High School Redesign – Knightdale High

In the past year Area Superintendent Dr. Edward McFarland and new principal Dr. Jim Argent have been working on a complete redesign of Knightdale High.

For the 2015-2016 school year, the school will begin with a new name and a new focus: Knightdale High School of Collaborative Design.

The new school will feature multiple institutes.  All freshmen will participate in the Freshman Leadership Institute.  Sophomores, juniors, and seniors will participate in one of four institutes: Institute of Innovation, Institute of Creative Design, Institute of Government and Global Inquiry, or Institute of Entrepreneurship.  All institutes will feature a focus on personalized, problem based learning that develops 21^st century competencies.

The redesign is based on a collaborative work effort that involved the Knightdale Area Education Working Group, school system staff and leadership, North Carolina New Schools, and a redesign team from Knightdale High.  These groups gathered and considered the unique needs of the Knightdale community.

As part of the restructuring, all employees will have to reapply for their current positions.  An effort is being made for all teaching positions to become 11 months (as opposed to 10 months), and there will be a focus on intensive professional development and a three-year commitment to the school.

Ultimately, the redesign hopes to increase and improve student engagement, student learning, and graduation rates as well as increase and accelerate teacher and administrator capacity and effectiveness.