Innovation Schools

Creating local and state conditions for the development and sustainability of empowered school models.

Reinventing Public Schools

Traditional school models often struggle to meet the diverse needs of students and communities, particularly in areas where students have been traditionally underserved or are experiencing poverty.

Starting as early as Pre-K and throughout their education and career, local and state conditions can significantly impact student life outcomes.

Innovation Schools provide formalized autonomy and flexibility for schools to tailor their programs to the specific needs of their students, ensuring that every child has access to a high-quality education. By empowering educators and integrating community-driven solutions, Innovation Schools help give those most proximate to students the opportunity to harness the limitless potential of their community, fostering environments where students can thrive.

With over a decade of experience helping local leaders reinvent their schools and school systems, we know the best solutions for a school’s unique context are unlocked when decision-makers are provided the flexibility to innovate and meet students where they are. Our collaborative approach helps educators create the schools communities want and students deserve.

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Change at the School and State Level

How We Help

Insisting on Excellence

We help communities adopt Innovation Schools, sometimes called Empowerment Zones, as a strategy to:

      • Accelerate and sustain the success of existing strong principals and educator teams;
      • Help transform their lowest-performing schools; 
      • Support new and innovative school designs that require a different set of conditions to launch, sustain, and thrive; and
      • Committing to collaboration with a broad and diverse coalition of stakeholders who share core values.

Formalizing Agreements

In exchange for this flexibility, innovation schools are held accountable to meeting ambitious goals. Agreements include rigorous accountability measures that outline that schools:

      • Are responsible for meeting ambitious goals set collaboratively with the district.
      • Follow important district policies on matters such as enrollment.
      • Have key design and operating autonomies enabled and ensured by a partnership agreement.
      • Are overseen by a dedicated nonprofit board founded in partnership with – and made up of – local district leaders, educators, and community members.

Leading at All Levels

While innovation schools operate under different conditions, their educators, students and buildings remain part of the district system. At the state level, we work to create the enabling conditions and pathways to expand impactful systems of great schools. At the district and school levels, we create the conditions and systems for local leaders and educators to design and implement innovative ideas, scale impact, and advance outcomes for the students they know best.

Spotlight: Springfield Empowerment Zone

Our first Empowered Partnership has been a model for reimagining community schools since 2014. The Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership (SEZP) is a ground-breaking collaboration between the state, Springfield Public Schools (SPS), and the teachers’ union, formed as a voluntary partnership with a mission to dramatically improve student outcomes.

SEZP has demonstrated incredible results for students. Between 2014-2021, four-year graduation rates have increased from 44% to 86%, while drop-out rates have improved from an all-time high of 10.8% to a low of 1.7%.

We work with leaders across the United States to implement Innovation Schools by leveraging supporting policies, creating sustainable formal partnerships that center long-term student outcomes, and advancing policies that make further innovation possible.

How we help Communities grow with innovation schools

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EMPOWERED PARTNERSHIPS

DESIGN

We support local leaders to establish district innovation schools with clear agreements, ambitious performance goals, strong and sustainable governance, and educator voice.

ESTABLISH

We bring together diverse community stakeholders to plan and design innovation schools that uniquely meet student, teacher, and family needs and align to local and state regulatory pathways.

ACCELERATE

We provide technical expertise and faciliate learning communities to accelerate innovation school success

LEVERAGE

We analyze relevant state policies to identify existing openings for innovation, partnering with state education agencies and elected leaders to find ways to incentivize and support through existing laws.

AMPLIFY

We connect thought leaders to foster cross-sector collaborations so decision-makers receive the policy learning they need to enable innovation.

CHANGE

We listen to stakeholders, collaborating with people with local knowledge of student, school, and community needs to write, modify, and advocate for state and district policies that enable the development and ongoing success of thriving and sustainable Innovation Schools.

POLICY AND THOUGHT LEADERSHIP