Further, teachers with specialized skills were asked to work with students requiring additional help�

According to the director, the entire staff decided to “move our math into the hands of a teacher who has a lot more experience prepping for a standardized test” when they thought that students’ end-of-course assessment (ECA) scores needed improvement�

Findings on Technology IntegrationAll NTH@AT students were provided with Macbooks™ or netbooks to complete coursework and assessments� Teachers also used many online and digital tools for instruction�

During one observation, teachers used an Internet application to administer and track students’ answers to an online quiz� Teachers also utilized clicker sets connected to the main computer in the classroom to enable students to respond to in-class prompts as a group�

Additionally, teachers encouraged students to use digital resources to complete their coursework, including Google’s™ scientific calculator, Google SketchUp™, and SparkNotes™, among many others�

According to the director, teachers posted classroom agendas and lessons on the Echo Collaborative Learning Environment so parents could stay updated on what students were doing in class� The school also hosted an open house to introduce parents to Echo and teach them how to use the platform�

Findings on Partnership DevelopmentNTH@AT had access to a TechPoint Foundation for Youth staff member who dedicated her time to developing external partnerships to support the school� Therefore, teachers were able to focus on developing positive relationships with parents�

The school hosted an open house for parents wanting to learn more about the New Tech model� According to the director, approximately 275 parents attended� Two teachers voluntarily publish a bimonthly electronic newsletter to keep parents informed about school activities� Students also participated in partnership

development activities: “We’ve had some cases where students have really gotten extremely involved with a particular community partner and helped build that partnership�” For example, a student who was involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters brought someone from the organization into the school to help with a classroom project�

Other students recruited local community members for a Net Literacy camp hosted at the school� One student continued his work with the organization outside of school, serving as a summer intern�

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How Does New Tech Affect Student Outcomes?Findings on Learning Outcomes NTH@AT students demonstrated high levels of engagement in classroom work and activities, especially when granted small rewards and incentives� However, such rewards were not the only reason students participated in class� During one observation, a student raised his hand to answer a question and exclaimed, “I just want to answer [the question]…I don’t even want any candy�”

When students became disengaged, teachers were able to motivate them by working with them one-on-one and guiding them through assignments� However, teachers reported that most NTH@AT students did not need such guidance because of their experience with PBL:

“I can give them a situation, or an assignment or a problem where I haven’t really instructed at all and they have very limited information,…[and] they can address the problem, and they can think through it and think about what they need to know�”

One of the hallmarks of the New Tech model is student-directed, independent

learning� To facilitate such autonomy, teachers afforded students a high level of freedom in their work� For instance, during project work time, students were often allowed to listen to music and use the Internet� One teacher explained that attendance at scaffolding workshops was not mandatory:

“[We] leave some decision making to the students in the classroom…especially as far as instruction goes� We give them the responsibility, a lot of the times, of [deciding] what type of instruction they need� For the most part, they are very responsible about it…they know if they need to go to that workshop�”

Teachers also allowed students to decide the order in which they completed their project requirements�

Students were so accustomed to this autonomy that teachers faced strong pushback if they did not allow students to manage their learning� For example, a student spent nearly one-fourth of an observation questioning a teacher about why he needed to use a four-step problem-solving method because he felt he could

find the answer more easily without it�

Teachers also tried to instill a high level of collaboration among students� They not only used collaboration rubrics to evaluate students, but also asked them to use their criteria to self-reflect on their own progress in developing other 21st-century skills�

School SuccessRubric Indicators

Learning Outcomes ○ Students demonstrate a strong,

professional work ethic and take personal responsibility�

○ Students use technology to conduct research, communicate, and create documents�

○ Students utilize their knowledge and skills in a community experience�

○ Students thoughtfully reflect on their learning�

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ECA Performance for the 2010-11 Academic Years

ECA Performance for the 2009-10 Academic Years

In 2009-10, a similar pattern to the 2010-11 academic year was found in ECA performance at NTH@AT� Students passed the English 10 ECA at the highest rate (56�9%), followed by Algebra I (29�1%) and Biology I (28�9%)� Though the pattern was similar, the percentage of students who passed the Algebra I ECA in 2009-10 was much lower than the 2010-11 year (29�1% vs� 49�0%)� However, the percent of students who passed the Biology I ECA in 2009-10 was larger than 2010-11 (28�9% vs� 18�6%)� Students at NTH@AT outperformed students at the comparison school in English 10 and Biology I ECA performance, but remained steady in Algebra I ECA performance (29�1% vs� 29�6%)� Similar to the 2010-11 year, fewer Arsenal students passed their ECA’s than the Indiana secondary school population during the 2009-10 year for all three exams�

