| State: California | Number of Students: 1,940 |
| School Type: Independent School | Free and Reduced Lunch: N/A |
| Grade Level: PK-12 | English Language Learners: N/A |
School Context
Character Development: At Harker, students embrace learning, take challenges and live as caring, compassionate people. Theschool has a dedicated character development curriculum which includes community outreach programs.
Global Education: The school is dedicated to promoting students’ global awareness. Students participate in programs withinternational schools beginning in kindergarten.
World-Class Teachers: Harker teachers are experts in their fields, passionate about working with children and going the extramile to provide an exceptional education.
Scholarship: Academic rigor and variety are priorities at Harker. Students take a number of courses that meet their individualneeds and engage in inquiry-based research. In addition, Harker also offers a wide-range of electives and extracurricularprograms for students to pursue.
Learning Environment: Harker is focused on creating learning environments that inspire inquiry, collaboration and fun.
State of Technology
BYOD with a Twist: While Harker has a 1:1 program in 4th-12th grade, it isdifferent than other schools’ programs. In 6th-8th grade, students choose thetype of laptop they want, (i.e. Windows or Mac), and Harker purchases it forthem. Students’ families pay Harker an annual fee for maintenance and atthe end of 8th grade, students own their laptops. In 9th-12th grade, studentsbring their own laptops and mobile devices to school. Often these are thedevices that Harker purchased for them in middle school.
Tech Privilege: Harker students have access to technology beginning inkindergarten. Access to technology increases each year. In K-2, students goto computer labs, in addition to using iPads in the classroom during stationrotations. In 4th grade, each student is assigned a Chromebook. In 5th gradestudents can take their Chromebooks home with them.
More Than Mobile: In addition to mobile devices, the upper school has agreen screen for recording audio and visual presentations, 3D printers inthe math and robotics labs and a 3D interactive cadaver dissection table inhuman anatomy class. Moreover, the libraries at Harker contain fiction andnonfiction e-books for students to check out and use.
PD & Instruction: At Harker, each campus has a dedicated instructionaltechnology director to help teachers effectively integrate technologyinto instruction. Teachers are encouraged to explore innovative uses oftechnology in their classrooms through grants and to share their findingswith colleagues. Moreover, each summer Harker hosts the Harker TeacherInstitute for public school teachers in the Bay Area. For $25, teachers canattend workshops such as how to use Google Apps effectively and how to usegames to teach math. In 2015, over 100 teachers attended the institute.
Global Online Academy: Harker is a member of a consortium ofindependent schools called the Global Online Academy. Teachers can createvirtual courses that any attending student can take. These courses can besynchronous or asynchronous. Students from all over the world are workingtogether and collaborating through the course. Courses count as an electivecredit and are mostly taken by juniors and seniors.
Tech Needs & Requirements
Harker is always looking for ways to make data integration easy and simple.
Initiatives
Harker recently completed a $25 million fundraising effort to build a state-of-the-art performing arts and athletics facility on theupper school campus.