Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/619098
environment. I can handle myself." Welcome to American Canyon High S cho ol (AC H S), w hich s om e cal l th e school of the future. Part of Napa Valley Unified School District, it was built in 2010 with $185 million in bond money, making it the most expensive high school in California. Architecturally striking and set on almost 50 acres, it resembles a col- lege (see story, page 30). Its philosophy is also like a college's: Students should be treated like adults. It sounds serious, but learning is fun. During a recent visit to Nhu-Y Vu's math class, she stood on a chair while students threw paper airplan es at h er mid sec- tion, using their nondominant hand. e exercise was created to help students over- come "obstacles and limitations" and see themselves as better students. "I love teaching here," says Vu. "From the very beginning, we were a school that utilized technology, used project-based learning (PBL), and emphasized collab- oration with co-w orkers and positive relationships. We're encouraged to take risks and to fail. is environment fosters innovation and allows teachers the free- dom to create along with their students." A DIFFERENT KIND OF SCHOOL Yes, it's different here, say Napa Valley Edu- cators Association members at the site, located in American Canyon. In fact, there is nothing like it in the state — and perhaps the country. The campus currently has 1,593 stud ent s div i d ed into f o u r s m a l l l e a r n i n g c o m - muniti e s predomin antly by grade level , with counselors and administrators stationed i n b u i l d i n g s h o u si n g t h o s e communities instead of being lumped together in one administration building. e idea is to make everyone feel connected. Student collaboration is the norm, with PBL in all classes. Class size can- not exceed 36 students to one teacher. And t each ers c ol l ab- orate daily — yes, daily — o n h o w t o i m p r o v e their craft. Every student i s e x p e c t e d t o b r i n g a device to class. If fami- lies cannot provide one, students can check out a Chrom ebook comput er from the school library. " H a v i n g a d e v i c e i n c l a s s a l l o w s s t u d e n t s t o u s e t h e w orld as th eir resource," says E n g l i s h a n d t h e a t e r t e a c h e r Summer Heartt. "My agenda is proje ct ed on a P ro- methean [interactive w h i t e b o a rd ] , a n d s tu d e n t s follow links to use classroom resources and assignments." A C H S h a s p r o g r a m s f o r English learners, special edu- cation, art, drama, culinary arts and music. It offers Mandarin classes to give students a com- petitive edge in the job market, and a biot ech program that segues into an aligned Solano Community College program. All classes incorporate technology. Mu si c t ea ch er Matth e w Smith , for example, has students tune their instru- ment with online apps, view marching band formations on their devices, and create compositions on noteflight.com, a free Web-based program. Students Skype with professors at colleges for feedback on their performances, and play along to smartmusic.com, which assesses their note and rhythm accuracy. MP3 record- ings are emailed to parents. " T h e s e k i d s a re a l w a y s w i l l i n g t o t r y t h i n g s ," s a y s S m i t h , d i r e c t o r o f Matthew Smith "Sixty-five percent of students will eventually work in jobs that don't exist today. Therefore, instead of training them for careers, we teach them skills that can be applied to any job." —NHU-Y VU, math teacher 32 cta.org THE ISSUE INNOVATION