Texas High School Project

1
Texas High School Project

• Texas Public Education Foundation Conference
• John Fitzpatrick, Executive Director
• February 16, 2007

2
What is the Texas High School Project?

• The Texas High School Project (THSP) is a 261M
  public-private initiative with 3 funding streams
  administered cooperatively toward common goals
• 148M TEA118M in state and 30M in federal
  funding
• 57M Bill Melinda Gates Foundation and other
  private funding managed by THSP staff at
  Communities Foundation of Texas
• 55M Michael and Susan Dell Foundation
• 1M National Instruments
• Key goals
• Increase high school graduation rates
• Promote a college-going culture and increase
  college readiness
• Build statewide capacity for supporting high
  school redesign and reform
• Create systemic changes that ensure long-term
  sustainable high school improvement
• Geographic focus
• Border communities
• Urban areas Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, El Paso,
  Houston, Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio
• Rural Suburban TBD

3
Texas High School Project Vision and Mission

• THSPs Vision All Texas students will graduate
  high school ready for college and career success
  and prepared to be contributing members of the
  community.
• THSPs Mission All Texas high school students
  will have the opportunity to achieve their
  highest educational potential and promote state
  competitiveness in the 21st. Century.

4
How the Texas High School Project Will Achieve
the Vision

• State, District/Campus Student-Level Focus
• State-wide Texas will lead the nation in closing
  the achievement gap at the secondary level among
  student demographic and income categories.
• District/Campus Texas districts and schools will
  provide rigorous coursework as well as
  relationships and relevant instruction by
  offering options to meet students needs.
• Student Focus Texas students will prepare for
  college and career success by
• Completing a rigorous college preparatory
  curriculum with four years of study in core
  subjects, including math and science.
• Demonstrating the skills, knowledge, work habits,
  attitude, leadership, and teamwork required for
  success in the 21st century.

5
THSP theory of change Four pillars
College readiness as default Curriculum,
achievement and expectations
Shared responsibility Performance transparency
and accountability at all levels, college-going
culture and support
Intended impact
Relevant options Portfolio of school options
aligned to diverse needs of students
Education leadership Highly-skilled,
mission-driven educators and leaders
6
THSP Strategic Plan
7
Public/Private Progress to Date

• Invested in 270 districts
• Over 400 schools touched, including but not
  limited to
• 36 high school redesigns
• 84 comprehensive school reform
• 23 middle/early colleges
• 10 new/charter schools
• Over 480,000 high school students
• 60 economically disadvantaged
• 72 African-American and Hispanic
• 200 TFA/TTF teachers
• 180 principals in pipeline

8
What does THSP invest in?

• Four Investment Areas/Units of Change
• Classroom - AP Strategies, AVID
• Campus - New HS models
• District - Sups/Central Office/Boards
• Educators - UTEACH, Joint Ed/Business

9
THSP policy priorities align with the
college-ready vision
10
Classroom

• Reform efforts are underway at various levels in
  more than 600 schools, impacting more than
  200,000 students

• In classrooms
• Implementing intervention programs for at-risk
  students, like tutoring, online instruction, and
  counseling
• Preparing all students for college level work by
  expanding AVID programs
• Increasing access to Advanced Placement courses

11
Our Work

• In schools
• Creating new models to address 21st century
  student educational needs
• Redesigned High schools
• Early College High Schools
• New and Charter schools
• Science, Technology, Engineering and Math
  (T-STEM) Academies

12
Texas Science Technology Engineering and Math
Initiative

• 71M in public/private funding to pilot
  innovative ways to increase the number of
  students prepared for STEM college and career
  success
• Increase math/science assessment results
  college readiness
• Improve math/science instruction statewide
• Increase college graduates in STEM fields
• Align high school exit college entrance
  standards with STEM subjects

13
T-STEM Public/Private Planned Investments

• Create 35 T-STEM Academies serving 20,000
  students
• Establish 5-6 T-STEM Centers geographically
  dispersed throughout Texas
• Develop statewide best practices STEM Network
• Increase pool of highly qualified STEM teachers
  and school leaders

14
Educators

• Leadership training for current principals
• New and innovative principal certification
  programs with colleges of business and education
  working together
• Alternative sources for new talent pools of
  teachers and principals
• Professional development for teachers

15
District-wide Reform

• Empowering Superintendents, Boards of Trustees
  and Administrators to change district practices
  and policies to support campuses
• Providing expertise, tools, and best practices on
  how to reform central offices
• Sharing ways to communicate with parents and
  community, business and elected local leaders
  about high school transformation

16
Texas High School Project/TEA Major Grant
Programs (Representational Map)
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Early
Innovators, Academies and Centers
(22) Postsecondary Success Initiative Pilot
Program (6) Middle College/Early College High
School Expansion Grant (10) TX High School
Redesign and Restructuring (12) TX High School
Redesign and Restructuring Cycle 2 (17)
Early College High School Grants (9) Texas Grants
to Reduce Academic Dropouts (12) TX High School
Completion and Success Grant (128) TX High School
Completion and SuccessCycle 2 (105) Comprehensive
School ReformTX High School Initiative Grant
(84) High Schools That Work Enhanced Design
Network (14)
Does Not Reflect Exact Numbers of Grantees for
Each Program
17
THSP/CFT Projects
Center in Texas A M
Lubbock
Ft Worth
Dallas
Waco
El Paso
Austin
San Antonio
Houston
Early College High Schools (13)
High School Redesigned Schools (6)
New/Charter Schools (13)
T-STEM Academies (17)
Leadership Investments (6)
Brownsville
T-STEM Centers (5)
18
How will THSP measure success?

• By the end of the 2006-07 school year, THSP will
  have preliminary data at THSP high schools
  related to near-term outcomes, such as
• Attendance rates,
• Percentages of students earning enough credits to
  advance to the next grade,
• Percentages of students taking and passing
  advanced courses, and
• TAKS results
• Three-to five-year measures of successes at THSP
  campuses include increases among all student
  groups in the following
• TAKS scores,
• Graduation rates,
• College-readiness indicators, and
• College enrollment rates
• Five-to-ten year state goals include
• Statewide increases in graduation rates,
  college-readiness indicators, and college
  enrollment rates
• Systemic support of high school redesign and
  reform and,
• Policy environment that continues to support
  alignment of high school and postsecondary and
  college readiness for all high school students