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The NTN Whole School Model

The purpose of the New Tech Network Model is to enable schools to prepare each student for post secondary success with the knowledge, skills, and mindsets to be ready for college and career. Schools use the NTN Model to support college and career ready outcomes through meaningful and equitable instruction, purposeful assessment, and a supportive and inclusive culture. 


At New Tech Network, college and career readiness is defined by the New Tech Network Learning Outcomes, five research-based outcomes designed to allow teachers to support and assess students based on a holistic picture of their skills while meeting state academic requirements. Initially designed and grounded in the work of David Conley and Camille Farrington, with ongoing updates informed by the work of Tara Yosso and others, NTN found that when teachers define, scaffold, and assess learning in the five New Tech Network Learning Outcomes – Knowledge and Thinking, Oral Communication, Written Communication, Collaboration and Agency – students can acquire necessary readiness skills.

Students and decorative darts

The New Tech Network Model Journey

Planning Services
Planning Services

At New Tech Network, we utilize a planning year to engage in a series of activities that allow for a successful implementation of the New Tech Network Model. We sequence a set of virtual check-ins, in-person learning experiences, and administrative tasks that allow the school to prepare for project-based learning, build adult culture, and redefine student learning outcomes.

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Implementation Year One
Implementation Year One

Year One of implementation is designed around early learning targets in service of key experiences and growth in the NTN Focus Areas within your school’s context. You will be assigned an NTN coach to lead you through five onsite learning experiences (designed with you to support both your whole school team and your leadership team) as well as ongoing remote coaching for both school leaders and teachers.

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Implementation Years Two and Three
Implementation Years Two and Three

Schools will identify during their planning year with their Director of District and School Success what their scope of implementation looks like. Schools might bring on one grade at a time, multiple departments at a time, or all staff at once in smaller schools. Most implementations are three to four years. Districts and schools might also choose to add-on services to build the capacity of coaches, leaders, and district staff. 

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Additional Services
Additional Services

Schools taking a whole school model approach also have the ability to engage in the following additional capacity building services in buildings or within their system.

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Renewal Services
Renewal Services

Years 4+

Upon completing an implementation phase of the NTN Whole School Model, schools work with their coach to identify a customized plan to support sustainability efforts over the long term.  These include our national events, NTAC and Leadership Summit, and coaching services such as Sustainability Coaching Suites. NTN’s goal is to work closely with district leaders, school principals, and classroom educators to co-design an approach to change that is specific to the context of school communities.

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about the Whole School Model

Additional Services

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New Tech Network’s Coach Development Program (CDP)  empowers district and school instructional coaches and leaders to build local coaching capacity to facilitate deeper learning experiences, including Project-Based Learning (PBL) and Problem-Based Learning (PrBL). Comprising two virtual year-long courses, CDP is a flexible, cost-effective, and adaptable coaching development solution tailored to districts’ unique needs and goals. By developing instructional leaders into learning leaders, CDP focuses on skill building for leading adult learning including skills for listening as a learning leader, agenda design and facilitation, and leveraging tools and resources to directly support deeper learning instruction.

Depending on community preferences, Whole School Model work can be phased-in over multiple years or addressed all at once across grade levels.  New School Deeper Learning Support is a two-day workshop designed for schools who are implementing the NTN Model through a phased-in and wish to expand their staff’s understanding of deeper learning fundamentals across their system. This workshop allows all educators across campus, not just current PBL implementers, to experience mission-driven adult learning and align on deeper learning fundamentals, supportive and inclusive culture, and college and career readiness.

Experience the power of the New Tech Annual Conference (NTAC)! This national event is a must-attend for educators – K-12 teachers, instructional coaches, school and district leaders – seeking to deepen an understanding of innovative educational strategies. With a variety of sessions covering a broad spectrum of topics, you’ll have the opportunity to tailor your conference experience to align with your professional interests and educational needs.

NTAC offers two dynamic components: the NTAC General Conference and NTAC Trainings.