During the 2010-11 academic year, NTH@AT students passed the English 10 ECA at the highest rate (53�7%), followed by Algebra I (49�0%) and Biology I (18�6%)� NTH@AT students out-performed students at the comparison school in all three of the ECA� However, fewer NTH@AT students passed all three ECA exams than the Indiana secondary school population during the 2010-11 year�

When 2009-10 and 2010-11 ECA data was combined, the majority of NTH@AT students succeeded, making them eligible for graduation� More than half of those taking the Algebra I ECA exam (59�2%) and almost two-thirds of those taking the English 10 ECA (65�8%) passed these assessments�

49.0%  

53.7%  

18.6%  

28.0%  23.7%  

9.7%  

64.4%  

71.2%  

46.4%  

0.0%  

10.0%  

20.0%  

30.0%  

40.0%  

50.0%  

60.0%  

70.0%  

80.0%  

Percent  of  Students  Passing  (Pass/Pass+)    Algebra  I    

Percent  of  Students  Passing  (Pass/Pass+)  English  10    

Percent  of  Students  Passing  (Pass/Pass+)    Biology  I  

29.1%  

56.9%  

28.9%  29.6%  

36.4%  

9.2%  

52.4%  

64.1%  

37.5%  

0.0%  

10.0%  

20.0%  

30.0%  

40.0%  

50.0%  

60.0%  

70.0%  

80.0%  

Percent  of  Students  Passing  (Pass/Pass+)    Algebra  I  

Percent  of  Students  Passing  (Pass/Pass+)    English  10  

Percent  of  Students  Passing  (Pass/Pass+)    Biology  I  

Indiana Secondary School PopulationComparison SchoolNew Tech High @ Arsenal Tech

Eligibility for Graduation (As of the 2010-2011 Academic Year)

New Tech High @ Arsenal Tech

Algebra I ECANumber of Students Taking ECA 125Percent of Students Passing (Pass/Pass+) 59.2%

English 10 ECANumber of Students Taking ECA 111Percent of Students Passing (Pass/Pass+) 65.8%

Note: ECA scores from the 2009-10 and 2010-11 academic years were included.

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Findings on School CultureTo create a positive school culture, teachers regularly recognized student accomplishments, instilling a sense of pride among students� In class, students were named to the “A List” or designated “Employee of the Week�” Further, there was a “Wall of Fame” in the school’s main hallway to showcase students’ college acceptance letters� Banquets were also held each semester to recognize high-achieving students�

TrustTeachers and students at NTH@AT had a positive, relaxed rapport: “The style of interaction floats somewhere between formal and informal interaction� It works well for us�” Teachers’ trust in students was demonstrated through their ability to joke with them and discipline them without

having to be too stern or authoritarian� Students illustrated trust of their teachers through the comfort of their interactions and willingness to ask for help�

ResponsibilityStudents were afforded the opportunity to serve as ambassadors, or public representatives of the school, to further empower students and hone their sense of responsibility� According to the director, more than 20% of students signed up for the positions, demonstrating the high level of student buy-in and ownership of the school� Students were also entrusted with helping to set cultural norms for the school, with members of the Student Council and Student Advisory Group meeting with school staff, including the director, in the summer months and during the school year to plan school activities and solve student issues�

RespectTo further support the development of professional behaviors, teachers offered workshops and elective courses on citizenship and ethics� As a result, students were observed exhibiting mature behavior during observations� Out of respect for

teachers, students often self-corrected their misbehavior, and even apologized to teachers without being asked to do so� Students were also observed being respectful to visitors�

Student data indicated that NTH@AT students were both more likely to attend class and less likely to get into trouble�

More Engaged = Better BehavedStudents in a New Tech environment have fewer disciplinary issues than students in a traditional school� Despite the popular conceptions of most urban schools, NTH@AT shows significantly fewer behavioral issues than its comparison school� While still slightly above the state average, NTH@AT students are 40% less likely to receive in-school suspensions than students at the comparison school, and 15% less likely to receive out-of-school suspensions�

19.5%  

12.6%  

59.7%  

28.3%  

9.9%   11.5%  

0.0%  

10.0%  

20.0%  

30.0%  

40.0%  

50.0%  

60.0%  

70.0%  

Total  number  of  students  given  in-­‐school  suspensions  

Total  number  of  students  given  out-­‐of-­‐school  suspensions  

Suspensions

95%NTH@AT boasts a 95�1%

attendance rate, which matches the Indiana Secondary School

Population and is 7% higher than its comparison school�

How Does New Tech Affect the School Environment?

