Across the country, a growing number of schools are designing innovative educational models to meet the needs of students and prepare them for future success. Since 2015, NewSchools Venture Fund (NewSchools) has been at the forefront of this school design effort. It has funded the creation of 122 innovative PK-12 schools across 31 states, serving more than 76,000 students at full capacity. 

In Building Better Schools: Insights from Innovative Public Schools, Bellwether collaborated with NewSchools on a qualitative study. Over 10 months, from spring to fall 2023, Bellwether visited 29 schools within the NewSchools portfolio to determine areas of common practice and identify strategies that can be replicated and tailored by school leaders across the country. Four essential design strategies emerged that all school leaders can use to create learning environments that allow students to thrive in school: visionary leadership, nurturing relationships, effective implementation, and learning and continuous improvement. 

At their core, these innovative strategies require dedicated leaders and educators committed to ensuring equitable education for all students — a visionary leadership quality that is abundant in schools across the country.