NTAC General Conference: Dive into a multi-day learning experience featuring a diverse range of sessions. Customize your own schedule, selecting from a rich variety of topics and sessions that cater to your needs and interests.

NTAC Trainings: Join us for structured multi-day programs expertly designed to develop specific skills aligned to your school context.

Trainings include:

  • NTN 101: Designed to support teachers joining existing or alumni New Tech Network schools, this experience supports classroom educators in building their practice around project-based learning, student-centered facilitation and the NTN Learning Outcomes.
  • New Schools Training – Designed for schools beginning their implementation of the NTN Model, this training focuses on three main areas: (1) project-based learning (PBL) design and instruction; (2) school and classroom culture practices that support PBL; and (3) assessment environments that emphasize feedback and growth.
  • New Leader Workshop – A workshop for new or returning school and district leaders at existing or alumni NTN schools. For new school leaders, this experience is designed to build a foundational understanding of the New Tech Network Model and the leadership mindsets, practices and tools essential for effectively leading a New Tech Network school. Returning leaders will also have an opportunity to improve their knowledge of the fundamentals, learn about new improvements, and re-engage with peers from across the Network.
  • PBL Training Design – Designed for district and school leadership teams, this training focuses on the design of effective PBL onboarding, year-long adult learning support, and fostering a culture of feedback. Experience with the NTN Model maximizes participation.

In addition to school support, NTN also provides consulting services to district teams who are beginning their Deeper Learning journey and need help determining early strategy or districts who have already launched a Deeper Learning strategy and need help building coherence among their communities.

Ongoing Services

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Each year after Year One will focus on onboarding new staff members into the work while growing the skills of continuing educators and leaders. Incoming teachers will participate in NTN 101 at the New Tech Annual Conference (NTAC).

Designed to support teachers joining existing or alumni New Tech Network schools, this experience supports classroom educators in building their practice around project-based learning, student-centered facilitation and the NTN Learning Outcomes.

This spring event convenes school and district leaders from across our network for a summit to engage in new learning together. The event focus is informed by the needs of our leaders around key challenges and opportunities of leading a New Tech Network school. This convening is designed to foster community amongst our network members, affording opportunities to develop leadership mindsets for deeper learning, and learn tangible practices that will guide their New Tech Network school on a path of continuous improvement. The price for this event includes registration and access to all materials and resources.

Schools continue to receive on-site coaching support similar to year 1. Year 2 topics will be decided with school leadership in relation to their goals based on the School Success Rubric. Modules might include:

  • Becoming a Warm Demander – A teacher who establishes a warm and demanding stance helps create a safe learning environment that helps students reach their potential. 
  • Strengthening Scaffolding – Learners engage with scaffolding examples to develop clear expectations for quality task design that deepens deeper learning for students. 
  • Grading for Equity – Grading across multiple learning outcomes allows us to communicate rich and specific information about student learning and student progress.
  • Intro to Written Performance Assessments – NTN emphasizes performance assessments as key measures of important course outcomes. This module will dig into the disciplinary literacy components necessary in each subject area to support routine use of written performance assessments.

NTN Content and Community licenses grant access to a platform of digital resources that provide a vast array of resources for school leaders and teachers. From a database of resources to support the implementation of New Tech Network services to communication channels with other educators across the Network, Content and Community offerings provide access to foundational support and learner-centered best practices.

The hope with the NTN Culture Surveys is that they will help you align your school’s current teaching and learning context (including on-campus and remote learning), areas for school improvement, opportunities for using improvement science, coaching and NTN resource support, strategic use of school-wide practices, and the empowerment of “just in time” tool access. NTN Model schools have access to both a Staff and Student culture survey twice a year.

Year One

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Year One of implementation is designed around early learning targets in service of key experiences and growth in the NTN Focus Areas within your school’s context. You will be assigned an NTN coach to lead you through five onsite learning experiences (designed with you to support both your whole school team and your leadership team) as well as ongoing remote coaching for both school leaders and teachers. The goal is that your school has early success implementing the NTN Model, builds habits upon which sustainable improvements efforts are built, and sees improved student outcomes. You will head into your second year of NTN Model implementation ready to refine best practices and tackle new challenges to take the work deeper!

