Ten Years of Empowerment : simplebooklet.com

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Alyssa MortonCEO and PartnerAs we look back at all that we have accomplished together since Empower was founded, I’m proud of allthat the network of Empower Schools supporters, partners, and community advocates has accomplishedtogether— and I’m more optimistic than ever about what we can do in the future.We now have more clarity than ever before about the ways we work to empower and how we aim to enactchange. Even as we learn and evolve, though, we are still an organization deeply rooted in ourcommitment to serving underestimated students across the country, in our focus on achieving the resultsthat our students need to set them up for success in life, and in our dedication to finding customizedsolutions for each community we partner with. We will build on this foundation confidently because ofwhat we have seen happen in the last ten years. For example, we helped catalyze the formation of the Rural Schools Innovation Zone (RSIZ), a partnershipof several small districts in South Texas. Six years in, the Zone has exceeded the state average in many keyoutcome measures, more than 60% of students graduating from the Rural Schools Innovation Zone earncollege credit while in high school, and more than half graduate with industry certifications. Committed tosharing best practices so peers can replicate these results, the RSIZ has hosted over 1,000 visitorsnationwide to learn from its innovative model. The state of Texas took notice, too, passing a bill toincentivize additional similar partnerships across the state.We have forged new pathways through our early college work, also, achieving highly promising earlyresults. Four years after we incubated the Massachusetts Alliance for Early College (MA4EC), 41% of thestudents in these programs entered and remained in college, compared to 24% of their matched peers.Across our innovation schools, we've seen significant improvement and exciting growth, particularly inSpringfield, MA, Fort Worth, TX, South Bend, IN, and Denver, CO. These results show our progress,inspired by outstanding educators nationwide forming strong coalitions and driving system leadership.These education champions catalyze new models at scale. We're thrilled to partner with leaders likePriscila Dilley at the Leadership Academy Network and Aaron Black, Superintendent of Randolph EasternSchool Corporation, and pioneer of Indiana's first Rural Collaborative - RAZ-32. Across our network,leaders are creating new approaches to career-connected high schools, serving newcomers, earlychildhood education, early college, and youth apprenticeships.Thank you for joining me in this look back at the last 10 Years of Empowerment that will both celebratethese accomplishments and envision what’s next. I am deeply grateful to the Empower Schools team,partners, and allies for making this work possible. Together, we’re designing public education systems thatadvance opportunities for traditionally underserved children so they can achieve economic and socialmobility. This work is essential and with your continued support, we will accomplish even more in our next10 years of empowerment.Ever Forward,

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Ways we EmPower04Empower Schools was founded in 2013 on the belief that partnering with communities toempower educators would lead to greater student success at school and in life. We supportcommunity partners in designing, launching, and sustaining innovative schools and schoolsystems that help students achieve long-term economic mobility. Empower works at thesystems level to propose, develop, and transform state legislation and public policy, buildcommunity support, nurture systems-level leaders, and provide equitable K-12 and post-secondary opportunities for all students.Innovation Schools: Creating local and state conditionsfor the development and sustainability of empoweredschool models.Early College and Career Pathways: Blending highschool, college, and career, to prepare students to owntheir future.Rural Innovation: Partnering with rural communities toexpand postsecondary opportunities and accelerateeconomic development.We partner with communities to support Empowered Partnerships and Policy andThought Leadership in three interconnected ways: We work with state agencies, policymakers, public school districts, and institutions of highereducation, and in partnership with communities across the United States to serve over 1.5million students. Empower improves outcomes for urban and rural communities bydeveloping sustainable systemic solutions at the school, district, and state levels. 80% ofstudents we serve identify as Black/African American, Hispanic, or experiencing poverty.Through Empowered Partnerships and Policy and Thought Leadership, we improve outcomesfor communities by developing sustainable systemic solutions at the school, district, andstate levels.

