Toledo Technology Academy

Toledo Technology Academy is a public high school located in Toledo, Ohio. It is part of the Toledo Public Schools. It is located in the former DeVilbiss High School. This small school is one of the “gems” in the public education system. Many students from surrounding suburban school districts as well as private schools attend TTA as their preferred educational choice. Toledo Technology Academy students study manufacturing engineering technology integrated with a rigorous academic environment. TTA is a magnet school focusing on a manufacturing engineering technology curriculum with academics integrated with technical classes preparing students for a rewarding, life-long career in manufacturing technologies. TTA offers a comprehensive academic foundation, four years of science, mathematics, language arts, and three years of social studies education.

TTA Facts:
*No Child Left Behind “Blue Ribbon Award” winner 2004.
*Rated “Excellent” for Ohio Graduation tests standards 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07. Consistently meets and exceeds Annual Yearly Progress benchmarks. 2005/06 -- #2 State of Ohio, #1 Northwest Ohio.
*Designated a "Model School" by the International Center for Leadership in Education.
*Ohio Superintendent “School of Promise” two years running.
*National Robotics Champions 2006/07.
*4-year integrated academic and technical program in manufacturing technologies.
*Nationally recognized and award winning curriculum.
*Incorporates teamwork and hands-on training.
*Committed partnerships with businesses, unions, colleges, and industry.
*70% of the students come from the TPS school district with the remaining 30% coming from outlying suburban schools. 42% +/- of the student population comes from economically disadvantaged families. 100% of the students graduate and finish their career technical competencies. 95% of the graduates (last two school years) are involved in post-secondary education.

As innovators, designers, researchers, planners, teachers, and managers, engineers work in a variety of professional fields. TTA provides students with a diverse and extensive hands-on training in plastics technologies, automated systems, manufacturing operations, computer-automated design, electronics and other manufacturing technologies.

Students learn in an interactive atmosphere of teamwork, curiosity, and excellence, with industrial involvement and support. This school prepares students for high-paying technical careers, two and four-year college degrees, scholarships, internships, specific industrial certifications, honors and post secondary programs offered, and articulation agreements with area universities for advanced credit.

11-Year Track Record:

TTA began as a two-year program within a traditional high school. In 1997 a collaborative partnership was formed with the school system, teaching and administrative unions, area businesses and the United Auto Workers, and a four year high school was opened. What was found at that time continues to be true today. Technology, manufacturing, and engineering continue to be one of Toledo’s largest opportunities for growth. Our small and large manufacturers continually express an on-going need for well-trained, high-quality, entry-level employees in trade, technical and engineering positions. Increasingly, these entry-level workers need more advanced high tech skills in addition to higher-level thinking/reasoning skills and teamwork experiences. Currently, 75% of the persons applying and/or interviewed for these positions are not qualified. Nationally and regionally schools are preparing only about 30% of this needed workforce. This information was gathered at the National Skill Standards Board meetings and continues to be true.

The mission of the original project was as follows: To support a four-year high school technical program related to Manufacturing Engineering Technology within Toledo Public School Systems known as the Toledo Technology Academy (TTA). TTA’s instructional system uses project-based learning, allowing the students to have maximum decision-making responsibility. Skills are taught to support this process and technology is used to support all instruction. TTA provides a complete academic compliment of courses for graduation and college entry. Weekly common planning meetings are held to incorporate and integrate instruction. Where appropriate, the academic course content is related to the manufacturing curriculum and vice versa.

Tech Fusion Team 279

Team 279 is the first team located at Toledo Technology Academy. It is open to all Toledo Public Schools. In this team many things are done ranging from building robots to advertising the team. They have won many of the competitions they have entered including one national championship.

External links

* [http://www.tps.org/ District Website]
* [http://www.toledotechnologyacademy.org/ School Website]
* [http://www.techfusion-279.com Techfusion website]