School SuccessRubric Indicators

School Culture and Autonomy

○ School demonstrates commitment to unique school identity through goals and vision�

○ School promotes a school culture of trust, respect, and responsibility�

○ Staff empowers students to set school rules, policies and activities�

○ School exhibits pride in the school culture, and actively work to reinforce and defend it�

Indiana Secondary School PopulationComparison SchoolNew Tech High @ Arsenal Tech

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Findings on Professional CultureOpportunities for teacher collaboration and leadership occurred frequently at NTH@AT� Teachers across multiple content areas often collaborated to develop lesson plans and deliver course content� The “co-teachers” of these integrated courses were mindful to give each other enough time to instruct in their individual subjects� They also used formative and summative student data to inform instruction and ensure content was fully absorbed� For example, during one observation, two co-teachers decided to change their plans for the day and offer a workshop since students seemed to be struggling with the content on an assessment they were giving that day:

“We spend a lot of time reassessing the way we do things, reshaping the way we do things, [and] being flexible about the design of our classroom and the design of our school� We all feel like we have made this progress and developed something here with our students�”

Teachers experienced this type of autonomy outside of their classrooms, as well, and they noted this as one of the main reasons they enjoyed working at NTH@AT� According to several teachers, the director utilized a “distributive leadership style,” which enabled them to “formally and informally take on roles…[and] take sole ownership of multiple programs�” One teacher identified this practice as one of the main contributors to the school’s success:

“I think that one of the things that make[s] New Tech so successful is that our [director] gives us a lot of autonomy…[and] he trusts our judgment…It feels good to have that kind of freedom and autonomy�”

This environment helped instill a sense of passion and commitment among teachers� They often volunteered to stay after school to tutor students, supervise extracurricular activities, or complete extra work in their

classrooms� Moreover, when teachers saw students struggling, whether with course content or personal issues, they made time to help them� As one teacher shared, the school has “really become a place where kids come for resources beyond what you would normally ask a teacher for�”

Teacher Survey Scales: Arsenal Tech Compared to All Indiana New Tech Schools

Arsenal Tech(N=5)

Overall New Tech(N=105)

Mean(standard deviation)*

Sharing Expertise Scale 4.24(0.26)

4.13(0.66)

Sharing Leadership Scale 4.42(0.21)

3.82(0.82)

Supra-Practitioner Scale 3.60(0.76)

3.87(0.79)

Principal Selection Scale 2.13(0.38)

2.53(0.65)

Overall Teacher Leadership Scale** 4.03(0.17)

3.82(0.57)

Note: The Overall New Tech Scores include Arsenal Tech. The mean was used to replace missing responses*1=strongly disagree; 2=disagree; 3=neutral; 4=agree; 5=strongly agree**Scores from the Principal Selection scale were reversed when creating this scale because low scores corresponded with a more positive rating in teacher leadership, in contrast to the other indicators where a high score was associated with a more positive perspective of teacher leadership

Teacher Leadership Inventory Teachers completed a Teacher Leadership Inventory (Angelle & Dehart, 2010) consisting of four scales: Sharing Expertise, Sharing Leadership, Supra-Practitioner, and Principal Selection� These scales measured teachers’ willingness to collaborate with each other to improve student learning, the ways that leadership was shared among and between teachers, and the director, teachers’ willingness to go above and beyond contractual expectations, and the director’s distribution of responsibility among all teachers respectively� For the Principal Selection Scale, teacher responses were lower because questions indicated that the director selected only a few teachers to lead, whereas NTH@AT teachers believed that all teachers should have opportunities to lead� Responses for all four scales were combined to create an Overall Teacher Leadership Scale�

ResultsTeachers at NTH@AT experienced a more collaborative culture compared to all Indiana New Tech high schools� Additionally, teachers were more likely to share expertise and strategize with other teachers compared to all Indiana New Tech high school teachers� The same survey reported that NTH@AT teachers were more proactive about their professional development and willing to put in more time outside of school hours to improve their school compared to all Indiana New Tech high school teachers�

