New Tech Network conference brings schools together
Capital Region BOCES District Superintendent Charles Dedrick was part of a contingent of Tech Valley High School leaders and faculty who attended the annual New Tech Network conference, held July 18 in Grand Rapids, MI.
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| Capital Region BOCES District Superintendent Dr. Charles Dedrick addresses a group of TVHS business supporters during a May meeting. |
Dedrick said he made many connections and heard good dialogue from education experts, including Alfie Kohn, a leader in the education reform movement.
“I think he's great. He talked about grades and democracy in schools. He talked a lot about standardized test scores being an indicator of a school's socio-economic status and nothing more,” Dedrick said.
Dedrick also met with officials at a western Michigan school that will be very similar to Tech Valley High School.
“It will be run by a consortium of 20 school districts under the auspices of an educational service agency like BOCES,” Dedrick said of the school.
The New Tech Network is a rapidly expanding group of schools that focus on teaching 21st Century skills with an emphasis on science and technology through project-based learning. TVHS has been a part of the network since TVHS's inception in 2007. The NTN is expanding from 65 to 82 schools this year.
"The conference is designed to share the best practices from teacher to teacher," said TVHS Principal Dan Liebert. "Our teachers are making connections and sharing what we have learned and developed."
The NTN is supported by such prestigious organizations as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Hewlett Foundation.
