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Aiken New Tech High School

Aiken New Tech High School, nominated by New Tech Network and an anonymous organization, is a middle/high school in Cincinnati, Ohio, that describes itself as a public district school serving learners from a primarily urban area.

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Location Cincinnati, Ohio

Governance Public District School

Grades Middle, High

Students 1166

Locale Urban

Agriculture Career Tech Pathway Educator Aaron Parker

Demographics

Percentage of students*

33%

English Learners

100%

Free/Reduced Lunch

26%

Students with Disabilities

African American or Black 68%

American Indian/Alaska Native —

Asian 2%

Hawaiian or Pacific Islander —

Hispanic or Latino 19%

White 6%

2+ Races —

Why Aiken New Tech High School was nominated

Aiken's innovative learning environment reimagines the purpose of 'school' by establishing a student-led community garden, serving as an immersive outdoor classroom. Diverse students intertwine academic studies with community involvement, embodying culturally sustaining education that nurtures social-emotional development and sharpens skills vital for college, careers, and advocating for civic justice. Aiken students (ages 14-18) serve as environmental justice advocates and engineer an ethically sourced, student-roasted, and freshly brewed Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) agribusiness. As an intended project goal, students have attended and presented their pathway projects at national conferences such as the National FFA Convention. Each has demonstrated Premier Leadership over their 4+ years of Agriculture. Each has “evolve” throughout high school. Our classes are preparing each student for next level success in college, career, and civic life. On another pathway, Aiken also provides students with the option of connecting culinary skills with food grown in their on campus, community garden. Agriscience and Agriproduction is the Career Tech Pathway we have at Aiken. For a number of years now, Aiken's Agriculture Career Tech Program has partnered with La Soupe to teach the process of transforming raw ingredients into delicious meals. The campus's collective goal is to reduce food waste while increasing the distribution of healthy and financially available food to combat food insecurity. Part of our Agriculture curriculum is “Food Science” in Strand 7 where “learners apply principles of biology, chemistry, and physics to the research, development, production, processing, and distribution of food products meeting quality assurance standards in a system that is safe and secure.” One avenue Aiken teachers take to address this standard is with La Soupe and our roasting of coffee with La Terza. The other avenue is training Ag Students to be GAP (Good Agriculture Practices) Certified., Aiken New Tech High School implements the innovative learning model, New Tech Network, a systemic approach to creating scalable and sustainable change so that all students are college and career ready.

Student experience design

1. Outdoor Education for Mental Health Wellness 2. Career Tech Pathway for Agricultural Literacy, Technical Skill Attainment, and Work-Based Learning Experiences 3. Interactive Language Learning Laboratory 4. Premier Leadership Development 5. Culturally Responsive Practices 6. Social, Environmental, and Financial Justice 7. Social-Emotional Learning Strength-Based Approach 8. Experiential Learning 9. Cross-Curricular Planning and Instruction 10. Engagement of Community Partners

Core Practices

Core Practices Length of Use

Community And Workforce Partnerships
5+ years

Culturally Responsive Practices
5+ years

Project-based Learning
5+ years

SEL Integration School-wide
5+ years

Universal Design For Learning
5+ years

All Practices

Advancement On Mastery

Student Advisories

AI For Learning Materials

Anti-racist Practices

Assessments For Agency And Self-directed Learning

Assessments For Career Readiness

Assessments For Deeper Learning

Assessments For Social-emotional Skills

Blended Learning

Co-leadership

Family And Community Support Services

Competency/mastery-based Education

Disaggregated Data On Student Participation

Early College High School

Extended Learning Time

Flexible Staffing & Alternative Teaching Roles

Grading Policies Focus On Mastery

All Courses Designed For Inclusion

Industry-recognized Credentials

Interoperable Data From Multiple Technologies

Individual Learner Profiles

Individual Learning Paths

Mental Health Services

1:1 Mentoring

Multi-tiered System Of Support (MTSS) In Academics

Multi-age Classrooms

No Tracked Classes

Peer To Peer Support

Performance Based Assessment

High Quality Instructional Materials

Reallocation Of Resources For Students Most In Need

Restorative Practices

SEL Curriculum

Students Access Their Own Data

Self-paced Learning

Students Develop Projects

Trauma-informed Practices

Tutoring

key reasons for innovating

Address systemic inequities

Demonstrate what’s possible for other schools

Improve student mental health

Date Updated: 4/1/2025

*Canopy profile data is self-reported or sourced from NCES data, then verified by school leaders.