CoppellForNewTech.org

Stand Up for Public Education in Coppell

Coppell ISD is closing schools. We're trying to innovate our way out of this budget crisis. For New Tech, for our students, for their future.

Read Our Story

Why We’re Fighting for New Tech

We’re a group of Coppell parents, students, and citizens standing up to protect innovative public education. New Tech High was promised three years to grow - now it's being threatened with premature closure. While we understand the administration is under pressure to cut costs, we want to provide an alternative approach.

In 2008, this district did something bold. It took a risk on a new kind of school - one that wasn't based on rows of desks and rote memorization, but on collaboration, critical thinking, and real-world problem solving.

That school was New Tech High @ Coppell. It was created with a mission: to prepare students not just to pass tests, but to lead - to face complexity with creativity, to work in teams, and to develop the confidence to solve problems no one had solved before.

Today, we are facing exactly the kind of problem New Tech was built to address.

Yes, enrollment is down. Yes, the budget is tight. But before we talk about closing doors, we need to ask ourselves: Are we living up to the original promise of New Tech? Or are we abandoning it just when we need it most?

Let’s not retreat from innovation. Let’s lead with it.

Let’s show the rest of Texas what it looks like when a district doesn’t retreat from innovation - but doubles down on it.

Let's show everyone what 21st-century education really looks like in action.

What’s Happening in Coppell ISD?

This is not about enrollment. This is about priorities.

Searching for a New Superintendent

The board is searching for our next Super. They're looking for community feedback on what qualities matter to us.

Open Enrollment

New Tech High is a choice school. It was created to provide an alternative to the traditional high school experience. It’s not just about enrollment numbers; it’s about offering a unique educational model that prepares students for the future. If you want your kids to go, apply for open enrollment.

You Can Make a Difference

Catch Up

We work shopped ideas already. Cost-cutting can only get you so far. Which is why we focused on Revenue Generation Ideas. But this has to be a multi-pronged approach. So we also came up with Six Strategies for Expense Reduction.

Learn, Be Curious

Coppell ISD Budget and Financial Reports

Understand the financial situation and how it affects our schools.

📢 Speak Up

Attend school board meetings and make your voice heard. Public participation at board meetings is limited to the open forum portions, which can be at the beginning or end of their session. You have to signup 30 minutes prior to the start of the meeting in order to speak. Focus on the agenda topics.

Ask questions

You can always send questions to the district's inbox at [email protected]. They work hard to be transparent. However, some questions require an Open Records Request.

💬 Join the Conversation

Join the New Tech @ Coppell PTSO. The PTSO is a great mechanism to find out what's going on, get your voice heard.

📝 Sign the Petition

Help us build momentum and demonstrate public support.

Innovation & Inquiry Magnet

A New Tech Network High School

School’s Unique Mission and Recognition

New Tech High @ Coppell is a public choice high school in Coppell ISD, recognized nationally for its innovative Project-Based Learning (PBL) model, which emphasizes authentic, complex thinking and problem-solving.

In December 2024, the school was named a "Spotlight School" by the New Tech Network, highlighting its excellence in college and career readiness, inclusive culture, meaningful instruction, and purposeful assessment.

Academic Performance and Student Outcomes

  • The school serves about 380 students in grades 9-12, with a student-teacher ratio of 14:1.

  • Academic highlights include:

    • 95% graduation rate
    • Average SAT score: 1270; Average ACT: 28
    • 62% AP course enrollment
  • Graduates attend top universities, including Penn, Northeastern, UConn, NYU, UT Austin, Texas A&M, Rice, and other flagship universities.

  1. Project-Based and Problem-Based Learning (PBL)

    • The curriculum is built around real-world problems that require students to investigate, design, and implement solutions, not just memorize facts.
    • Students take on authentic roles, such as researchers, designers, project managers, or advocates, and their work often results in products or solutions that impact the community or address genuine needs.

  2. Higher-Order Thinking and Transfer

    • Students are regularly challenged with tasks that go beyond recall. They must analyze, synthesize, and apply knowledge in new and unpredictable contexts.
    • Assessments and classroom activities are designed to prompt students to integrate concepts, wrestle with ambiguity, and transfer learning to novel situations.

  3. Open-Ended Inquiry and Socratic Questioning

    • Faculty use open-ended questions and Socratic dialogue, which encourage students to explore multiple solutions, justify their reasoning, and reflect on their learning processes.
    • Example: Instead of asking for the ‘right’ answer, they ask students, ‘How would you approach this problem?’ or ‘What do you know or What do you need to know?’ ‘What alternatives could we consider?’

  4. Reflection and Metacognition

    • Note that students are encouraged to journal and reflect on their learning, helping them internalize complex concepts and evaluate their thinking strategies. They are often asked to reflect on an assignment to identify their strengths and weaknesses.

  5. Collaboration and Diverse Perspectives

    • Group projects and other collaborative activities are central, enabling students to debate, negotiate, and build upon each other’s ideas, mirroring the complexity of real-world problem-solving. They learn to engage in respectful dialogue when challenged. They often work in a college seminar-style class.

  6. Real-World Relevance and Community Connection

    • Emphasize that projects are often connected to current events, community issues, or students’ own interests and identities, making learning meaningful and personally relevant. Sometimes, projects are an individual effort, and different skill sets are developed, as with the required Capstone projects, which demand in-depth inquiry. Students must formulate questions, conduct research, evaluate sources, and synthesize findings to inform their work.
At our school, students don’t just learn information—they learn how to think. Through project-based learning, they tackle real-world challenges, collaborate in teams, and apply their knowledge to authentic problems that matter to them and their community.
Our teachers design assignments that require inquiry, design, evaluation, argumentation, and systems analysis—skills that prepare students for the unpredictable, complex world beyond graduation.
We believe that every student is capable of complex thought. That’s why our curriculum is built to foster higher-order thinking, encourage open-ended questioning, and support students as they

Research