Publications
Creative Learning in Adverse Times
This paper describes the work done to advance CLI goals despite the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among many successes resulting from CLI’s resourcefulness and adaptability was an increase in secondary arts enrollment for students in special groups (e.g., special education, economically disadvantaged, and emergent bilingual). In addition, CLI’s novel Season of Arts Experiences provided 28 schools who would not have otherwise participated access to 27 unique arts partners, contributing to over 107 total arts partnerships in the 2020-2021 school year.
Culturally Responsive Restorative Practices: Preliminary Data from Participating Schools, 2019-2020
This report provides a brief overview of Culturally Responsive Restorative Practices, an innovative framework intended to address discipline disparities and improve school climate and culture at ten AISD schools. This work is part of a 5-year, $3.5 million Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Highlights from year two of CRRP implementation include improved perceptions of school climate by students and staff, reduced reliance on exclusionary discipline, and steadily growing staff participation in CRRP and CP&I professional learning…
Positive Behavior Support Fall 2010 Implementation Research Brief
Positive Behavior Support (PBS), first piloted in Austin Independent School District (AISD) in 2003–2004, is a systems approach to the prevention of problem behavior and the improvement of students’ academic performance. In Fall 2010, the district PBS program was implemented at 81AISD campuses, and staff at one additional campus were preparing for implementation. Working with AISD PBS specialists, campus staff used data to problem solve and monitor strategies for change. Strategies ranged from universal interventions, implemented across all students, staff, and settings, to intensive…
Positive Behavior Support Implementation Summary For August-December 2008
Positive Behavior Support (PBS) is a framework by which all educational decisions are made in order to produce a safe, civil, and productive learning environment. The goal of PBS is to improve school climate through a range of systemic and individualized strategies that are offered to students and teachers, based on their demonstrated level of need. PBS is currently implemented in 62 Austin Independent School District (AISD) campuses.
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Evaluation 2009-2011
AISD used $16 million to support 25 ARRA IDEA projects to reduce the student academic achievement gap, reduce disproportionality, reduce dropout, improve district processes, improve teacher quality, and evaluate programs.
Program Summary and Second-Year Outcomes For The ACCESS Initiative, 2008-2009
The Austin Community Collaboration to Enhance Student Success (ACCESS) is a community collaboration between the Austin Independent School District (AISD) and public and nonprofit agencies. By implementing a number of innovative prevention and treatment programs to address the emotional, behavioral, and social needs of students, the ACCESS initiative seeks to promote and encourage safe and positive learning environments. Additionally, ACCESS aims to enhance the way social services are delivered on campuses by creating a youth mapping program with geographic information to locate, target, and…
State Compensatory Education Update, 2011-2012 and 2012-2013
This report describes the AISD at-risk student population and expenditures for 2012-2013, results from program evaluations conducted in 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, and the longitudinal disparity between performance of at-risk and not-at-risk students.
Positive Behavior Support: 2010-2011 Summary Research Brief
Positive Behavior Support (PBS) is a systems approach to the prevention of problem behavior and the improvement of student academic performance. This research brief describes campus participation in PBS since 2003–2004, when it was first piloted by AISD. It also presents results from 2010–2011 end‐of‐year surveys, in which administrators and staff at PBS campuses shared their perspectives on the implementation and effects of PBS.
Program Summary and First Year Outcomes for the ACCESS Initiative 2007-2008
This report summarizes results from the Austin Community Collaboration to Enhance Student Success (ACCESS) program in AISD during 2007-2008.