Publications
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…
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.
Afterschool Centers on Education Austin Independent School District Cycle 10 Final Report 2019-2020
The Afterschool Centers on Education (ACE) is the program administered through the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for the federally funded 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) grants. The ACE Austin Cycle 10 program provides intentional afterschool program experiences that are high quality, challenging, and inspiring. Across activities and centers, the afterschool program focuses on three primary objectives: decrease school-day absences, decrease discipline referrals, and increase academic achievement. This report examines outcomes for participants.
Afterschool Centers on Education Austin Independent School District Cycle 9 Final Report 2019-2020
The Afterschool Centers on Education (ACE) is the program administered through the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for the federally funded 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) grants. The ACE Austin Cycle 9 program provides intentional afterschool program experiences that are high quality, challenging, and inspiring. Across activities and centers, the afterschool program focuses on three primary objectives: decrease school-day absences, decrease discipline referrals, and increase academic achievement. This report examines outcomes for participants.
Afterschool Centers on Education Foundation Communities Cycle 9 Final Report, 2019-2020
The Afterschool Centers on Education (ACE) is the program administered through the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for the federally funded 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) grants. The ACE Foundation Communities’ Cycle 9 program provides intentional afterschool program experiences that are high quality, challenging, and inspiring. Across activities and centers, the afterschool program focuses on three primary objectives: decrease school-day absences, decrease discipline referrals, and increase academic achievement. This report examines outcomes for participants.
Afterschool Centers on Education Boys and Girls Clubs of the Austin Area Cycle 10 Final Report, 2019-2020
The Afterschool Centers on Education (ACE) is the program administered through the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for the federally funded 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) grants. The ACE BGCAA Cycle 10 program provides intentional afterschool program experiences that are high quality, challenging, and inspiring. Across activities and centers, the afterschool program focuses on three primary objectives: decrease school-day absences, decrease discipline referrals, and increase academic achievement. This report examines outcomes for participants.
Seed Model Campus Cohort Program Evaluation: Early signs of campus improvement in social and emotional learning
This report looks at the impact of the Seed Model Campus Cohort Program in its first 3 years of implementation. Evidence put forth in the report suggests that by deliberately focusing on inclusive program design and peer-to-peer sharing with a focus on growth, the program already positively contributes to SEL implementation, particularly through increased coordination of SEL leadership efforts and through increased adult SEL skills.
Perceptions of Staff's Social and Emotional Learning in AISD
This report explores teachers' and administrators' perceptions of social and emotional learning (SEL) in AISD. Based on analysis of responses to the 2019 Employee Coordinated Survey and the 2018-2019 Teaching, Empowering, Leading, and Learning (TELL) Survey, this report indicates significant positive correlations between staff's SEL knowledge and competencies and numerous aspects of school climate and culture.
Creative Learning Initiative: Impact of Creative Teaching on Academic Growth
This report examines the impact of Creative Teaching techniques on students’ academic growth on the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) reading and math tests from 2016–2017 to 2017–2018. Statistically significant growth on STAAR reading was found for students who had teachers who were moderately competent at Creative Teaching techniques and used these techniques at least two times per week in their classrooms.
Culturally Responsive Restorative Practices: Preliminary Data from Participating Schools, 2018-2019
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. Data include staff and student demographics, student attendance, STAAR math and reading passing rates, perceptions of school climate, and disciplinary practices.