School SuccessRubric Indicators

Professional Culture ○ Staff members collaborate

and share in school decision-making�

○ Administrators provide dedicated time for teacher professional development and meetings�

○ Teachers utilize data to reflect on and inform teaching practice�

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Research DesignThis study utilized a mixed methods case study approach (Creswell, 2012), examining the implementation of the New Tech model at Arsenal Tech High School� The aim of the study was to explore the successes and challenges of the school in implementing the model, and to provide feedback with the intent of addressing obstacles with progressive solutions�

Data Collection MethodsMultiple measures of data collection were employed, including a review of pertinent documents, school/classroom observations, student focus groups, and interviews with teachers and other primary stakeholders�

Individual student-level data was collected for the 2010-11 school year, including demographic indicators (i�e�, gender, race/ethnicity, special education status, free or reduced-price meals/milk status, and grade level), attendance rates, behavior statistics,

grades in core content areas, and state assessment results� Only students enrolled 80% of the school year or more were included in the sample� The rationale for this value is that it is the logical midpoint between federal and state accountability enrollment guidelines, with the state guideline being 70% enrollment and the federal guideline being 90% enrollment� Student data was compared to one other school� This comparison school had a similar demographic profile to NTH@AT�

Classroom observations focused on the PBL instructional approach, use of 21st-century skills, and student/teacher engagement� Observations were conducted from October to March� Researchers followed a non-intrusive hands-off, eyes-on approach and generally did not participate in classroom activities� Notes were taken during observations to provide both a description of what was observed and a parallel interpretive summary

of participant experiences within each component� Each observation was an average of 60 to 90 minutes�

Formal interviews were conducted with NTH@AT teachers and school administrators� Interviews were conducted over the phone and in person, and lasted approximately 20 to 50 minutes� Each interview followed a semi-structured protocol and enabled researchers to compare similarities and differences between stakeholder expectations of the New Tech model and their experiences� Sample interview questions included, “How is your school culture unique,” “How are students involved in the decision-making process at your school,” “How do teachers collaborate and lead at your school,” “What scaffolding techniques do you use to support the development of 21st-century skills,” and “How does your school celebrate accomplishments?” The interviews were audio taped and

ReferencesAchilles, C� M�, Hoover, S� P� (1996)� Exploring problem-based

learning (PBL) in grades 6-12� Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Mid-South Educational Research Association, Tuscaloosa, AL�

Angelle, P� & Dehart, C� (2010)� A four factor model of teacher leadership: Construction and testing of the Teacher Leadership Inventory� Paper presented at the University Council for Educational Administration Convention� New Orleans�

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transcribed verbatim�

The document review consisted of a thorough analysis of both school and NTN documents, such as entry documents, evaluation rubrics, and student work products�

The research team administered the Teacher Leadership Inventory, a 17-statement instrument created by Angelle and DeHart (2010) to measure the perceptions of teacher leadership in schools� The online survey was administered through Survey Monkey™�Results were compared to the other data sources to determine their validity�

Data AnalysisThe qualitative data included classroom and school-wide observations, interviews with teachers and administrators, and document review� Observation field notes, interview transcripts, and documents were

analyzed using codes generated from the School Success Rubric� Researchers applied these codes to data clusters and developed additional codes in order to identify patterns within the data� Representative examples from observations and quotations from interviews were selected and contextualized� Chosen exemplars were re-examined and validated with other data sources to confirm unanimity among the specific themes and to validate the conclusions�

The quantitative data included student data, observations, and teacher surveys� For the student data and surveys, PASW Statistics 18 was used to analyze data� For the student data, independent t-tests were utilized to test specific differences between two groups�

For analyzing differences among three or more groups, one-way ANOVA tests were computed� To better substantiate

the results of the t-tests and ANOVA tests, effect sizes (Cohen’s d) were also calculated, which measure the size of the difference between means divided by the pooled standard deviation� For the teacher survey, independent t-tests were conducted to test for specific group differences� To analyze differences among three or more groups, one-way ANOVA tests were computed with post-hoc analyses performed using Tukey’s Honestly Significant Difference (HSD) to identify specific differences between groups� To better substantiate the results of these tests, effect sizes (Cohen’s d) were also calculated� The correlation effect size (r) also was calculated as a measure of effect size�

Finally, linear regression was used to find significant associations between teacher experience and the teacher leadership scale items