Building innovative school models for students who are currently off track to graduate.
New England’s schools have done a good job for many students. “Engage New England: Doing high school differently” is one of Barr Foundation’s many efforts to make sure we do a great job for all.
Engage New England: Doing high school differently is a $30-million investment over five years to help New England innovators develop a diverse array of high school models that champion success for all students. Participants receive robust technical assistance from design and planning through implementation. They are also partners in a learning collaborative, sharing lessons with each other and like-minded innovators across the nation.
Each school will take its own form. Yet, all will be as rigorous as they are flexible in developing content knowledge, successful habits, creative know-how, and navigation abilities—the integrated knowledge and skills all young people need to succeed in learning, work, and life.
Our Partners
Through this initiative, Barr is investing in three cohorts of grantees to go through planning and, potentially, implementation of new school models that connect all students to success.
Planning
- Boston Educational Development Foundation, Inc., Boston, MA, for the redesign of Boston Adult Technical Academy
- Brockton Public Schools, Brockton, MA, for the design of Promise High School
- Holyoke Public Schools, Holyoke, MA, for the design of Opportunity Academy
- Sheila C. Skip Nowell Leadership Academy, Providence, RI, for the redesign of Sheila C. Skip Nowell Leadership Academy
Continued Planning and Piloting
- Boston Day and Evening Academy, Boston, for the design of a new pathway model.
- Fall River Public Schools, Fall River, MA, for the redesign of the school model for Resiliency Preparatory Academy.
- Phoenix Charter Academy Foundation, Lawrence, MA, for the redesign of the school model for Phoenix Charter Academy Lawrence, a regional school.
- Roger Williams University, Providence, RI, for the design of a new school model, University High School, which targets students from the region.
- Somerville Public Schools, Somerville, MA, for the redesign of the school model for Next Wave/Full Circle.
Implementation
- Capital Region Education Council, Hartford, CT, for the launch of Impact Academy.
- Chelsea Public Schools, Chelsea, MA, for the launch of Chelsea Opportunity Academy.
- Maine School Administrative District #60, North Berwick, ME, for the launch of a redesigned and expanded Multiple Pathways Program at Noble High School.
- Map Education, Inc., Plymouth, MA, for the launch of Map Academy, a new regional charter school.
- Phoenix Charter Academy Foundation, Inc., Chelsea, MA, for the launch of a redesigned Phoenix Charter Academy Chelsea, a regional charter school.
Technical Assistance
Barr has partnered with Springpoint to support grantees, both in the planning year and during the implementation phase. Springpoint is a national organization that supports innovative school model design and implementation. Grantees receive a combination of customized supports and network-wide learning experiences. Individual coaching focuses on capacity building, design process guidance, and design artifact review. Springpoint also facilitates a learning community for grantees, allowing them to share questions, work products, and emerging learnings. Grantees also have the opportunities to attend learning tours to schools in order to observe and learn from innovative practices and participate in network convenings.
Engage New England Partners
Putting Students at the Center of School Design
We know that students should be at the center of school design. And students are at the center of this initiative. We produced the short video below to ground and inspire those engaged in this work with real life experience of students who are now connecting to success.
Timeline
Please note the following timeline for the initiative:
- Cohort 1 RFP: November, 2016
- Cohort 1 planning grants: June, 2017 (duration: 1 year)
- Initiative evaluation (phase I): September, 2017 (duration: 3 years)
- Cohort 2 RFP: October, 2017
- Cohort 1 implementation grants: June, 2018 (duration: up to 3 years)
- Cohort 2 planning grants: June, 2018 (duration: 1 year with option for extended time if needed)
- Cohort 1 new and redesigned schools open: September, 2018
- Cohort 3 RFP: November, 2018
- Cohort 2 implementation grants: June, 2019 (duration: up to 3 years)
- Cohort 3 planning grants: June, 2019 (duration: 1 year with option for extended time if needed)
- Cohort 2 new and redesigned schools open: September, 2019
- Cohort 3 implementation grants: June, 2020 (duration: up to 3 years)
- Cohort 3 new and redesigned schools open: September, 2020
Digital Resources
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Initiative Overview
Watch a 3-minute video about the initiative.
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Springpoint Library
Explore curated resources on school design.
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Engage New England Initiative Evaluation
Discover key learnings from the Cohort 1 planning process.
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Informational Webinar PowerPoint
Download slides from the Engage New England RFP Webinar.
Email Sign-Up
Sign up for email notifications about this initiative, including announcements about future funding opportunities.
Blog Posts About The Initiative
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Blog Post
Barr Announces RFP for Cohort Three of the Engage New England Initiative
Seeking proposals for $150,000, one-year planning grants from teams ready to do high school differently.
Read the blog post
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Blog Post
Barr Announces $4.5 million in New Grants for “Doing High School Differently”
10 organizations from across New England gain support to plan and implement new school models to advance greater success for all students.
Read the blog post
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Blog Post
Barr Announces RFP for Cohort Two of the Engage New England Initiative
Foundation issues request for proposals for a second cohort of teams to design schools focused on connecting students off track to graduate to success in high school and beyond.
Read the blog post