Houston Independent School District

1. CUBE—FINALIST DISTRICT PRESENTATIONSaturday, October 2, 2010Baltimore, MarylandPresentersGreg Meyers, Board PresidentPaula Harris, Board 1st Vice President Houston Independent School District

2. Preface • Houston ISD, the nation’s 7th largest school system, is leading the way • From reform to true organizational transformation • Board effectiveness through a unified focus and shared, strategic vision • Offering innovative new programs to ensure continued academic progress among all schools • Goal to become the best public school system in the nation

3. Bold New Leadership • Hired Dr. Terry B. Grier as Superintendent of Schools • Visionary, skilled executive -- nationally recognized • Shared the values of the Board’s Declaration of Beliefs & Visions • Emphasis on continued improvement and accountability

4. Demonstrated Successes -- 2009 HISD has shown steady and significant progress over the years: • A record number of schools earned the state’s highest accountability ratings • 80% of HISD’s schools met federal AYP standards • Record numbers of students took dual-credit and Advanced Placement courses. • Five HISD schools received the prestigious national Blue Ribbon Schools designation by the U.S. Dept. of Education • Fifteen of our high schools made Newsweek’s list of the nation’s best

5. Declaration of Beliefs & Visionsand theBoard Monitoring System The Board completed a two-year training commitment as one of only five districts to participate in the Center for Reform of School Systems (CRSS) program on Reform Governance in Action • One of the key deliverables was the update of the Beliefs & Visions foundational principles. • Map of instructional and operational philosophy has guided the district to ever-higher levels of student achievement and financial stability over two decades. • Recognizes that reform is an ongoing process The Board Monitoring System was created to measure district progress in achieving goals outlined in the board’s Beliefs & Visions • Data-driven accountability system that reports regularly on district goals and core initiatives • Aligned with all district operations

6. District Reorganization in 2010 • Aligned leadership, expertise, and resources • to better meet specific needs of elementary-, middle-, and high-school students • Performance Management implemented • To ensure that all employees are results-oriented, innovative, and accountable, to create clearly defined objectives and meet department expectations • Review of major central services and programs • To increase accountability, eliminate duplication, and deliver equitable services to all schools • Centralized standards implemented

7. Long-Term Strategic Direction • Implemented in 2010 to establish a shared and focused vision. i.e. “road map” for the district’s future • Based on the district’s foundational document, Beliefs & Visions • 3 Developmental Phases (over six months) • Diagnostic research conducted • Extensive community engagement meetings • Developed an effective strategy consisting of key strategic initiatives to make dramatic improvement in student achievement

8. Strategic Plan: Core initiatives Identified for HISD transformation Board of Education goals for HISD from Declaration of Beliefs and Visions 1 Best school district in America Effective Teacher in Every Classroom Effective Principal in Every School 2 3 Rigorous Instructional Standards and Supports Data-Driven Accountability 4 Culture of Trust Through Action 5

9. Core Initiative: An Effective Teacher in Every Classroom • ASPIRE (Educational Improvement/ Performance Management Model) • Value-added data-driven analysis is used to track student academic progress on a year-to-year basis. • One of the nation’s largest teacher pay-for-performance programs, tying a school’s and teacher’s effectiveness directly to student progress • Over the past 4 years, over $113 million has been awarded to teachers. • Effective Teacher in Every Classroom • Strengthen teacher recruiting, selection, and staffing policies to attract top talent • Establish a rigorous and fair teacher appraisal process • Provide effective individualized support and professional development • Offer meaningful career pathways and differentiated compensation to retain and leverage the most effective teachers

10. Core Initiative: An Effective Teacher in Every Classroom (cont’d.) • Major initiative to ensure an Effective Teacher in Every Classroom and improve the quality of our teacher corps via The New Teacher Project • Reform efforts instituted this year through new policies : • retention of highly qualified teachers • providing assistance for struggling teachers • including value-added data on students’ academic growth to the current list of reasons why a teacher’s contract may not be renewed. • differentiated compensation system • redesign of teacher evaluation system • smarter teacher recruitment

11. Core Initiative: An Effective Principal in Every School Ensuring principals are empowered instructional leaders with clear expectations by focusing on: • Designing and implementing a rigorous, fair principal appraisal system. • Creating clear standards and recommended practices to guide decision making. • Instituting stronger principal-recruiting practices. • Implementing a more robust instructional leadership development program. • Developing standards and support for safe, secure, and healthy school environments.

12. Core Initiative: Focus on Rigorous Instructional Standards and Supports Key Strategies: • Providing equity in access to high-quality educational programs and instruction • Developing and implementing an aligned standards-based curriculum and assessment system • Provide early, effective assistance to children with behavior issues and/or have difficulty in learning • Launching the Apollo 20 project to transform our lowest-performing schools • Implementing a comprehensive literacy program (grades prek-12) • Implementing a comprehensive numeracy/mathematics program (grades prek-12)

13. Core Initiative: Focus on Rigorous Instructional Standards & Supports • Apollo 20 Project/Transformation Plan for Low-Performing/High Priority Schools • Designed to improve the academic achievement of students in 20 low-performing schools, partnering with Harvard University’s EdLabs • Transformation Tenets – • Effective teachers and principals • More instructional time • Use of data to drive instruction • High-dosage tutoring • Culture of high expectations for all • Grant of $6 million from private foundation to fund the Apollo 20 initiative

14. Core Initiative: Focus on Rigorous Instructional Standards & Supports • Increasing the number of nontraditional schools and academic programs offered: • Magnet Programs • Advanced Placement & IB programs • Gifted & Talented programs • Early college high schools • Apex on-line learning • Twilight/evening schools for older students who must work • On line credit recovery (Grad Labs) • High School for over-age middle-school students • High school for students experiencing behavorial and academic difficulties

15. Core Initiative: Focus on Data-Driven Accountability The strategic use of data to track and monitor performance and hold leadership accountable has been critical to district success. Focus on the following key strategies: • Building and investing in more robust technology infrastructure for collecting, retrieving, analyzing, and reporting data. • Developing and implementing performance management tools and practices for decision-making. • Designing effective and efficient business processes and procedures for optimization of resources and results.

16. Core Initiative: Focus on Building a Culture of Trust Through Action • Meaningful engagement and increased communication with parents and key stakeholders from the business, philanthropic, religious, and greater community • Recent example: large community outreach ensured key constituencies were aware of the objectives of the long term strategic plan • Public survey conducted every two years (April 2009) • Community component in every major district decision: • Public meetings, town hall forums • Advisory committees, focus groups • Televised call-in programs • On line feedback & comments • Board member TV show • Learning labs

17. Final Thoughts • Houston is charging ahead to make long-term meaningful change so that all students can be academically successful. • Houston ISD will be well-positioned to meet the challenges the decade ahead will bring. • Under its long-term strategic plan and transformational initiatives across the board, coupled with strategic methodologies, the bar for academic achievement has been raised for all. • Under the leadership of Superintendent Grier and the Board, Houston ISD has positioned itself on a fast track to reach new heights and national acclaim as the best school district in America.