Our Learning Model
nex+Gen Academy is part of the New Tech Network of schools, a national nonprofit dedicated to systemic change in education.
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At nex+Gen, students learn through doing. Teachers create relevant and meaningful learning experiences by using real-world problems to design and structure projects that challenge students to acquire and apply content knowledge and skills, while connecting their learning to future college and career opportunities. Our teachers undertake this work because it produces critical thinkers, problem-solvers, and collaborators who are vital to the long-term health and wellbeing of our communities.
Project-based learning allows students to engage with academic content in creative, culturally relevant ways, experience it in context, and share their learning with authentic audiences and project partners in our community. Students embrace this style of learning because they feel a sense of belonging. They are challenged to learn in relevant, meaningful ways that shape the way they interact with the world. Students gain skills and use their voices in ways that prepare them for life beyond school.
At nex+Gen Academy, we prepare each student for postsecondary success with the knowledge, skills, and mindsets to be ready for college and career.
Focus Areas
Our school's work is guided by the four Focus Areas of the New Tech Network Model. New Tech Network schools succeed by addressing these focus areas: college and career outcomes, purposeful assessment, supportive and inclusive culture, and meaningful and equitable instruction.
Skills for Success
nex+Gen uses research-based outcomes designed to allow teachers to assess students based on a holistic picture of their skills while meeting state academic requirements. We teach and assess these skills to help prepare our learners for post-secondary success:​
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Critical thinking
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Communication
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Collaboration
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Creativity
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Agency (ownership of learning)
Our History
nex+Gen Academy was established in 2010 with support from Sandia National Labs, CNM, UNM, Intel, and the New Tech Network of Schools. It was the first wall-to-wall project-based learning school in New Mexico. The school was designed and built specifically to support collaborative teaching and learning, with large, studio-like areas to facilitate team teaching, student interaction, and project collaboration while a variety of multi-use break-out spaces allow for small group and individual learning experiences. nex+Gen opened its doors to our first students, who entered as freshman and sophomores, in the fall of 2010, with 105 and 73 students, respectively adding a new freshmen class each year until we established grades 9-12. We saw our first class graduate in 2013. Admission to nex+Gen was (and still is) open to students from across the Albuquerque Public Schools district and surrounding communities. In the first few years, when we were establishing our school, preference was given to students from the neighborhood district zones to reflect the overall makeup and achievement levels of existing feeder schools.
The school’s program design was based on the New Tech Network Model Commitments and 21st-century student outcomes from the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Courses and curriculum were thoughtfully and intentionally integrated to provide a well-rounded, enriched course of study with integrated content and projects focused on critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and assessments that require students to solve complex real-world problems.
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nex+Gen quickly established itself as a high-performing school in New Mexico and has continued to exhibit excellence in academics and student outcomes.