Below is an example of what Year One might look like. Keep in mind that the leadership workshops and school workshops represent five days that you can co-design with your coach. They can include whole school or small group professional development, push ins to support PLCs, one on one classroom coaching, leadership team planning, among other options.

NTN New Schools Training (NST) is your second team induction event in your journey with New Tech Network. It is a 4-day event that takes place during the summer before your first year of New Tech Network Model implementation. During NST, your school’s first year implementation team will continue the learning from NTN Residency and prepare for implementation in the fall. You will fill your toolbox with a range of New Tech Network practices and protocols to support culture, instruction, and assessment! 

To support the training, we will use key tools and resources from the NTN Help and Learning Center, including New Tech Network’s Project Planning Toolkit, sample projects, and NTN Practices Cards. Throughout the event, you will have opportunities to do focused work with your school’s first year implementation team and opportunities to learn with other new schools and teachers across the country.

Facilitated by an NTN School Development Coach, Leadership Team Workshops can be a use of the five days of on-site support for your school. The goals of this time is to support the Leadership Team,  examine evidence of deeper learning and a supportive culture through learning walks, and map school goals aligned to the NTN School Success Rubric. Remote support prior to the workshop that prepares leadership teams for learning walk logistics and remote support after the workshop that allows leadership teams to assess school culture through analysis of the NTN Educator Culture Survey to further inform school goals. This focus is a great way to start and end the year. Commitment to all aspects of support for the Leadership Team Workshop are imperative as they set the stage for continued support, bridge learning between School Team Workshops, and establish cycles of inquiry for improvement. 

Facilitated by an NTN School Development Coach, School Team Workshops can be a use of the five days of on-site support for your school. Year one topics can include, but are not limited to: 

  • Embedding culture practices into daily learner centered agendas,
  • Deepening understanding of the NTN Learning Outcomes and learner-centered practices,
  • Analyze school data from the NTN Student Culture Survey to assess progress in building a strong culture and discuss next steps to further improve learning relationships,
  • Constructing shared understanding of prioritized outcomes, project benchmarks, quality PBL instruction, and performance-based task design, or
  • Establishing a shared understanding of quality scaffolding toward key project benchmarks that elevate and grow the knowledge, skills, and mindsets of all students.

Each year, every school receives 15 hours of remote coaching; teachers and leaders can connect with the coach about building culture, the practice of project based learning, design of projects and lessons, and any other areas of coach expertise. There is an option to purchase additional remote support for up to 40 hours.

Planning Services

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Format: Onsite & Virtual • Duration: Varies

Prior to launching the NTN Model at your school, an NTN school design expert will work closely with your leadership team to design and support the New Tech Network Model implementation within your school community. This support includes:

  • School Design and Implementation consulting: customized planning support from our experts and access to NTN proprietary planning resources and project and content libraries.
  • Planning and Implementation support: monthly 1:1 planning calls with the school leadership team and stakeholders to build readiness toward NTN implementation.


Your NTN consultant will spend a minimum of one onsite day to be customized to meet the needs of the school. Activities may include a/an:

  • NTN Executive Tour: guided tour at an NTN school to provide the opportunity to visit classrooms, talk with teachers, students, and school and district leaders.
  • Planning Visit: an onsite visit from an NTN Director of School Development to engage stakeholders, raise awareness, and assess progress toward implementing the NTN Model

NTN has cultivated a set of resources that help schools with different aspects and phases of implementation. Our School Success Rubric can be used to assess the current state of a school and measure it towards the changes that it wants to make by adopting the NTN model. The resources available in NTN Help Center and in the NTN Project Library can be utilized during the induction phase of the planning year to create a pathway that ensures success in each of the four focus areas of the School Success Rubric: Outcomes, Culture, Instruction, and Assessment.

