Rural Schools Innovation Zone

Maximizing Opportunities

When the Progressive Policy Institute researched the RSIZ, they found a region maximizing students’ college and career pathways. Read their report organized by:

Presenting the (RSIZ) as a 21st-century model for expanding career pathways and preparation, including early credit and industry certification components;

Quantifying the challenges rural schools experience;

Understanding the RSIZ career pathways and early college “academies”;

Designing and implementing the RSIZ collaboration between independent school districts.

• Operating the RSIZ:

– Finance and funding streams;
– Human capital;
– Scheduling and transportation;
– Data sharing;

• Codifying the RSIZ collaborative and conclusion.

The Rural Schools Innovation Zone (RSIZ) is a first-of-its-kind partnership between five public school districts: Agua Dulce ISD, Benavides ISD, Brooks County ISD, Freer ISD, and Premont ISD, and six institutions of higher education: Texas A&M Kingsville, Coastal Bend College, Del Mar College, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Lamar Institute of Technology, and  A&M International.

The RSIZ is a nonprofit organization designed as a sustainable collaborative to provide rural students with high-quality opportunities for postsecondary success.