TechBoston is a department within the Boston Public Schools that supports advanced technology courses in the district's high schools and middle schools. Unique to Boston, TechBoston is an outgrowth of Boston's technology initiatives, and is an award-winning and nationally recognized program. The first students in the nation to pass industry certification tests in a range of informational technology areas such as web design and networking were graduates of TechBoston.

TechBoston was established in 1998 through grant funding from the Massachusetts Department of Education's initiative called Students as Technology Leaders (SaTL). TechBoston has provided over 10,000 teacher hours of professional development and direct assistance to schools to implement courses educating more than 5,000 students in the following areas: Advanced Placement Computer Science, Web Development, Cisco Networking, Cisco IT Essentials, Microsoft Office Specialist, and Robotics.

TechBoston has a small central staff that provides teacher training and classroom materials, works with corporate partners to fund equipment and training, and seeks grant money to further special programs. A staff member from the Boston Private Industry Council works with TechBoston to identify after school or summer work for our high school students in the technology industry.

TechBoston also provided 44 assistants to the Technology Goes Home program in 2006-2007. These students assist teachers in classes in the Boston Public Schools by providing individual instruction to families.

TechBoston programs are available in most high schools and some middle and elementary schools. Learn more about TechBoston.

TechBoston Consulting Group

TechBoston Consulting Group (TCG) is a computer consulting business staffed by TechBoston students and managed by TechBoston teachers. TCG was formed to give students the opportunity to use their classroom learning in actual business applications. Typical consulting projects include web site design and maintenance, network protocol configuration, and network administration and support. Students work on or off site, depending on the clients' needs, and are supervised by TechBoston teachers with extensive technical experience. Clients include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Abt Associates of Cambridge, and the City of Boston. Learn more about TechBoston Consulting Group.

TechBoston Academy

TechBoston Academy (TBA) is a technology-focused pilot high school that opened in 2002. TBA classes integrate technology education through a college preparatory curriculum. It is located in the Dorchester Educational Complex in the Codman Square section of Dorchester.

Like all the schools in the BPS district, except for the exam schools, TBA is open to all students through the yearly school choice lottery. As a pilot school, TBA has autonomy over budget, staffing, governance, curriculum and assessment, and the school calendar to provide increased flexibility in its organization and staffing to best meet students' needs.

The high school is under the leadership of Mary Skipper, formerly director of TechBoston. TechBoston provides TBA teachers with professional development and connects TBA students with job placement opportunities, although TBA is a separate entity from TechBoston.

The TechBoston staff received the City Excellence Award for Innovations in Education in 2001 and the Boston Public Schools Service Excellence Award in 2002.

Learn more about TechBoston Academy.