Fantastic News for Austin's Young Men! Thank You, Moody Foundation!

I'm so excited today to share some fantastic news! The Moody Foundation has announced a grant of $4.6 million to help AISD establish a School for Young Men. AISD and the Austin community have been talking about such a school for a while now, and it's finally getting off the ground!

I'm sure you know how successful our Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders has been. Established just a few years ago, ARS is Exemplary-rated by the Texas Education Agency. We believe we can duplicate that success with a school for young men — and I'm proud that the Moody Foundation believes so as well.

Why is a school for young men a good idea for Austin? In AISD, as in most urban school districts, our male graduation and college-readiness rates lag behind those of our female students. The achievement gap between boys and girls is also apparent when you look at TAKS results, class rank, and grade point average. Boys also appear to be less engaged in school than girls: they are more likely to report disliking school, and are outnumbered by girls in almost every extracurricular activity except sports.

Long-standing community interest emerged during this year's Facilities Master Planning Process. An October 2010 survey showed strong support for a gender-specific male school. Two of the six geographic planning areas enthusiastically supported AISD creating a Young Men's school. This past Spring, the FMP Task Force recommended that we conduct "intensive planning" to determine the feasibility of providing such a school, and District Administration is in the process of developing recommendations to present to our Trustees next Fall. We're finding that support for a Young Men's School is strong throughout the community.

Our goal will be to create an exceptional academic environment that fully prepares young men at risk of academic failure for success in college, work, and life. Specifically, we want to ensure that all students reach exemplary performance benchmarks in reading, writing, math, and science; graduate on-time with college-ready skills; and enroll in a post-secondary academic program that puts them on the road to a successful vocational, technical, or professional career.

So what's next? We're going to get started right away! This summer, we'll begin a Feasibility Study to examine other successful urban single-gender schools for boys, and select the model that most closely aligns with both District goals and the specific needs of Austin students. In addition to the school's instructional model, we'll consider its grade configuration, a potential school site, name, and academic theme, as well as the application criteria and processes. This will have to be incorporated in Facility Master Planing. All of this work will encompass the 2011-2012 school year.

If, indeed, the Phase One finding shows that it is feasible to have a boys' school, then we will move forward. In Phase Two, in 2012-2013, we'll do the development work needed to launch the school in Fall 2013. This would include hiring the leadership team, preparing the facility, reaching out to parents and students, writing curriculum, and recruiting and selecting students and staff. Phase Three would be opening the school in August 2013!

Clearly, much work lies ahead, but, thanks to the support of the Moody Foundation — coupled with Austin's commitment to our community's young men — we will proceed with thoughtful determination. As the Feasibility Study evolves, I'll be writing again about this initiative.

Again, I express my deep appreciation to the Moody Foundation which also supports AISD students through its Moody Scholars Program. This year, 14 Austin students received $84,000 in college scholarships through this program. We are fortunate to have found a partner with an interest in quality education — and which is willing to commit significant resources over an extended period of time during tough budgetary times. Thank you, Moody Foundation!

Rosedale Graduation Kicks Off AISD Commencements

The Rosedale Graduation is always one of the high points of the year in the Austin School District. We start graduation season with the Rosedale graduation each year because no one has worked harder than the students of Rosedale to reach this day. The support they have received from their teachers, teacher assistants, campus administrators, staff, and the families of Rosedale has been phenomenal. Thank you, Elizabeth Dickey, for your leadership, and thank you to the teachers and staff of Rosedale.


A Rosedale graduate and teacher celebrate commencement

Community support for this school is phenomenal. The Rosedale Ride has become an important Austin cultural event. This community responds because it knows that Rosedale, more than any other school, teaches us to help each other and to value every person. Those are crucial lessons that every school should emphasize and that Rosedale practices every day.

We are also very pleased by the fact that several Rosedale students are involved with Project GO and Project Search, through which they are continuing their work and their service to our community.

We were honored to be able to celebrate this momentous occasion with the Rosedale community.  Rosedale works hard to make sure every day is a good day and a learning day for its students. That’s the highest standard any school can achieve, and Rosedale and its students meet that standard day in and day out. So, congratulations to the Rosedale Class of 2011!