{"id":29679,"date":"2026-08-04T16:01:35","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T20:01:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/?p=29679"},"modified":"2026-08-04T16:13:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T20:13:09","slug":"collaborative-partnership-announces-west-virginias-first-marshall-university-anchored-empowerment-demonstration-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/2026\/08\/collaborative-partnership-announces-west-virginias-first-marshall-university-anchored-empowerment-demonstration-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Collaborative partnership announces West Virginia’s first Marshall University-Anchored Empowerment Demonstration School"},"content":{"rendered":"
Marshall University, Wayne County Schools and the Empowerment Collaborative today announced an innovative partnership to establish West Virginia’s first Marshall University-Anchored Empowerment Demonstration School, creating a model for transforming middle school education through authentic learning, student leadership, career development and community partnerships.<\/p>\n

The initiative will launch with the sixth grade and expand one grade level each year, creating a comprehensive Empowerment School designed to prepare students not only for academic success but also for college, careers and life.<\/p>\n

Unlike traditional school reform efforts that focus on isolated programs or curriculum changes, the Empowerment School model transforms the entire school environment. Students will participate in simulated workplace experiences, engage in authentic project-based learning connected to academic standards, and develop leadership, communication, collaboration and problem-solving skills while exploring meaningful, potential career pathways.<\/p>\n

\u201cEducation has reached a moment where preparing students for tomorrow requires us to rethink how they experience school today,\u201d said Dr. Kathy D’Antoni, Empowerment Collaborative project director and Marshall University Board of Governors member. \u201cThis partnership brings together one of West Virginia\u2019s leading universities, an innovative public school system and the Empowerment Collaborative to create a model that can influence education throughout our state and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marshall University will serve as the research, innovation and higher education partner for the initiative, providing expertise in educator preparation, educational research, continuous improvement and statewide dissemination of best practices. Wayne County Schools will continue to provide operational leadership while serving as a demonstration site along with the additional Empowerment Schools located at Midland Trail High School, Valley PK-8 Middle School, Meadow Bridge Regional School, Oak Hill Middle School and Fayette PK-8 school in Fayette County.<\/p>\n

\u201cPreparing future ready students is at the heart of our work in Wayne County Schools, said Wayne County Superintendent Todd Alexander. “Through this partnership with Marshall University and the Empowerment Collaborative, we are creating authentic learning experiences that connect academics, leadership, and career exploration. By aligning our Empowerment work with Marshall\u2019s Six Pillars of Excellence, we aim to create greater educational, economic and workforce opportunities for the students and families of Wayne County.\u201d<\/div>\n

The Empowerment model has already demonstrated encouraging results in participating schools, including stronger student engagement, improved attendance, reductions in discipline referrals and increased academic achievement. Through this partnership, Marshall University will help study, refine and expand these practices while preparing future educators to implement innovative teaching strategies.<\/p>\n

The long-term vision extends beyond a single county. Together, the partners will work to establish a statewide network of Empowerment Schools, creating opportunities for districts across West Virginia to learn from proven practices while strengthening the state’s educational and workforce development efforts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis initiative reflects Marshall University’s longstanding commitment to serving the people of West Virginia through innovation, collaboration and educational excellence,\u201d said Marshall University President Brad D. Smith. \u201cBy bringing together higher education, K-12 education and community partners, we are creating opportunities that will benefit students for generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Marshall University, Wayne County Schools and the Empowerment Collaborative today announced an innovative partnership to establish West Virginia’s first Marshall University-Anchored Empowerment Demonstration School, creating a model for transforming middle school education through authentic learning, student leadership, career development and community partnerships. The initiative will launch with the sixth grade and expand one grade level […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":239,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-releases"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/239"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29679"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29679\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29693,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29679\/revisions\/29693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}