In 2024, the Iowa City Community School District officially launched its Center for Innovation, housed in the renovated Tyler Building. The goal is to unite innovative programs for learners of all ages in a single, dedicated space purposefully designed to better prepare them for the future. From elementary art days to high school career exploration, the Center is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the Midwest, anchored directly within a public school district and built to grow alongside the needs of our students and community.
This forward-thinking approach reflects the regional commitment to future-ready learning that Greater Iowa City champions through public private partnerships, educational innovation, and a culture of lifelong learning.
Programs Offered at the Center for Innovation
Elementary School:
- 2nd Grade: Art and Literacy Day
Students participate in Author Day, where visiting authors read aloud and answer questions, encouraging early engagement with storytelling and reading.
- 4th Grade: Mural Art Show
A district-wide experience where students explore diverse community art installations, fostering creativity and cultural appreciation.
- 4th Grade: Flood Heroes
A pilot program in six schools, developed in partnership with Johnson County Emergency Management. Students explore what a local flood might look like, what to consider in response, and how environmental changes impact communities.
Middle School:
- 6th Grade: Junior Achievement (JA) BizTown
In this hands-on financial literacy program from Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa, students take on the roles of business owners, consumers, and government officials in a simulated town, learning workforce and leadership skills along the way.
- 8th Grade: Pathways to Purpose
Before choosing their high school courses, students rotate through 12 career-themed stations such as information technology, architecture, manufacturing, and business. These are led by high school student mentors who share their personal academic experiences.
High School:
- Advanced Placement Testing Site
The Center now serves as the centralized location for all AP testing, providing a consistent and supportive environment with fewer distractions for students across the district.
- DesignDash, in partnership with the University of Iowa and Jacobson Institute
Students work in teams to solve real-world workforce and education challenges, guided by local entrepreneurs and industry mentors all in a one-day event.
- STEM Day
Select students from the district’s four high schools collaborate on STEM challenges, develop innovative solutions, and compete in national competitions.
- Dream Accelerator, in partnership with Junior Achievement
Iowa City will soon become the second location in the nation to host the Dream Accelerator, an immersive experience currently only offered in Colorado. This high-tech, interactive museum-style program will begin with 9th grade students and expand to additional age groups in the future. Students rotate through five dynamic stations that help identify their personal strengths, explore ways to apply them, and ultimately generate a personalized “portrait of a graduate” that visualizes a possible path to future success.
Looking Ahead: Expanding Access for All Ages
The Center for Innovation is not limited to school-aged students. Future programming includes essential adult education courses, such as high school equivalency completion and English language development. These programs, currently only available at the highly waitlisted Kirkwood Regional Center, will become more accessible through the Center. By offering these courses locally, the district is creating more opportunities for adults to gain credentials and improve their career readiness across the Greater Iowa City area.
A New Kind of Learning Hub
The Center for Innovation is a community-driven investment in the future of education and workforce development. From second graders listening to local authors to high schoolers pitching solutions to real-world problems, this space helps students build confidence, purpose, and lifelong skills.
With programs like the Dream Accelerator and others on the horizon, the Center is aligning more experiences around what it means to become a future-ready graduate. These programs will focus not just on academic success, but on personal strengths, real-world skills, and purpose-driven growth that defines a well-rounded individual. The vision is to give every student, no matter their age, the tools to shape their own story.
Learn more about how this $2 million transformation took shape in The Daily Iowan’s coverage.
Explore how local partners like Junior Achievement are scaling career readiness in Corridor Business Journal.
The Center is poised to become a true learning hub for everyone in our community, and this is only the beginning.
