In Fast Tracking Student Success, Empower Schools examines how Rural Alliance Zone-32 in East Central Indiana uses cross-district collaboration, shared career pathways, and employer partnerships to help rural students meet new diploma seal requirements. The case study highlights work-based learning, credentials of value, student-run enterprises, and regional pathway design.

In Discover FMI, Empower Schools examines how the Fremont Multi-District Initiative in Colorado expands rural student access to career pathways, industry certifications, and on-the-job training. The case study highlights how rural districts can collaborate across communities to create more equitable opportunities tied to high-wage, high-demand careers.

In Leadership as a Practice, Empower Schools and Teacher-Powered Schools examine how Denver Green School-Northfield uses distributed leadership, teacher agency, and Innovation Zone flexibility to create shared accountability. The case study highlights how the Luminary Learning Network supports collaborative decision-making, school-level autonomy, and continuous improvement.

In Raising the Bar, Empower Schools and Teacher-Powered Schools examine how Cold Spring School in Indianapolis uses Innovation Network School flexibility to strengthen instructional culture and student outcomes. The case study explores how strategic hiring, professional learning communities, budget flexibility, and teacher-led accountability support a STEM and environmental science model.

In Revolutionary Collaboration, Empower Schools and Teacher-Powered Schools examine how the Washtenaw Educational Options Consortium in Ypsilanti, Michigan uses shared leadership, teacher-powered practices, and regional collaboration to expand public school options. The case study highlights how consortium governance, flexible scheduling, and educator decision-making support student-centered learning across districts.

In Flexibility and Sustainability, Empower Schools and Teacher-Powered Schools examine how Duggan Academy in Springfield, Massachusetts reimagined teacher leadership through the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership. The case study explores how school-level flexibility, shared decision-making, and a Teacher Leadership Team helped formalize educator voice and sustain school improvement.

Empower Schools’ 2024-25 Annual Report shares progress, partnerships, and impact from a year of work with communities, school systems, policymakers, and partners. As Empower’s annual report highlights work across Innovation Schools, Rural Collaboratives, and Early College and Career Pathways..

R-PEP 101 is Empower Schools’ practical guide to Rural Pathway Excellence Partnerships, a Texas model that helps rural districts work together to expand college and career pathways. The guide explains how policy, funding, higher education partnerships, and workforce collaboration can support rural students and communities.

Empower Schools’ Apprenticeship and Rural Colorado report explores how youth apprenticeship can expand college and career pathways, strengthen local talent pipelines, and support economic development in rural communities. The report highlights apprenticeship models, employer roles, healthcare pathways, and the role Rural Collaboratives can play as regional intermediaries.

Empower Schools’ report on Innovation School policy examines how state laws can create enabling conditions for school-level innovation. The report analyzes policy design, school autonomy, educator empowerment, accountability, and sustainability, with recommendations for states seeking to support high-quality, durable Innovation Schools.

Pathways to College and Career outlines a statewide collaboration model for expanding access to college and career pathways across Colorado. The report focuses on the Homegrown Talent Coalition, shared data, policy alignment, pathway implementation, and the conditions needed to help more students earn credentials, college credit, and work-based learning.

In Texas Partnerships with the Leadership Academy Network, Empower Schools examines how Fort Worth ISD and Texas Wesleyan University used a Texas Partnership under SB 1882 to sustain and strengthen the Leadership Academy Network. The case study highlights school-level autonomy, data-driven instruction, teacher development, extended learning time, and community-based supports.

Ten Years of Empowerment is Empower Schools’ retrospective magazine celebrating a decade of work with communities across the country. The resource shares Empower’s story, timeline, partnerships, and evolution as an organization supporting school system innovation, policy change, and expanded student opportunity.

Elevating Rural Colorado shares five years of investment, learning, and partnership focused on improving outcomes for rural students and communities in Colorado. The report highlights lessons from rural education work, regional collaboration, and efforts to strengthen opportunity through local capacity, shared strategy, and sustained support.

The Rural Collaborative Toolkit is a step-by-step guide for planning, designing, implementing, and sustaining rural school collaboratives. The toolkit helps rural leaders build shared vision, governance, partnerships, funding, implementation plans, and long-term systems of support for cross-district collaboration.

Support for Rural Colorado Schools examines how philanthropy and districts came together to serve students during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The resource highlights the needs of rural Colorado schools, promising practices from early responses, and opportunities for funders to support rural communities.

The Third Way is a guide to implementing Innovation Schools and creating autonomous, accountable district schools. The resource explains how districts can give schools real flexibility over staffing, budget, curriculum, and operations while maintaining public accountability and creating conditions for innovation.

Autonomous District Schools examines how U.S. school districts can create autonomous district schools that provide flexibility, accountability, and innovation at scale. The report explores how autonomous district school models differ from traditional district and charter schools and what districts should consider when designing them.

Denver’s Luminary Learning Network examines how a group of Denver public school leaders pursued greater autonomy over decision-making, finances, and operations for Innovation Schools. The case study highlights governance, district partnership, and the conditions that supported a new approach to school-level flexibility.

From Innovation Schools to an Innovation Zone in Denver, Colorado explores the design features of Innovation Zones and the early development of Denver’s model. The resource highlights how school-level autonomy, governance, and partnership structures can help protect innovation inside public school systems.