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Collaborating for Empowered Partnerships allows us toadvance Policy and Thought Leadership that reflects thecommunity. Advocacy and network development meansembedding policy expertise into partnerships. Educate Systems Leaders on LeveragingEducation PoliciesWe embed accountability and continuousimprovement into schools and schoolsystems that can self-sustain and inspireothers, catalyzing community movements.While on the ground, we research howpolicies are working or not working to learnwhat changes would make school innovationmore accessible and effective.Collaborate TowardsEmpoweredPartnerships AdvanceSystems-Change PoliciesOur deep work in communities forms thefoundation for our policy ideas.Working with community champions, stateagencies, and state legislators, wepropose, expand, and change local andstate-level education policies to createbetter school systems. We host learning convenings, fellowships,school visits, and policy workshops to helpleaders engage with policies that are relevantto their learning communities. Our network of community champions is acoalition of change-makers united by themission to expand access to opportunities forour nation’s traditionally underservedstudents. 05How Policy Change HappensOur Approach“Very few rural high schools can run more than 1 or 2 CTE pathways effectively.That's great for the subset of kids who are interested in the pathway their schooloffers, but what about those students who aren't? Through [R-PEP], you createthe opportunities that a suburban or urban district has for rural students.”-MIKE MORATHCOMMISSIONER, TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCYThe 88th Texas Legislature's regular session ended with the passage of HouseBill 2209, which builds on the success of Empower Schools’ partnership withthe Rural Schools Innovation Zone (RSIZ) in South Texas. RURAL PATHWAY EXCELLENCE PARTNERSHIPSThis powerful cycle allows us to create enabling conditionsfor better school systems that center the needs of studentsand educators.The bipartisan bill established incentives for multi-district Rural PathwayExcellence Partnerships (R-PEP), providing benefits to districts with fewer than1600 students that collaborate to offer shared college and career pathwaysaligned to high-wage, high-demand fields. These collaboratives requirepartnerships with higher education and industry partners to expandpostsecondary pathways and accelerate rural economic development. Throughthe bill’s R-PEP outcomes bonus, participating districts are rewarded withbonus funding as students attain postsecondary credentials of value up to fiveyears after high school graduation.

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Innovation SchoolsCollege and Career PathwaysRuralInnovation10 years of empowermentLaunch08Since 2013, we’ve been honored to design, incubate, launch, and implement programs, models,and policy wins that serve as proof that community empowerment works. Join us in celebratinga decade of milestones and achievements that exemplify our theory of change in action.20132014In 2013, Empower Schools worked in Lawrence,MA, to support the Receiver and Commissioner ofElementary and Secondary Education by designingand launching a turnaround plan for Lawrence’spublic schools, prioritizing school-level decision-making. One year into turnaround, Lawrencerecorded their highest Math growth in districthistory and reversed a multi-year ELA decline.In 2014, we supported the launch of TheSpringfield Empowerment Zone Partnership(SEZP) in Springfield, MA. SEZP's 16 schoolshave pioneered innovative models(including wall-to-wall early college and ahighly supportive school for newcomers tothe country) while improving academicresults and lifting SEZP's graduation ratefrom 44% to 86%.Memories and milestonescommemorating progress towards:

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Empowering MassachusettsIn 2015, we worked in Denver, CO to support thedesign and launch the first Innovation Zone ofits kind in Colorado. The Luminary LearningNetwork (LLN) brought together a group ofschools committed to empowering teachers,leaders and community members as partners tobest meet student needs and support thesuccess of DPS as a collective. The LLN hasshown the most academic growth of any groupof schools in DPS.092015 2016 2017In 2017, TX passed SB 1882, creating theconditions for Innovation Schools in the state.We were selected to launch Fort Worth ISD’sLeadership Academy Network (LAN) inpartnership with Texas Wesleyan University.Within the first three years of the partnership,all five initial campuses earned A and B ratingsin the state accountability system. In 2016, to support our growth, we received our first grantfrom the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and joined theDraper Richards Kaplan portfolio. We finalized our coreoperational structure. During this time, we grewsignificantly in size and scope, expanding our nationalfootprint. Today, we are a fully distributed remote teamwith over 30 team members in 9 states."Empower Schools supported the launch of the MassachusettsAlliance for Early College and built our capacity to become astandalone, sustainable force for increasing equitable access tohigh-quality Early College across the state. Empower supportedus to create a statewide coalition, align around a common visionand purpose, identify and recruit our founding team andleadership, and launch our formal organization. Every stateshould have an alliance like ours, and Empower's know-how anddedication to the mission can help incubate them successfully." -ERIKA GIAMPIETROFOUNDING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MA4EC

