The city of Syracuse has a unique opportunity to dramatically change the academic outcomes for its students by pursuing bold strategies through the iZone. This cluster of schools establishes conditions to ensure that each student has the ability to become high-performing and is supported in his or her emotional and social development. Additionally, iZone personnel will train, support, and develop a cohort of transformational teachers and school leaders who will do whatever it takes to empower students by giving them an excellent education. The sole purpose of the iZone is to create a system of exceptional schools where students achieve at high levels in a building with highly effective teachers and school leaders. When successful, iZone strategies will be expanded throughout the district to give all 21,000 children in Syracuse access to high-quality education.
The iZone is:
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A moment to rise to the expectations of our students
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An opportunity to change the life trajectories of SCSD students;
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An effort to keep the promise of providing students with an excellent education;
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A commitment to close the opportunity gap;
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A chance to create a cohort of transformational teachers and school leaders;
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An opportunity to transform the city of Syracuse and establish a precedence of dignity through world-class education; and
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The Chance of 21,000 Lifetimes
The iZone calls for new and radical solutions to systemic and persistent school challenges that require the school and broader community to rethink current operating conditions and pursue bold strategies in order to improve student outcomes.
Timing: The school day has increased by an hour and a half for teachers and selected support staff, with one hour allocated for additional instruction with students and one half-hour for planning, collaboration, and professional learning community activities. Due to the extended day of iZone schools, Say Yes after school programming is not available in iZone schools.
Teachers and total school staff:
To learn more about the extended learning day, please visit the "Extended Learning Day"page.
Professional Development: iZone staff receive ongoing, high quality, job-embedded professional development throughout the school year. In addition to the district-wide professional development, iZone staff received 10 days of iZone professional development during the summer of 2013. The iZone professional development dates for summer 2013 were as follows: June 25 - 27, August 19 - 22, and August 26 - 28.
School Governance: We believe teachers need to be involved in the decision making process of their schools. Teachers at every iZone school have elected five colleagues to serve on a Turnaround School Team (TST) that receives specialized training from the American Federation of Teachers to support a governance model of shared leadership for their school.
Instruction: Each elementary school in the iZone will receive Common Core State Standards-aligned curriculum and the Reading Street Literacy and the Envision Math Program; middle schools will receive Common Core State Standards-aligned curriculum and participate in Project Lead The Way (PLTW) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) academic and career enrichment programming.
Instructional Support: Each iZone school will be supported by two instructional coaches. In addition to those two coaches, each middle school will also be supported by a STEM science coach and a math turnaround coach.
Partnerships: iZone schools receive instructional and structural planning and support from the Achievement Network (ANET) and the Association for Middle Level Education.
District Support: A new office has been created to directly support the iZone schools. The Office of School Transformation and Innovation (OSTI) is staffed with an Executive Director of Turnaround, Director of Operations, and Communications and Community Outreach Coordinator, along with a cross-functional team of district office specialists who prioritize iZone school supports.
Expanded Leadership: We truly believe it takes a community to make real, sustainable change in schools. The iZone will be overseen by the Innovation Zone Advisory Council consisting of the following: Superintendent and two chief-level officers of SCSD, four representatives of STA, one representative from SAAS, two parents or family members of current iZone students, and three community representatives.
Streamlined Processes: Each iZone school utilizes an Internal Appeals Process (IAP) for issues not related to salary and benefits, so that any concerns regarding working conditions can be resolved quickly and directly with colleagues at the school site.
Staffing: iZone schools staff highly qualified teachers who hold the deep-seated belief that all students can achieve at high levels and attend college.
ABOUT THE iZONE
The Syracuse City School District (SCSD) and Syracuse Teachers Association (STA), with the support of the American Federation of Teachers, are sponsoring the establishment of the SCSD Innovation Zone (iZone). Seven Priority schools have been identified by district officials and placed in the iZone for the 2013-2014 school year. These schools are at the center of the district’s reform efforts and are piloting new, research-based intervention strategies. If these strategies are successful, they will be expanded to all schools district-wide.
Why an iZone?
How we will do it
