On Monday, the AISD Board of Trustees will decide whether to contract with IDEA Public Schools to establish an in-district charter school program. This is one of a number of options the Board will consider to address longstanding district problems like overcrowding, multi-year academically unacceptable performance in schools, low graduation and completion rates, and preparing our students to succeed in a global economy.
In short, the Board’s goals and expectations for this district are to improve graduation rates, eliminate achievement gaps, and improve student success. My purpose in writing this op-ed is to address the in-district charter design in partnership with IDEA Public Schools, the proposal that has garnered the most public attention.
From my perspective, this has everything to do with improving outcomes for our students. Eastside Memorial High School will never succeed if we do not build a strong foundation at the elementary and middle school level made up of students who plan to attend Eastside Memorial High School. That is why an elementary school is part of the proposed in-district charter design.
Today, while the majority of the students attend elementary school in the area, two-thirds of them do not choose to attend and finish high school at Eastside Memorial. They attend other high schools or leave the district for charter schools. As a result, Eastside Memorial continues to struggle, in spite of numerous efforts over the years to shore up the school's academic programming.
Of the students who do attend Eastside, a significant number are reading well below grade level, which makes it difficult for them to pass high school courses and graduate. Without improving the structure of the "vertical team" to create a pipeline of high-performing students dedicated to attending Eastside Memorial, we will remain in a state of triage and vulnerable to state sanctions.
We’re at a crossroads. We can continue on the path we are on today. But the current design for these schools isn’t sufficient to meet the Board’s goals and the community’s expectations for excellence.
We can instead choose to embark on a different path to be proactive by shoring up existing programs, and working with successful partners, so that we do not again face closure by TEA. We can do something today that will have a long-term effect on outcomes by building the pipeline to ensure that students in Eastside Memorial vertical team have access to the quality programming that is no less than that of any other vertical team.
Therefore, I am proposing a design for the Eastside Memorial vertical team that includes an in-district charter that would serve students from kindergarten through grade 12. This is a college preparatory design that emphasizes core values and a “no excuses” culture that prepares students for college and citizenship.
Initially, the program would serve approximately 600 students in kindergarten through second grade and sixth grade. This allows us to implement all aspects of the program with fidelity to ensure the best results. During the next several years, IDEA would phase in the other grades, so that by 2017, the program will serve 2,200 students in grades K-12, including at the Eastside Memorial campus.
The district has an opportunity to establish a partnership with a non-profit program that has built a strong model for student success. Are they perfect? No. But neither are we. TEA has rated IDEA as an “Exemplary” district for the past two years. Last month, the Higher Education Coordinating Board recognized IDEA for its success in sending students to college.
We can learn from this model. IDEA is committed to working with AISD in such areas as professional development, early literacy intervention, and family involvement so that we can share successful practices that promise to benefit all of the schools in East Austin.
Under my leadership, we will continue to support every school in the East side and throughout the district to ensure that all students are academically successful and can graduate with the skills they need to reach their goals.
In the proposal, the district would retain its governing authority over IDEA. Like the Ann Richards School, IDEA will appoint a local advisory body to govern the school and report directly to AISD.
As trustees of our children’s educational future, the district must have the courage to reach outside our comfort zone to identify partners to strengthen all schools for all children.
This online Op Ed was published by the Austin American-Statesman on Monday, December 12, 2011. http://www.statesman.com/opinion/carstarphen-eastside-memorial-the-time-to-act-is-2027505.html
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