In education, we’re often told we have to choose. Academic excellence or student well-being. Innovation or proven practice. Serving some students well or serving all students well.
The schools we’re featuring in our new case study series prove those tradeoffs are false. They show that with strategic focus, authentic community partnership, and a commitment to continuous improvement, schools can deliver across multiple dimensions at once. They’re achieving strong academic results, supporting students to build essential mindsets and skills, and deepening trust with families.
At NewSchools, we believe these stories matter because they point the way forward for the field. For nearly 30 years, we’ve partnered with education leaders and entrepreneurs who are creating new possibilities for students. Our vantage point, working closely with schools from their earliest days, gives us a unique window into what it takes to turn vision into reality and sustain it over time.
Last year, we shared an analysis of our national portfolio that surfaced the conditions helping schools achieve exceptional results for students. That report, Building Better Schools: A Proven Blueprint for Success, showed what was possible when schools focused on both academics and belonging. This new case study series builds on that work, going deeper into the day-to-day practices and decisions driving success in individual schools.
Today, schools are navigating a complex mix of challenges: uneven post-pandemic recovery, budget pressures, shifting policies, and changing community needs. It’s easy to believe there’s no way to make progress on all fronts. Yet the schools in our portfolio show that by focusing deeply on what matters most and building strong systems around it, they can accelerate learning and expand opportunities for students beyond high school.
And while each school’s path is different, some patterns keep surfacing. Strategic focus. Deep, evolving partnerships with families and communities. A willingness to codify what works so it can be shared and improved over time. We’ll explore each of these themes through the stories in this series, then bring them together in a set of practical recommendations for the field.
We’re starting today with two stories:
Discovery Polytech Early College High School (Springfield, Massachusetts): A district public school that combines high school and college coursework, enabling students to earn free college credits while preparing them for STEAM-focused careers.
Valor Collegiate Academies (Nashville, Tennessee): A public charter school network that pairs a proven academic curriculum with a distinctive human development model, achieving top-tier academic results while building strong character and community.
Read the first two case studies, share them with colleagues, and reflect on how these strategies might be adopted in your work. Follow along as we release the rest over the next two months, and look for the final synthesis that will tie it all together.
Because when it comes to building better schools, we don’t have to choose between excellence, inclusion, and innovation. We can — and must — pursue them together.
