News & Resources
How can we improve our schools? What will help our children learn? Read about innovations in education and what they mean for your school, your children and your community.
Parent Guide: What to Expect on the New State Tests
This year, students across California are officially taking the state’s new standardized tests for the first time. Learn how they’re different from the old tests and what to expect.
Parent Guide: What are LCFF and LCAP?
California is moving toward a new way of funding schools that’s much simpler and fairer. Learn what this means for your child and your school.
Parent Voices: Raising children in Silicon Valley
Most Silicon Valley parents say they’re very satisfied with their child’s preschool or school, but one in five wish they could send their children to a different school.
Local Voice: New standards and tests are worth the effort
“Real magic is happening in thousands of classrooms all over our state as a result of the new Common Core standards,” writes Gina Dalma, senior program officer at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, for Edsource. “These new standards, along with teachers prepared to implement them and the assessments to see whether students are benefiting from them, hold real promise for offering our kids an education that will prepare them for college, careers and life.”
San Jose charter is finalist in STEM contest – Vote by March 25!
Downtown College Prep Alum Rock High is one of 15 schools across the U.S. to reach the finals in Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow contest. Students designed a water conservation project.
Joanne Jacobs to write for Innovate’s new blog
Innovate Public Schools is excited to announce that veteran education journalist Joanne Jacobs will be contributing regularly to our recently launched blog.
One School Shares Their Experience Doing a Test Run for the New SBAC Assessment
Cornerstone Academy in San Jose recently gave the new SBAC a test run and they share their tips for other schools to get ready for the test.
Innovate Staff To Present “Common Sense School Design” at Upcoming Conference
Innovate staff will be sharing their expertise in how to design and run a high-quality public school in a series of three deep dive workshops at the California Charter Schools Association Conference, March 16-19 in Sacramento.
March 11: What is the Future of Redwood City?
Elected officials are making important decisions right now about Redwood City’s growth and schools. Parents with Innovate Public Schools are hosting a Community Action Forum in Redwood City with Mayor Jeffrey Gee, Santa Clara County Supervisor Warren Slocum and others.
New Videos Help Parents See if Their Children Are On Track
GreatSchools has launched a series of free, new videos to help you understand what your child is expected to learn from kindergarten through 5th grade and what that looks like!
Partnering to Support Rising Principals at Rocketship
This year, Innovate kicked off a yearlong leadership development series to support Rocketship principals to foster the mindset, leadership skills, and school design strategies needed to ensure that their schools serve students exceptionally well from day one of the upcoming school year.
Innovate Public Schools’ 2015 Year in Photos!
Innovate Public Schools aims to make the Bay Area a place where every child in every neighborhood has access to world-class public schools. This year, we worked hand in hand with parents, educators and community leaders to make that vision a reality. We have much to...
Schools that are beating the odds for low-income students in Silicon Valley
Innovate’s report, “Struggling Schools, Promising Solutions,” identified schools in this region that are beating the odds for low-income students – serving a majority of high-need students and achieving high levels of performance.
New Report Names Silicon Valley’s Lowest-Performing Schools and Calls for Urgent Action for Students
More than 15,000 students in Silicon Valley are currently attending schools that have been persistently low-performing for years, according to a new report from Innovate Public Schools. “Struggling Schools, Promising Solutions” calls on local communities, especially superintendents and school boards, to take swift action to find lasting solutions for the students attending the 28 schools singled out in the report.
Where it’s worked: School Turnaround Spotlights
What can we learn from communities across the country that have successfully turned around low-performing schools? What approaches are effective?
Turnaround Spotlight: Green Dot Charter Schools
As one of the few charter management organizations nationwide that have taken on the difficult work of turning around large, very low-performing schools, Green Dot has achieved great success with schools all over some of the most impoverished schools in South Los Angeles.
Turnaround Spotlight: Renaissance Schools in Philadelphia
The School District of Philadelphia launched the Renaissance Initiative in 2010 to identify and transform chronically low-performing district schools to dramatically improve student achievement. The district initiates this transformation by converting low-performing...
Turnaround Spotlight: UP Education Network
In 2011, UP Education Network (UP), previously Unlocking Potential, opened its first turnaround school in Boston, and the first of its kind in the state of Massachusetts. A nonprofit turnaround organization, UP believes that the practices of the highest performing...
Turnaround Spotlight: Academy for Urban School Leadership
The Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL) was founded in 2001 as a teacher training organization and, since 2006, has been managing turnaround schools in Chicago. The AUSL school management model keeps the same students, initiating new leadership, teachers, and...
Turnaround Spotlight: Philadelphia Mastery Charter Schools
Mastery Charter Schools (MCS) is a charter management organization operating 17 schools with over 10,000 students. Currently operating exclusively in Philadelphia, all but one of MCS’s schools are turnaround schools. MCS keeps the same buildings and students while...