On Saturday, I met with family and community members to discuss the possibility of establishing two, single-sex middle schools in Northeast Austin that will help strengthen the foundation of the LBJ and Reagan Vertical Teams while addressing historic inequities in these communities.
Earlier this month, 50 community residents met with me to share their insights into the critical, educational issues their children face and to discuss the idea of creating single-sex schools, which has been proposed by District 1 Trustee Cheryl Bradley.
The Nov. 10 exploratory meeting produced a meaningful dialogue and good questions from families, such as:
“What will the academic program look like?” It will have an early college high school focus.
“Will students have to wear uniforms?” That has yet to be decided but I suspect that having uniforms will be key to the college bound culture similar to what we have seen at other single-sex public school sites.
“Will AISD provide transportation to those who opt out and transfer to a traditional co-ed middle school?” Yes, students may enroll in another middle school where space is available.
Saturday's larger, follow-up discussion drew more than 100 community members to LBJ High School, where Principal Sheila Henry graciously hosted us.
Trustee Bradley opened the meeting, sharing her exciting vision to strengthen students’ preparation for college through the establishment of an all-boys school and all-girls school at Garcia and Pearce middle schools.
To set the stage for the community discussion, we reviewed performance data for schools in Northeast Austin, broken down by race and gender, which reveals both our boys and our girls are facing challenges meeting the state’s educational standards. We also discussed the challenges our students are facing in the community – teen pregnancy, mobility, the criminal justice system.
We presented two short videos, showcasing successful, single-sex models at the all-boys Urban Prep Academy in Chicago, and, closer to home, the highly-successful Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders in AISD. One is a public charter school and the other is an AISD public school.
I thank the many community members for joining us for a meaningful and thoughtful dialogue on education in Northeast Austin and for sharing their families’ hopes and aspirations for their children. I even met a spirited, community advocate whom I want to adopt as my grandmother!
Although we have yet to tabulate the survey results from today, what we do know is that the parents and grandparents of students in Northeast Austin want the same things for their children that I do: a quality education that will allow them to graduate ready for college, career and life. Building the design on how to get there is what we are working out together.
