High Schools to Teach App Development in New STEM Communities

  • By Staff
  • 09/19/17

Lenovo and NAF, a nonprofit education network, this school year have opened 68 new NAF academies, or small learning communities within traditional high schools.

NAF academies are designed to provide underserved high school students with comprehensive and “career-themed” STEM education curricula focused on five areas: finance, hospitality & tourism, information technology, engineering and health sciences.

Students at 57 academies will have a chance to develop Android mobile apps using Lenovo devices and win tech prizes, for example, as part of the Lenovo Scholar Network’s annual app challenge. NAF’s mobile app development program is centered around using the MIT App Inventor developer platform. It caters to reaching students in underrepresented communities, according to the NAF website.  

For teachers, NAF academies offer a flexible structure that encourages collaboration across subject areas. The structure emphasizes personalization to meet student, school, district and state goals as well.   

The 68 academies opening for the 2017-2018 school year bring the Lenovo Scholar Network’s total to 118 academies. These learning communities serve approximately 5,000 students in 21 states — with a goal to reach 10,000 additional students over the next three years, a news release stated.

To view the full list of participating schools or learn more, visit the NAF Scholar Network site.

Featured

  • horizontal stack of U.S. dollar bills breaking in half

    ED Abruptly Cancels ESSER Funding Extensions

    The Department of Education has moved to close the door on COVID relief funding for schools, declaring that "extending deadlines for COVID-related grants, which are in fact taxpayer funds, years after the COVID pandemic ended is not consistent with the Department’s priorities and thus not a worthwhile exercise of its discretion."

  • illustration of a human head with a glowing neural network in the brain, connected to tech icons on a cool blue-gray background

    Meta Introduces Stand-Alone AI App

    Meta Platforms has launched a stand-alone artificial intelligence app built on its proprietary Llama 4 model, intensifying the competitive race in generative AI alongside OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and xAI.

  • The AI Show

    Register for Free to Attend the World's Greatest Show for All Things AI in EDU

    The AI Show @ ASU+GSV, held April 5–7, 2025, at the San Diego Convention Center, is a free event designed to help educators, students, and parents navigate AI's role in education. Featuring hands-on workshops, AI-powered networking, live demos from 125+ EdTech exhibitors, and keynote speakers like Colin Kaepernick and Stevie Van Zandt, the event offers practical insights into AI-driven teaching, learning, and career opportunities. Attendees will gain actionable strategies to integrate AI into classrooms while exploring innovations that promote equity, accessibility, and student success.

  • robot waving

    Copilot Updates Aim to Personalize AI

    Microsoft has introduced a range of updates to its Copilot platform, marking a new phase in its effort to deliver what it calls a "true AI companion" that adapts to individual users' needs, preferences and routines.