Innovation Zone Initiative

Capstone projects are months-long in-depth projects that enable students to demonstrate that they have developed the skills contained in their graduate profiles—while applying that learning in the community. Students engage in active, self-directed, and community-based learning experiences to produce a body of work that teachers periodically assess for evidence of competence.

Capstones result in public exhibitions of learning to school, family, and community. Capstone projects prioritize student passions and measure academic competency and transferable skills that tomorrow’s economy demands—including teamwork, effective communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking. Capstone projects can look different for every school and every student. Capstones can occur within CTE pathways and as stand-alone community capstone courses.

Work-based learning (WBL) provides students with opportunities to gain real-world work experience while still in school through internships, apprenticeships, or other forms of on-the-job training at local businesses that provide concurrent school credit.

Work-based learning connects young people to employers and mentors, giving students the experience of being treated as assets in their professional setting and in the larger community. They also ensure that students leave high school with both workplace experience and social capital, making them better equipped for college or career

Career and technical education (CTE) provides students with the technical and vocational skills they need to succeed in specific careers. CTE programs are most often inside the school classroom, but some include hands-on training, apprenticeships, and certification programs off campus. CTE students connect with local employers, have more access to important career connections and professional networks, and are proven to have higher engagement, higher attendance, and higher graduation rates at school.

Personalized Student Supports help youth apply knowledge & skills to manage emotions & achieve goals. Personalized supports advance educational equity through authentic school-family-community partnerships to establish learning environments that feature trusting and collaborative relationships and meaningful, culturally relevant curriculum. These supports are an essential first step in cultivating the school culture and community engagement needed to create a solid foundation for innovation.

Integrated College and Career Pathways transform every student’s whole high school experience. This happens when the element above are aligned with core academics and structured to meet a local community’s graduate profile. The IZ Initiative helps schools leverage the new high school graduation requirements that allow for CTE and WBL to fulfill core academic credits. Academic content becomes more relevant and understandable when CTE, WBL, capstones, and core academics are integrated through college and career pathways.