Publications

Approaches to Arts Learning in High School
In this report, we grouped students into three distinct categories, based on how they approached arts learning during high school, which we named spartans, explorers, and deep divers. The approach to arts learning represents not just the students, but also the opportunities and barriers they encountered. We found that these approaches are strongly associated with student characteristics and postsecondary outcomes. Our hope is that understanding the three approaches to arts learning will inform how we strategize for more equitable access to the arts during high school.

Sustaining a System for High-Quality Teachers, Report 2: Market Opportunities and Typical Wages for Austin Independent School District Teachers and Leavers
This report includes two studies that describe the local context for teacher employment decisions. The first examines the local labor market, and the second examines employment for teachers who left Austin Independent School District (AISD).

Sustaining a System for High-Quality Teachers, Report 1: Key Characteristics of Austin Independent School District Teacher Leavers and Transfers
This report describes how many teachers transferred or changed jobs in AISD, remained at their schools, or left the school district after the 2013–2014 school year, along with characteristics of teachers in each group.

2013 High School Counselor Survey
During spring, 2013, all high school counselors in AISD were invited to participate in an online survey of the present working conditions, priorities, and challenges of their position.

Understanding the School-Wide Value-Added Measure Used in the Professional Pathways for Teachers (PPfT) Appraisal System
This document describes PPfT school-wide value-added measure by showing how to gain access to your SAS Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS) account, stepping through the school growth measures, and discussing how growth is scored in PPfT appraisal.

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…

High School Redesign Student Advisory Evaluation, Year 2 Implementation, 2008-2009
Student advisory classes were collaboratively implemented by the district’s Office of School Redesign, teacher leaders, and contracted support providers in all high schools during the 2008–2009 school year. This report provides a summary of results.

Professional Development and Appraisal System (PDAS) in Austin Independent School District
Correlations for PDAS scores from year to year were moderate, and experienced teachers generally outperformed their novice peers. Data suggest a weak-to-moderate relationship between 3-year averages of teachers’ PDAS and student growth scores.

Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) Spring 2019 Results
This report summarizes AISD English learners’ (ELs) Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) performance on the 2019 Spring test administration. Student performance is summarized by domain and composite ratings, years in U.S. schools, and yearly progress.
High School Exit Survey, Class of 2011
The ninth annual High School Exit Survey was administered online to seniors in every AISD high school during Spring 2011. In total, 3,793 seniors completed the survey, for an adjusted response rate of 87.3 percent.