Texas High School Project—A Partnership to Increase Graduation Rates and College Readiness

1. Texas High School Project—A Partnership to Increase Graduation Rates and College Readiness CAST Administrator’s Science Education Institute Thursday, November 9, 2006

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 TEA—$118M 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 & Susan Dell Foundation • $1M National Instruments

3. Why was THSP created? Building on previous reforms • TAKS testing expanded with an exit-level graduation assessment at Grade 11 • All ninth grade students now enroll in the college-preparatory Recommended High School Program • State funding provided for ninth-grade initiative and high school initiative • Personal graduation plans required for at-risk secondary students Result: 84 percent of Texas students graduated from high school within 4 years

4. …however, disparities persist

5. Exit level disparities are particularly troubling

6. College readiness is low for all groups Percent of Students Meeting THECB Standard for Higher Education Readiness (Preliminary Spring 2006)

7. Negative consequences are significant • 56 percent of jobs today require some college. • 80 percent of the fastest-growing jobs over the next decade will require some college. • Of the 50 best-paying occupations, only 2 do not require a college degree. • A male with a college degree will make almost $1 million more over his lifetime than a high school dropout. • A woman with only a high school diploma earns a salary just above the poverty line for a family of three.

8. What is the vision of the THSP? All Texas students will graduate high school ready for college and career success and prepared to be contributing members of the community. To succeed in work and life in the 21st century, students need the opportunity to achieve the highest level of education they can: • Four-year college • Community college • Military • Job training

9. What are the goals of the THSP? • 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

10. Who does the Texas High School Project serve? • Focus: • Border communities and urban areas – Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio • High schools serving high percentages of economically disadvantaged students

11. What are the guiding principles of THSP programs? The Three R’s • Rigor – challenging curriculum and high expectations for all students • Relevance – meaningful course of study with real-life applications; clear pathways to college and work • Relationships – powerful, sustained involvement with caring adults who mentor, advise, and support students throughout their high school careers

12. What has the THSP funded?

13. What has the THSP funded?

14. What is the T-STEM Initiative? Texas Science Technology Engineering and Math Initiative Goals • Develop leading innovation economy workforce by aligning high school, postsecondary education, and economic development • Establish 35 T-STEM Academies, each year producing 3,500 Texas high school graduates • Create 6-9 T-STEM Centers to support the transformation of teaching methods, teacher preparation, and instruction in the STEM fields • Establish a statewide best practices network for STEM education to promote broad dissemination and adoption of promising practices

15. Why T-STEM? • High school students continue to pass the Math and Science sections of the high school graduation test (TAKS) at lower rates than the ELA or Social Studies sections.

16. Why T-STEM? • Texas has lower percentages of students taking Advanced Placement exams in Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics than the nation and lower percentages of students scoring a 3 or higher. • The number of Hispanic and African American students in Texas who score a 3 or higher on the Chemistry and Physics AP exams is fewer than 500. • Two of the most common reasons campuses were Academically Unacceptable under the state accountability system were failure to meet the TAKS math standards and failure to meet the TAKS science standards. • Math performance was one of the top reasons that campuses failed to meet federal AYP standards.

17. What is STEM Education? • Teaching and learning strategies that challenge students to innovate and invent • Model real world contexts for learning and work • Integration of math, science, and technology with other subject areas • The design process driving student engagement How do we help children make sense of the world and solve new and novel problems?

18. T-STEM Academies Goals Produce Texas graduates in areas of high need across the state with the preparation to pursue postsecondary study and careers in STEM-related fields by: • Providing a rigorous, well rounded education • Establishing a personalized, college- and work-ready culture • Providing teacher and leadership development

19. T-STEM Academies Design • Mix of charter schools, traditional public schools, and schools created in partnership with an institute of higher education (IHE). • Stand alone campuses or small learning communities • Approximately 100 students per grade • Grades 6 – 12 (or 9 – 12 and actively work with feeder middle schools) • Serve a population with a majority representation of high-need students • Open enrollment and non-selective

20. T-STEM Center Goals • Identify and develop innovative instructional materials that integrate math and science concepts with the practical, problem-solving elements • Deliver professional development to teachers in STEM fields based on national best practices • Train administrators and principals in effective leadership strategies for supporting innovative math and science instruction • Provide technical assistance, training, and coaching to the T-STEM Academies and other schools • Support regional partnerships between businesses and school districts around STEM