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102018 2019 2020In 2019, we worked with Premont ISD, Freer ISD, Brooks CountyISD, local industry and higher education partners to design andlaunch the Rural Schools Innovation Zone (RSIZ). The RSIZ is the firstRural Collaborative of its kind in Texas. Designed to help ruralstudents address regional workforce needs, the RSIZ has resulted inten times as many students earning industry certifications and fourtimes as many students completing a dual credit course.In 2018, Transformation Waco wasapproved. Empower supported thedesign, launch, and implementationof the Innovation Zone, wherecommunity schools operated asneighborhood hubs that broughttogether academics, youthdevelopment, and family engagementwith an infusion of wraparoundhealth and social services.In 2020, Empower helped launch thefirst, the Southwest ColoradoEducation Collaborative, by securingthe largest award through theGovernor’s RISE Education Fund.These rural regions are connectingstudents to apprenticeships andcreating pathways that equipstudents with skills, credentials, anddegrees for postsecondary success.Empower has supported the designand implementation of three RuralCollaboratives in Colorado.“The Empowerment Zone has continued to strengthen a range of supportfor students, families, and staff, while also deepening our relationships inthe community. We're proud of our successes over the past two years, toname just a few: the highest ILEARN growth in St. Joseph County (and higherthan Indiana's average growth) in SY 2022-23, innovative learningopportunities for our students, more than $800,000 in financial and in-kinddonations, and new professional and leadership development opportunitiesfor staff and administrators."Empowering Indiana-DR. DAVION R. LEWISZONE CHIEF, SOUTH BEND EMPOWERMENT ZONE

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Empowering Rural Leaders112021 2022 2023What’s next for Empower schools?There’s still a lot to do to create the schools communities want and kids deserve. Let’sstay connected as we learn how we can build on the last 10 years of progress, together. For over a decade, we have built a coalition of public school districts, institutions of highereducation, and industry leaders. We are united in our commitment to empower teachers, schoolleaders, and local champions by building school models that align with the needs of the diversepopulations they serve. Our experience has profoundly shaped our perspective, driving ustoward solutions that strive for educational excellence while honoring local identities.In the 2022-2023 school year, Empower partnered with Steady State Impact Strategies to launchLeadRural, a fellowship designed to identify and support rural leaders to bring new ideas totheir communities. The inaugural cohort attracted more than $1.5 million to their regions.“The people of Canadian demand excellence, and that’s what we’re delivering. I’m proud tobe a LeadRural Fellow.”-LAWANA PULLIAMASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT, REGION 16In 2021, in partnership with San Joaquin A+, we supportedindustry driven career-connected learning opportunities forstudents throughout San Joaquin County, CA. San Joaquin A+is a group of educators, business leaders, active citizens, andphilanthropists working to link education to the economyand connect high schoolers to opportunities in the region’smost important industries.In 2022, the Louisiana Department of Education selectedEmpower to partner on its Reimagine School Systemsgrants. We have used our experience with similarprograms to advise the state and grantees on how to use$40 million of federal ESSER funding to drive innovativechange across the state.In the 2023-2024 school year, we helped the RuralAlliance Zone 32 (RAZ-32) secure $1.1 million infunding from Reid Health and the Randolph CountyCommissioner. These grants support RAZ 32'shealthcare pathways, representing a historicinvestment from public and industry leadership inyouth and workforce development.

