Shane Jones

SED 464
Mon 4:30 PM
Lovitt
School Environment Narrative
Sitting off a light rail stop and next to a fairly busy intersection
lays a small building with a rows of small colorful one-story buildings.
These buildings are gated in by industrial black fence. Unique statues
and murals cover the outer layer of the buildings. This cluster of
buildings happens to be a small non-profit charter high school called
New School for the Arts and Academics. A community of affordable
housing surrounds the school. College students and people of middle to
lower society economic status occupy many of the buildings. Students
sit out front of the school and talk to friends and share events of the
day. Observing the students from a distance it is clear that everyone
knows each other. Entering the school, students artwork and creations
are on display. The largest building which includes all art classrooms
such as a theatre, dance studios, music studios and ceramics room.
The rows of one story portables are all of the academic classrooms.
The last two rows of classroom are dedicated for middle school
students. Many of the classrooms are equipped with the basic
necessity for teaching students. Fold out tables are used as desks in
some classrooms and some classrooms are required to share utilities
such as sinks.

The student population at New School for the Art and Academics
is very diverse. Students range from 6th to 12th grade. Each student at
the school is required to declare an art major and base art courses
according to their major. The majors at the school are separated by
visual and preforming arts. A students major can be anything from
writing to ceramics. To be registered at the school each student must
go through an audition process where their talents are displayed and
administrators can determine if NSAA is a good fit for the student.
NSAA has a middle school where students still chose a major and enjoy
similar classes to that of their high school peers. The school is made up
of a student body of roughly 220 students. Many students struggle with
socialization and have found the school to be a safe haven. A large
number of LGBT students have transferred to NSAA for a more
accepting and understanding atmosphere. A majority of the student
body comes to NSAA to further pursue arts and academics. Many of
the students commute to campus and some have claimed to have an
hour-long commute. The campus has a no bullying policy and the
student body embraces this policy. Although the students at this school
come from all walks of life there is a strong sense of community. The
students at NSAA have created a large family by accepting every new
transfer in with open arms and making them feel like they are being
heard.

The togetherness and unity in the school would almost make

some over look the glaring need for new technology in this school.
Many of the teachers are forced to use outdated overhead projectors to
teach their students. Although the school has strived to implement
technology into the classroom the lack of funding has made the task
seemingly impossible. Over the past couple of years some teacher
have been given low power projects and one laptop cart has been
provided to help ease technology into the classroom. Students
education may be damaged because they are not given access to new
and informative education tools. The teachers of this school have also
had a difficult time because many of their lesson plans rely on old
technologies that struggle to catch students attention. The lack of
technology may affect students performance at the next level of
education because they may not have the experience with new
technology being implemented by colleges.
The need for new technology is indisputable. The first technology
that should be included into every classroom is quality projectors with
mounts and screens. This technology will allow teachers to create
lesson plans that engage students. Students will be allowed to create
and present projects using new technology. Teachers can use the
projectors to display media content and help students with guided
practice. Projects will allow for the teacher to use application of their
computer to demonstrate how to preform a lab or what a function of a

math problem will look like. The possibilities for this technology are
endless and will help engage students and help prepare students for
the next level of education.