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.
2018 ACE Austin Summer Program Report
This report compares the STEM-focused ACE summer program and the regular ACE summer program conducted at AISD during summer 2018. Students in both the regular and the STEM summer camp programs experienced positive STEM engagement; high academic self-confidence; a sense of being prepared for college, job or career in STEM; favorable school and behavioral environment; novel summer camp learning; and positive attitudes toward summer programming after attending the ACE Austin summer program.
2017-2018 ACE Afterschool Program Climate Highlights
More students feel safe in their afterschool programs than feel safe during the school day, according to 2017-2018 climate surveys. In addition, in afterschool, many desirable climate factors increased from the 2016–2017 school year to the 2017–2018 school year, while they decreased in the school-day environment.
Cycle 8 Afterschool Centers on Education Student Outcomes
This report examines the relationship between participation in the Afterschool Centers on Education (ACE) and student academic outcomes at the 16 Cycle 8 ACE campuses. Students' years of participation in ACE was positively associated with better student outcomes. Specifically, those with more years of ACE participation had better STAAR passing rates, school attendance rates, and elementary math grades than those with fewer years of participation.
Afterschool Centers on Education Survey Highlights 2017: Availability of the Afterschool Program Helps to Maintain AISD Enrollment
This report provides findings from various surveys regarding parent, student, and teacher perceptions of Afterschool Centers on Education (ACE) programs at AISD campuses. The ACE program was highly rated and thought to help maintain AISD enrollment.
2015-2016 Creative Learning Initiative Annual Report
The Creative Learning Initiative (CLI) is a community-wide effort to bring creative learning and the arts to each and every student in Austin. Lead by MINDPOP, the City of Austin, and the Austin Independent School District (AISD), CLI designs systemic and sustainable programs that integrate creativity, creative teaching strategies, and the arts with classroom teaching, campus programming, and campus improvement. Evaluation findings suggest CLI implementation had a positive impact on the district, its teachers and the students it serves.
Standard Aggregate Reports
Standard Aggregate Reports (SAR) allow community-based service providers to access aggregate data (i.e., summary data for multiple individuals) about students participating in their programs. Using this system, service providers gain access to valuable information about the discipline, attendance, and academic achievement outcomes of the students they serve. At the same time, AISD can maintain compliance with federal and local regulations protecting the confidentially of individual-level student data while being responsive to agency data needs.
The Creative Learning Initiative (CLI) Annual Evaluation Report 2014–2015
This report presents findings from the 2014–2015 school year, the second year of comprehensive data collection of the Creative Learning Initiative (CLI) in the Austin Independent School District (AISD). Data suggest participating in the CLI had a positive impact on both teachers and students, as well as on the district. Teachers reported positive experience with the program activities and positive changes in student engagement, behavior, and student achievement. Student outcomes included increased student access to arts opportunities, improved student attendance, decreased discipline…
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.
Any Given Child Creative Learning Initiative: Results From the August 2013 Creative Learning Workshop Survey
The Creative Learning Professional Development Workshop Survey, administered in August 2013, was designed to gather participants’ feedback about the arts-based instruction workshop, the facilitator(s), and participants’ plans to use the strategies taught during the workshop. Staff from the McCallum and Travis vertical teams participated in the Any Given Child Creative Learning Initiative workshop and survey.