Three teachers and three school board members from North Daviess School District of Indiana took a field trip to 21^st Century Learning. After touring New Technology High School in Napa, CA, they want to begin a project-based learning approach in their own district. The rural district has just over 1,100 students, with a third of those on free or reduced lunch.

At a school board meeting, Superintendent Robert Bell explained the new approach to learning. The local paper reported:

The focal point of 21st Century Learning is project-based learning, where students work in groups to solve challenging problems that are real, curriculum-based and often interdisciplinary. The students decide how to approach a problem and what activities to pursue. The program integrates technology into nearly every aspect of learning.

Bell explained that students would still be in the traditional classroom with one or more teachers, but that students would be in groups learning from each other and taking a more hands-on approach to learning. Learning that Fortune 500 companies are looking for self-directed, collaborative, and critical-thinking skills in employees was a selling point.

Russell Dart, a North Daviess teacher, explained in a press release, "As teachers, what we've always been doing is trying to get students to learn how to learn. What we have here is a program that takes students and teaches them to think critically, responsibly, to synthesize and to explain it to others."

The district is now examining the costs involved for training staff and modifying classrooms. The superintendent and high school principal have applied for a $50,000 grant to help implement the program. They want to make the shift slowly, and the district will most likely begin with an American studies course for freshmen.

New Technology High School began in 1996. The interest level in their program is so high that they now take reservations for regularly scheduled tours.

Source: Washington Times Herald, Washington, IN, North Daviess School Board hears about 21st Century Learning; New Technology High tour information