Visiting existing NTN campuses can be a concrete way to understand the work of the NTN Model and can be an inspiration for schools that are beginning their journey to project based learning. We find that tours are best suited for community teams of approximately 10-15 individuals. While each community team is different, we recommend district and school staff include a mix of campus leadership, district leadership, and classroom educators. When building community understanding and support, it can also be helpful to include business leaders, community members, economic development organizations, school board members and others who would benefit from seeing NTN’s model firsthand.  Your team will have a chance to visit classrooms, talk with students, teachers, and leaders, and uncover the effectiveness of NTN’s school model on your own. 

The NTN Leadership Institute is a cohort-based community, designed for the New Tech Network Principal/Director and the leadership team, that convenes for monthly virtual meetings between February and October, and an in-person meeting in July. This experience, facilitated by NTN and informed by the needs of new leaders, provides participants with an introduction to the NTN Model, including systems and structures that support collaborative, collegial and inquiry-based adult learning.

NTN Teacher Residency focuses on the intersection between the NTN Model and your school’s context through experiencing a current NTN Member School. Your team will explore the Focus Areas of the NTN Model, further develop professional culture, prepare for project design, take a deep dive into the NTN Learning Outcomes, and connect with current NTN teachers and students. This service includes a day of learning onsite at a New Tech Network School and follow-up virtual workshops with an NTN coach. All staff members involved with your first year of implementation should attend, including instructional leaders, as they will be working as a team throughout the event.

Planning Services

Download the Services Catalog

Format: Onsite & Virtual • Duration: Varies

Prior to launching the NTN Model at your school, an NTN school design expert will work closely with your leadership team to design and support the New Tech Network Model implementation within your school community. This support includes:

  • School Design and Implementation consulting: customized planning support from our experts and access to NTN proprietary planning resources and project and content libraries.
  • Planning and Implementation support: monthly 1:1 planning calls with the school leadership team and stakeholders to build readiness toward NTN implementation.


Your NTN consultant will spend a minimum of one onsite day to be customized to meet the needs of the school. Activities may include a/an:

  • NTN Executive Tour: guided tour at an NTN school to provide the opportunity to visit classrooms, talk with teachers, students, and school and district leaders.
  • Planning Visit: an onsite visit from an NTN Director of School Development to engage stakeholders, raise awareness, and assess progress toward implementing the NTN Model

NTN has cultivated a set of resources that help schools with different aspects and phases of implementation. Our School Success Rubric can be used to assess the current state of a school and measure it towards the changes that it wants to make by adopting the NTN model. The resources available in NTN Help Center and in the NTN Project Library can be utilized during the induction phase of the planning year to create a pathway that ensures success in each of the four focus areas of the School Success Rubric: Outcomes, Culture, Instruction, and Assessment.

Visiting existing NTN campuses can be a concrete way to understand the work of the NTN Model and can be an inspiration for schools that are beginning their journey to project based learning. We find that tours are best suited for community teams of approximately 10-15 individuals. While each community team is different, we recommend district and school staff include a mix of campus leadership, district leadership, and classroom educators. When building community understanding and support, it can also be helpful to include business leaders, community members, economic development organizations, school board members and others who would benefit from seeing NTN’s model firsthand.  Your team will have a chance to visit classrooms, talk with students, teachers, and leaders, and uncover the effectiveness of NTN’s school model on your own. 

Designed specifically for the New Tech Principal/Director and accompanying leadership team members, the NTN Leadership Institute is aimed at preparing school leaders for the work of supporting New Tech Network implementation. Leadership Institute is a series of virtual 1-on-1 meetings (one coach and one school leadership team) as well as larger, new school, cohort-based meetings. These begin just ahead of each school’s NTN Residency event and extend until the end of the calendar year. These connected learning experiences will provide your leadership team with helpful resources and guidance to support the implementation of the New Tech Network Model at your site. 

The purpose of NTN Residency is to provide school teams an introduction to the NTN Model, in service of considering what school transformation might look like in your specific context and what implementing the NTN Model will require of the team. Your school team will walk away from Residency with a refined vision for your school, your students, and your staff culture while obtaining an initial taste of PBL.