“The move of forming the (Luminary Learning Network) puts us as school leaders and teachers in the driver’s seat of what we believe to be best for our students. I’m really proud of that. I feel like we’re on the cusp of something big.”

Denver School Leader

Partnering with Communities • Empowering Educators Serving Students Better

Empowerment Zones

We partner with local champions and stakeholders to explore, design, and launch Empowerment Zones.

Public Policy

We work with state and local elected and appointed officials to create and implement policy pathways that enable zones and empower educators.

Ecosystem

We engage with other organizations that share our belief in educator empowerment to find opportunities for collaboration and partnership in service of students.

Watch the video below to learn more from stakeholders in the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership.

Of Houses and Hope: A Promising Fort Worth School Turnaround and the Closely Watched Policy Push Making It Happen

by Mary Beth | January 6, 2020 | News | 0 Comments

Fort WorthAs kids pass in the halls at Como Elementary, the undercurrent of joy about the school’s Harry Potter-style house system is palpable. Banners and other color-coded emblems on display at the Fort Worth, Texas, school identify the societies into...

John King Talks Teacher Diversity, Student Engagement, Budgeting, School Autonomy — and ‘Fauxtonomy’ — at Texas Education Reform Summit

by Mary Beth | October 16, 2019 | News | 0 Comments

John King may be the first U.S. secretary of education who was kicked out of high school. But he hopes he’s not the last.King’s parents died before he finished sixth grade. By the time he was in high school, he was a hurting, angry kid who needed a lot of...

Transformation Waco schools show significant progress on STAAR exams

by Mary Beth | June 25, 2019 | News | 0 Comments

Students in Transformation Waco schools have made significant strides in their performance on state standardized exams in the past two years, even surpassing state average scores on some tests this year, CEO Robin McDurham said at a board meeting Tuesday...

Alexander named executive principal of Lubbock Partnership Network

by Mary Beth | May 7, 2019 | News | 0 Comments

Cicely Alexander, current principal of Alderson Elementary, has been named the executive principal of the Lubbock Partnership Network.According to a news release, the Lubbock Partnership Network is an innovative partnership with Lubbock ISD designed to...

How a New Innovation Zone Will Bring Big-World Opportunities to Students in 3 Rural Texas Districts

by Mary Beth | March 13, 2019 | News | 0 Comments

Texas has more schools in rural areas than any other state. In the 2015-16 school year, rural schools, as classified by the Texas Education Agency, accounted for 459 of the 1,247 school districts in Texas. Having the privilege to lead school systems in...

Texas school districts create Rural Schools Innovation Zone

by Mary Beth | February 25, 2019 | News | 0 Comments

In a pioneering new partnership, three districts in South Texas are joining forces to create a first-of-its-kind initiative to improve educational opportunities for their rural students. The school boards of Brooks County, Freer, and Premont Independent...