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Empowerment For ChangeDear Friends and SupportersShortly before launching this nonprofit organization, we realized that we could not do this work alone. Afterjoining forces and exploring promising solutions with our colleagues working directly in schools and policy,we came to believe that our existing efforts were insufficient. We remained steadfast in our desire to workinside the current system— where the vast majority of students are served— but were beginning tounderstand that the challenges were fundamentally systemic. Though we did not have a solution, wecommitted to working together to explore systemic approaches. As we asked more questions and began totake on partnerships, we met state and local leaders in Massachusetts, Colorado, and Texas who were just ascommitted to finding new solutions. While we started to recognize some patterns, we were also remindedthat the local context matters and that there is no single solution. Our initial partners saw a role for anindependent nonprofit to help them catalyze new approaches and encouraged us to start Empower Schools. Brett AlessiCo-Founder and PartnerChris GabrieliCo-Founder and Senior Advisor12We are proud of our authentic community partnerships across nine states. Our work has grown and expanded toinclude district school improvement, early college and career pathways development, and rural innovation. Thereis no single metric to apply across all of them, but in each case, we find local leaders who are relentlessly focusedon more substantial outcomes for students. In some cases, target outcomes have been reached, and evenexceeded expectations, representing some of the brightest points in the country. Other cases are still a work inprogress. Across all of our work, we are proud that we have helped empower thousands of educators and scoresof civic leaders and district and state partners to continually push for meaningful and sustainable progress thatcan endure over decades.Today, as Empower surpasses what we initially imagined, we couldn’t be more excited about its future. We havefour committed partners leading the work with our second CEO and more than 30 talented staff across the UnitedStates. We also understand that empowerment is not control. While we are confident in our team and proud thatwe have been able to show that we are adept at fostering and catalyzing sustainable systemic solutions, we expectour impact to be defined not by our enabling work but by our incredible partners and their ability to bring abouteducational change for their students and in their communities. Indeed, the lesson that brought us together tobuild Empower still holds: to solve the systemic issues facing public schools, we must work together.In partnership,

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14YOU EMPOWER USOur work would not be possible without the support of our donors. Thank you forexpanding opportunities for all children. Additional thanks to the generous individual and family donors who gave to share theirbelief in our mission. Barr FoundationBill and Melinda Gates FoundationBlue Schools PartnersBoston FoundationThe Boeing CompanyButler’s Hole FoundationCarson FoundationCharleston Coalition for KidsCoastal Community FoundationDavis FoundationDraper Richards Kaplan FoundationEastern BankFox Family FoundationGates Family FoundationGive Forward FoundationGood Reason HoustonGreater Texas FoundationHarbus FoundationHouston EndowmentJonas Family FoundationLegacy FoundationMeadows FoundationMichael and Susan Dell FoundationNellie Mae FoundationPowell FoundationRainwater FoundationRootEDRose Community FoundationSan Joaquin Community FoundationSid Richardson FoundationThoma FoundationTooke Family FoundationWalton Family Foundation

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Empower schools valuesWe Are AmbitiousWe dream big. We operate with optimism about the potential to end educational inequityand act with both urgency and a long-term view.We Work with IntegrityWe are trustworthy and honest. This honesty means we realistically analyze quantitativeand qualitative data while actively seeking out information that challenges ourassumptions. We also always need to be candid about both the limitations and thepotential of our work.We Find a WayWe are determined to find solutions to every challenge we face. We expect to failsometimes, but we plan to succeed ultimately. We are committed to building upon bothsetbacks and successes to continuously learn, improve, and seek better and smarter waysto work together and achieve our goals.We Act in PartnershipWe can't do this work alone. To advance equity and excellence in education, we commit tocollaboration with a broad and diverse coalition of stakeholders who share core values.We form genuine partnerships that bring people with a range of different experiencestogether to blaze a path forward.We Empower OthersWe believe real change happens because of local community actors. To enable multi-generational change, we equip educators, schools, and communities with the tools andknowledge they need to realize their vision and be held accountable for their decisions. Weare not and should not be saviors; instead, we help develop the capacity of partners so thatwe are out of a job and local stakeholders are sustaining long-term progress.

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Ten Years of Empowerment

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