Get Inspired

See the Renewal District Work in Action

In 2018, the Rowan-Salisbury Schools (RSS) team called state legislators with a bold request to transform our district. We asked for charter-like flexibility to empower our schools and leaders with more autonomy. Legislators were inspired by our vision for innovation and passed legislation to make this vision a reality. North Carolina’s Renewal district was born.

Through our case studies, we want to shine a light on all the hard work that’s been done in RSS schools to bring Renewal to life. We’re sharing what we’ve learned since we first started on our Renewal journey—and how education leaders like you can use these lessons in your own districts.

These case studies give you behind-the-scenes insight into what Renewal really looks like for students, educators and families in schools across our district. Our case studies:

Explain the research, collaboration and feedback-gathering process that empowered our teacher-led design teams to identify the biggest challenges kids and educators in each individual school faced;
Outline those specific challenges, from school discipline to kids falling behind—along with how we created solutions to address them;
Dive deep into what our solutions look like, from project-based learning to competency-based education, to incorporating a “house” system into elementary schools;
Include specific examples to help you envision the work;
Share tips and advice from educators and leaders just like you about tackling innovation head on.

Exciting, challenging and rewarding, we hope that the valuable lessons and information we’re sharing through our case studies inspire you to consider new possibilities for your districts and schools.

Click Here to Access our Case Studies

Children are more than their test scores.

At Rowan-Salisbury Schools, we have a guiding belief: children are more than their test scores. We know not every student learns in the same way—and that when educators have the flexibility to try new, innovative teaching approaches, we can truly help students learn and succeed.

“Renewal gave us the flexibility to give kids what they really needed: the necessary life skills to be successful after high school. And it works. We were able to reengage students who weren’t invested in school before… That’s what this work is all about—serving kids with different strengths, and different learning techniques and helping each of them grow.”

Brian Whitson, Renewal team member and North Carolina Department of Public Instruction consultant

Get an Inside Look at Renewal