A unique partnership between the Springfield Public Schools, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Springfield Education Association teachers union, SEZP serves more than 5,000 students in 16 middle and high schools that it operates across the city. It was established in 2015 to accelerate equitable student outcomes at chronically underperforming schools in Springfield. Neither a charter school network, nor state takeover, nor in-district turnaround strategy, SEZP created its own innovative model that combines autonomy with support and accountability — and the results are empowering.