Norwich Public Schools

The project, named NEXTT (Norwich Educational Excellence for Today’s and Tomorrow’s Schools), collected and incorporated information from citizens. Intended to guide city, education, and community leadership decisions toward what the Norwich community would prefer to have in its education system.

This came about because stakeholders in Norwich expressed a strong desire for an educational experience that would be broad and deep—one that embraces the complexity of human learning and the excitement that comes from intensely personal learning experiences. Further, they want a public school system that serves the community, not just its students. They understand the supply and demand connection between a strong education system and the long-term economic vitality and quality of life in the Norwich area. They want an education system that offers choices about how and where learning happens and exhibits flexibility and openness—a system that can change with the times to keep itself current with technology and social issues. They want a system that capitalizes on individual learner strengths and interests at the same time it conveys social skills and dispositions that lead to strong groups and community integrity.