21. T-STEM Centers Design • Located at universities, regional ESCs, LEAs, and other non-profit organizations • Create regional partnerships among businesses, higher education entities, school districts, and other organizations to support the T-STEM initiative

22. T-STEM Network Goals • Serve as a conduit for sharing best practices and lessons learned from the Texas Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Academies and Centers with all Texas middle and high schools. • Provide access to relevant professional development, rigorous math and science curriculum, lessons plans infused with real-world activities in math and science, and expert and peer advice. • Move as many schools and districts as possible toward the implementation of practices that have been proven to better serve students in science and math

23. T-STEM Investments to Date Academy Center coverage Leadership investment Texas A&M New Deal ISD Burnham Wood Harmony Science New Teacher Project Irving Academy Harmony Science Waxahachie ISD Dallas ISD Richardson ISD • Dallas Fort Worth • El Paso Texas Tech UTEP AJ Moore Manor ISD • Austin Regions XIII & XX UTeach at U of H • Houston • San Antonio Carver HS YES SE Harmony Science KIPP Harmony Science NEISD CCISD (Moody HS) Region I New Teacher Project • Brownsville

24. Key T-STEM Priorities 2007 • Support development and implementation of quality programs in Academy and Center grantees • Launch STEM Network (fall 2006) • Identify up to 10 new Academy grantees (spring 2007) • Identify up to 3 new Center grantees (spring 2007)

25. What other funding is available? • House Bill 1 • Section 56(b)(3) provides an allotment to each district in the amount of $275 for each student in grades 9 through 12 based on average daily attendance. Allotment funds may be spent on the following: • Supporting underachieving students to succeed in college preparatory classes • Increasing number taking college entrance exams • Increasing number enrolling and succeeding in college prep courses including AP, IB and dual credit • Increasing number taking AP and IB tests • Expanding participation in dual or concurrent enrollment courses

26. How can the HS Allotment enhance the 3 R’s? • High school allotment funds can be used to support academic rigor in high schools • Tutoring, accelerated online instruction, summer programs, ninth-grade transition programs • High school allotment funds can be used to institute personalization strategies in high schools • Advisories, small learning communities, ninth-grade academies • High school allotment funds can be used to align curriculum and expectations with postsecondary

27. How can the HS Allotment enhance the 3 R’s? • High school allotment funds can be for programs at high schools that allow more students to take advanced courses • Tuition, textbooks and transportation for dual credit courses, exam subsidies for AP/IB and SAT/ACT, courses to prepare students for the college entrance exams • High school allotment funds can be used to attract qualified and effective teachers and administrators to high schools • Incentives/stipends for math and science teachers, incentives at hard-to-staff campuses

28. Why is the THSP partnership important? The THSP is a partnership among elected leaders in Texas, the Texas Education Agency, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Communities Foundation of Texas, educators, community organizations, and businesses. Ensuring that all Texas students graduate ready for college and for work in the 21st century requires a committed partnership among all education stakeholders. Join us.

29. Contact Information For more information about the T-STEM Initiative, please contact Kelvey Oeser or Mary Wells. Kelvey Oeser Mary Wells Program Manager— Senior Program Officer T-STEM Initiative T-STEM Initiative Texas Education Agency Communities Foundation of William B. Travis Building Texas 1701 N. Congress Avenue 5500 Caruth Haven Lane Austin, TX 7870 Dallas, TX 75225-8146 (512) 463-4704 (512) 536-1160 mckelvey.oeser@tea.state.tx.usmkwells@cftexas.org www.tea.state.tx.us/ed_init/thsp/www.cftexas.org/thsp

30. Contact Information For more information about the Texas High School Project, please contact Barbara Knaggs or John Fitzpatrick. Barbara Knaggs John Fitzpatrick Senior Director— Executive Director Secondary School Initiatives Texas High School Project Texas Education Agency Communities Foundation of William B. Travis Building Texas 1701 N. Congress Avenue 5500 Caruth Haven Lane Austin, TX 7870 Dallas, TX 75225-8146 (512) 936-6060 (214) 750-4222 barbara.knaggs@tea.state.tx.usjfitz@cftexas.org www.tea.state.tx.us/ed_init/thsp/www.cftexas.org/thsp