Presentation to

The Foundation for Public Education

Supporting PVUSD

High Tech High

form of secondary education to come
by
Jeff Billings
 Founded on...
• “No one knows who I am”

• “I don’t see the relevance”

Consistent survey answers by high school

students across the country, when asked
about their high school experience
• Nestled in San
Diego, in four
years, the model
has developed to
opening a series
of partner and High Tech High

sibling schools
• High Tech High

• High Tech Middle

• High Tech Elem. High Tech High International

• High Tech High

International

• Partner schools in
Texas, Chicago,
Georgia, New
Mexico
 High Visibility

Oprah Winfrey Show

Funding from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Governors, Business Leaders, Educational Leaders
Press
• When you walk the facility, you see
learning, real learning occurring

• One fo their common intellectual

threads is based on John Dewey,
“Understanding derives from
activity”

• Everything is about “projects”

HTH has reversed a 100-year history of separating
technical and academic subjects in American high
schools, by linking the two in a project-based
environment. All HTH students use technology to
engage in scientific, mathematical, literary,
historical, and artistic pursuits.
 Based on Research
• High Tech High was started by several
education reformers who had compiled
years of research on what it takes

• They have remained true to their guiding

design principles

• They’re what I call “education

entrepreneurs”
Three Design Principles

• Personalization

• Common Intellectual Mission

• Adult World Connection

 Personalization
Small schools (<400 students)
Small classes (<25)
Advisor (teacher) assigned to every student and
stays for all four years
Advisor visits home at least once a year
Team teaching - interdisciplinary - language/physics
Loop teaching - 9/10 and 11/12
 Common Intellectual Mission
Talk the same talk - Walk the talk
Live no distinction between “college prep” and
“vocational ed”
The “Curriculum” is projects - Project Based
Learning
All students demonstrate and defend their learning
through “Presentation of Learning”
Grade level advancement - Transitional Performance
of Learning
Adult World Connection
Some of the best learning occurs outside of school
9th and 10th graders - “shadow” adult programs
11th grade semester internship (two afternoons a
week) with a business or agency
Substantial Senior Project on topic of interest or
concern to the community
• Chartered by San
Diego City School
District

• Random
drawings of
applications
matching SDUSD
zip codes

• They’ve compiled
impressive
results
 3 years in a row,
Three years running - awarded ten, scores of
100% of graduates go to 10 - only school in San
college Diego to do so
80% - 4 year university score in top level on
20% - 2 year college state standardized tests
50% - 1st generation scored 2nd out of 100
attendees similar demographic
schools in California
 When I visited with some of their graduates (now in
college), I asked them how college was going. A statement
that stood out to me, was “college courses are like projects
and we know how to do those”.
 Presentations of Learning (POL’s) are embedded
everywhere
Every student maintains a digital portfolio
Mobile, wireless, ubiquitous computing
Mechanical technology (sabre saws, drills, glue
guns, materials, etc.)
Traditional September - May calendar
High School Starts at 9am
Teachers meet every day from 8am to 9am to
assess, plan, develop
HTH first school in California granted the charter
to certify their own teachers
Digital Portfolios
Projects
Robotics
 Assessment

HTH ignores the march of “high stakes

testing”
HTH focuses on continual “authentic
assessment” - continual rubrics of real life
applicability
From information to knowledge to third
order learning (engineering)
 Habits of Mind
Students Are Constantly Reminded

Significance - Why is it important?

Perspective - What is the point of view?
Evidence - How do you know?
Connection - How does it apply?
Supposition - What if it were different?
 Every student ponders his and other’s work with the
above habits, but can only critique if the criticism is
helpful, specific and kind
 Circular Seminar Halls

Following HTH
facility design
principles, the high
school includes areas
for; commons, specialty
labs, project rooms,
shared teacher offices,
outdoor learning
spaces, galleries, multi-
purpose seminar
rooms, and support
offices. From the entire
village housing High
Tech Middle, High
Tech International and
High Tech High, down
to the smallest
production area, it’s all
about learning.
HTH International with Country Logos
Open, Lighted, Commons
Shared Teacher Workrooms
Student Tables in Team Seating
 Summary
HTH brings technology and curricular
content together in relevant project-based
learning
HTH focuses on knowing their clients, from
small school and class size, to going to the
student’s home
HTH bridges the student world to the adult
environment and vice versa
The HTH model of secondary education is
here