NewTech High--It is Personal!

  NewTech High Podcast Brandon-Evansville HS, 3-25-26 Zoom Link We had an exciting podcast with Brandon-Evansville schools this afternoon with Louisa Glenetske, Superintendent, Scott Steele, HS Counselor and Eric Schoenbauer, HS Principal. Although NewTech High is a 9-12 initiative, the work that is done clearly demonstrates that changes can be made concurrently that affect the entire school district. Brandon-Evansville is certainly one of those school districts. Not only have they been looking to reimagine their high school, but are also going through with a major grade configuration change that will put their 5-12 students in one building and their K-4 in another. Their school district shares context with many smaller school districts in that students attend school in different buildings in different towns instead of just one local site. In addition, schools like B-E also have to consider different things contextually by including multiple communities in their school systems....

Innovation Zones Podcast (click here) March 18, 2026 Thank you to today's guests, Bob Wedl and Bill Sommers, for breaking down the 2017 Innovation Zones legislation. It is always enjoyable to hear the first-person accounts on the history of anything. Bob was a big driver of this legislation and testified often as it became law. Bill shares other initiatives and the R & D focus that exist in other states. It seems like we need some freedom and flexibility to try things to get others to do the same. Even if we have this law functioning, we still would need forward-thinking school boards and administrators that have the clout and desire to get something done in their District. Lars Esdal, from Education Evolving, is currently working as a lobbyist and they have a lot of similar interest in this bill.  I am first going to share an Op Ed article from March of 2016 that was a precursor to the Innovation Zones to become law. This article was written ten years ago this month, but...

NewTech High Blog March 12, 2026 From the beginning of time, high school-wise, there are four main pillars that have been placed front and center as the most meaningful subjects in schools. Social Studies, the Sciences, Mathematics and Language Arts. From the Committee of Ten in 1892, these things have remained. When you really think about it, these institutions we refer to as schools are a relatively new part of human history. And, the institution we call high school is even newer than that. I could probably write and write and write on this topic, but will spare you the details of that and try to convey a relatively simple message.  After Horace Mann visited and studied Prussian elementary schools around 1840, there was a quick "disruption" to youth and family life in civilized societies. Rural, country schools and township schools became ubiquitous across the world by 1880. Pretty soon, most everyone was now going to school and learning to read in organized education. It w...

NewTech High Podcast March 4, 2026 This is now our 26th message. That's a half-year or weekly messages. We have had a lot of really great sessions. If I could ask you to do anything as a NewTech school, it would be to watch the podcasts. Every one of them has something for somebody, but some mean a lot to some. Take some time and go through some if you haven't been a regular viewer.  Today, we had Dr. Scott McLeod from University of Colorado, Denver campus, join us on the podcast. These podcasts are shareable, so don't be afraid to show them to small or larger groups of people.  https://newtechhigh25.blogspot.com/   McLeod Podcast Scott begins talking about the concept of Deeper Learning. As part of this, he talks about four main concepts: cognitive complexity, increased student agency, "What do I need to know this?" -- a real-world authentic lens about the instruction, and finally, the shift from being an analog to a digital learner. He then shared about the many...