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High-Tech High

October 2, 2007 By News Staff

At 8 a.m. on Sept. 7, 2006, a school bell rang for the first time at Philadelphia's School of the Future, officially opening one of the nation's most advanced high schools.

The school, conceived by the School District of Philadelphia, Microsoft and the community of West Philadelphia, delivers a new approach to curriculum, school design and the integration of technology into the daily lives of teachers and students.

Instructional, environmental, architectural and technical elements focus on building a sustainable, curriculum-driven environment to help students learn, and help teachers and administrators succeed.

Each student receives a tablet PC, wireless Internet access on campus and broadband access at home. The school is packed with technology - it features a performance center with two hydraulically rotating lecture halls to create small performing spaces for school and community performances; smart-card accessible lockers; a water catchment system on the roof to collect rainwater for use in nonpotable applications; and photovoltaic panels in the building's glass windows and the roof.

The panels reduce heating and cooling costs by converting sunlight into direct current, contributing electricity for the building and transmitting real-time data to students so they can assess the positive impact on the environment.

In addition, a virtual teaching assistant, created by Microsoft specifically for the school, each student's progress, allowing teachers to tailor deeper instruction for the advanced student or plans incorporate extra review for students needing additional time to master a topic.

The 170 freshman students who make up the first School of the Future's graduating class - of 2010 - began their sophomore year in September.

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