Resources

Blog: How District Redesign Demonstrates Dramatic Results for Students

Empower Schools prepared a case study last year about Lawrence Public Schools and their Open Architecture approach. One of the exciting things about the work ...

Blog: Turning to Turnaround: An Option for Schools Seeking Improvement

The Center for American Progress recently released a report naming five key principles present in ...

Blog: Empowerment Academies In Session This Week!

This Spring Break offers a different experience for 400 of Springfield’s students. Seventh graders in need of additional support have the time for intensive and focused math instruction with the launch of the Empowerment Academies. Over 40 ...

Blog: “Charter-Like Flexibilities” Offer Opportunity to All School Types

We previously discussed an Indiana law which allows for the creation of new “innovation schools.” These are autonomous public schools contracted ...

Blog: Autonomous School Designs Attract Attention Nationwide

A number of recent news articles have highlighted how education leaders across the country are exploring ways in which increasing school-level flexibilities may improve outcomes for students. Empower’s core belief is that powerful schools ...

Blog: Springfield Launches Empowerment Zone Board

The Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership (SEZP) board met for the first time on Tuesday, February 10, reflecting an innovative governance structure that will allow for greater flexibilities and supports for the eight participating middle ...

Blog: A Model in Action

Empower Schools views the Open Systems approach as a way to establish the conditions necessary for success at the individual school level. By controlling staffing, scheduling, curriculum, and budget, school leaders can make the decisions that ...

Blog: The Hard Work Begins

Critics, and even simply concerned citizens who want the best for their students but aren’t sure exactly how to address underperforming schools, raise legitimate questions about the best paths for success. Our approach is to collaborate with ...

Blog: Salem’s Bentley School Off to a Strong Start

As we wrote earlier, Empower worked with the Mayor and School Committee to chart a new path for the Bentley Elementary in Salem. For the past four years, the Bentley has ...

Blog: Proactive Partnerships

Educators are charged with the opportunity and the obligation to prepare young people for healthy and productive futures. They are expected to do this with skill, expertise, and finesse. In too many instances, schools lack adequately-equipped ...

Blog: The Promise and Precedent of Non-Traditional Partnerships

Many of the highest performing schools of all types are “powerful schools.” These schools often have autonomy and flexibility in staffing, schedule, curriculum, and spending. But it’s not really autonomy which makes these schools successful, ...

Blog: Rethinking the role of the state in improving schools and communities

In 2010, almost 20 years after the groundbreaking Massachusetts Education Reform Act, the state took bold action to re-commit to the work of school and district improvement.  The 2010 legislation fixed its sights on school and district ...
Blog: School and District Turnaround in Lawrence

Blog: School and District Turnaround in Lawrence

On the day that the most recent MCAS data is to be released by DESE and a day after Secretary Arne Duncan visited, this 

Blog: The future of school autonomy in Boston

Boston, of all urban school districts, is probably best known for its stability and its predilection for its incremental, don’t-rock-the-boat approach to school improvement. Boston was the first ‘modern’ governance conversion from an elected ...

Blog: School turnaround in Salem

Boston Globe North reports on Empower and Blueprint's school turnaround ...

Blog: Our Best Teachers Ever

On National Teacher Appreciation Day the Empower Schools crew took a few minutes to reflect on the best teachers we’ve ever had. From Shakespeare to French to biology, these teachers epitomize what empowered teaching looks ...
Blog: Innovation Schools in Indianapolis and Open Systems

Blog: Innovation Schools in Indianapolis and Open Systems

In late March, the Indiana legislature passed public law 1321 allowing the Board of Indianapolis Public Schools to contract with school management teams and leaders to turnaround failing schools or establish new schools in IPS. This kind of ...
Blog: Lawrence Case Study release

Blog: Lawrence Case Study release

One of the things we hope to do at Empower Schools is inform the field by capturing and sharing practices that can drive success across education systems, communities and states. The turnaround of Lawrence Public Schools in Massachusetts is a ...

Blog: Lawrence schools and union ratify new contract

After extensive discussions and more than three years without a contract, Lawrence Public Schools and members of the Lawrence Teachers’ Union ratified an agreement that reinforces features critical to the turnaround of the district while also ...

Welcome to our new website!

For those of you who visited our old site, we think you’ll agree that this is an improvement! We’re still in the early stages of our work, but are excited to share more about Empower Schools. We're hoping to use this blog as a place to share ...
Blog: Finding “Good Dance Partners” in Salem

Blog: Finding “Good Dance Partners” in Salem

Salem News recently published this op-ed by Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll on the efforts underway to turnaround the Bentley Elementary ...

Blog: Extraordinary Authority Districts

In February 2013, America Achieves convened leaders of 5 “Extraordinary Authority Districts (EADs) – turnaround districts in which states  gain  legal  authority  to  take  over  and  operate  chronically underperforming schools and/or  ...