Renton Innovation Zone Partnership

Mission

To lead a relationship-based, data informed collaborative network to advance racial equity and create healthy learning opportunities for all children throughout the Renton Innovation Zone.

Description

In 2011 Lakeridge Elementary was identified as one of the states lowest performing schools. Consequently, the district received a Federal School Improvement Grant and implemented numerous changes to help turnaround the school. In 2015, Renton School District (RSD) created the vision for West Hill NOW! and sought in 2016 to implement similar school improvements at Campbell Hill and Bryn Mawr Elementary school. The district expanded these efforts in 2017 to include Highlands Elementary School and titled the multi-year initiative the Renton Innovation Zone. In partnership with the Community Center for Education Results (CCER), King County, multiple other organizations, community stakeholders and families, the Renton Innovation Zone Partnership (RIZP) was established in 2017 and the RIZP Improvement Plan was created in 2018.

The Renton Innovation Zone Partnership (RIZP) connects communities and schools to improve the well-being of children and their academic performance in the service areas of four elementary schools in the Renton School District: Bryn Mawr, Campbell Hill, Highlands and Lakeridge. We serve students, parents and families who reside in the Renton Innovation Zone (RIZ).

The 5,023 children ages 0-9 in the four target elementary schools come from diverse racial and cultural backgrounds. Of the RIZP elementary school students, 41% live in households where English is not the primary language. Although Spanish is most prevalent in total, the four schools each have different demographics. These children are also living in families who face daily economic challenges. Over 7% of adults over age 25 have less than a ninth-grade education, which is more than double the rate in Renton as a whole (3.1%) and King County (3.6%). The percentage of families living below 100% of the federal poverty level ($30,750 in 2017 for a family of four) in these neighborhoods is 17%, which is greater than Renton School District's overall rate of 12% and nearly twice as much as King County as a whole (9%).

We do our work to:
-Partner with the Skyway/West Hill and Sunset/Highlands communities to gain resources for basic amenities needed to support families and children
-Support tutoring, academic and enrichment opportunities
-Improve quality early learning opportunities for children prior to them beginning kindergarten
-Provide resources to students who are experiencing homelessness and housing instability to better be able to learn and thrive

Our goals include:
-78% of children will be academically, physically, socially and emotionally ready for kindergarten
-74% of 3rd graders will meet English Language Arts proficiency target
-74% of 4th graders will meet Mathematics proficiency target

For more information, visit www.rizpartnership.org