This report consists of four sections. The first section describes the origins of this project and the research methods of the study. The second section reviews the research literature to date on findings and evaluations around the New Tech model of high school redesign as well as the extant literature around Project Lead the Way and student outcomes. The third section briefly describes MNTH and its programs over the past two years. The school’s recent opening (2006-2007) limits research into overall student outcomes. However, to the extent possible, the section also describes student outcomes on standardized tests as well as teacher perceptions of student engagement. The fourth section comprises the main focus of this paper and outlines a series of findings based on the surveys issued to faculty and the follow up interviews with a selection of teachers and master teachers. We identify three practices that show promise in improving student performance in STEM fields that can have potential application in a traditional comprehensive high school setting. We conclude in this section with a set of further research questions designed to validate or invalidate the recommendations we propose.

Tags: Culture that empowers, Outcomes that matter, PBL, STEM, Teaching that engages, Technology that enables