I. Purpose
“Without a well-educated
workforce, Texas will fail to be competitive in attracting industry
with high-paying jobs for the new information-age economy, as well
as in maintaining the quality of life of the people of the state.”
U.T. System Chancellor
R.D. Burk |
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Leaders in business, government and education from
across the United States, across Texas, and across our community
recognize the pressing need to improve achievement among public
school students. Increasing the size and diversity of the pool of
students continuing into some form of post-secondary education,
resulting in a more educated workforce and improved quality of life,
is also of critical importance.
The economic argument for higher standards that connect public
schools to higher education, and both to the workplace, is quite
simple. “Students need more than a high school diploma to
raise a family in a fast-changing, technology-driven economy”
(National Commission, Oct 2001).
However, the significance of this issue does not stop there. Quality
education has a powerful impact on our overall quality of life.
The complexity and weight of this issue is well described by U.T.
System Chancellor R.D. Burk:
“Without a well-educated workforce,
Texas will fail to be competitive in attracting industry with high-paying
jobs for the new information-age economy, as well as in maintaining
the quality of life of the people of the state. The future economic
prosperity and social cohesion of Texas depend on supplying the
growing demand for well-educated ‘knowledge workers.’
Only higher education working in close collaboration with the public
schools of Texas, can meet this demand.” (University of Texas
at Austin, 2002)
The Community Action Network (CAN) has conducted this assessment
to see how well our community is addressing these central education
challenges facing Texas:
- Are we closing the gaps between white students and “minority”
students, particularly the rapidly growing Hispanic population;
and between economically disadvantaged students and all others:
- The achievement gap in elementary and secondary school;
- The participation gap in higher education;
- The opportunity gap in the workforce that results
from low expectations, low achievement and limited participation
in higher education.
- Are we meeting higher standards for achievement
resulting from:
- Greater demands for education in an economy increasingly
based upon higher skill levels, information and technology;
- Higher formal standards and more rigorous standardized
tests as defined by state and federal statutes.
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Failure to effectively meet these challenges will have dire consequences
for not just our economy, but for the overall quality of life for
all of us in Central Texas.
Through this assessment, four additional challenges were identified
that are critical to both “closing the gaps” and “meeting
higher standards”:
- Eliminate barriers to participation: The changing economy has
placed a premium on continued education, yet at the same time
rising costs, increasing demand, and relatively fixed capacity
have made it more difficult for many people to participate in
all types of higher education.
- Recruit and retain quality educators: “Teacher quality
is the factor that matters most for student learning” (Darling-Hamilton
& Berry, 1998). Clearly, if all students are expected to learn
more, we must ensure quality teachers in all classrooms.
- Ensure successful student transitions: Success at any one level
of education is not enough. More attention is needed to ensure
that all students progress through education (elementary, secondary,
and some form of post-secondary) and can successfully transition
into the “real world”.
- Provide community support for education: Student success is
not solely the responsibility of the education institutions. The
full resources of our community – public, private and philanthropic
– are needed to ensure success for all students.
II. Scope
This assessment will examine these challenges and the impact of
these issues on the major institutions (public schools and two and
four year colleges and universities) that serve Travis County (but
are not necessarily located in Travis County).
| Elementary and Secondary
Education:
This portion includes the following school districts: Austin,
Del Valle, Eanes,
Lago Vista, Lake
Travis, Leander, Manor,
Pflugerville, and Round
Rock. They serve more than 160,000 students on more
than 200 campuses. Together, they expend $1.16 billion annually.
These nine districts together employ 20,181 staff [Texas
Education Agency (TEA), AEIS, 2000-01], which makes them collectively
the second largest employer in the area, behind only The University
of Texas [Texas Workforce Commission (TWC)]. See Appendix
A for a map of the independent school districts
in our area.
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In some instances, statewide and regional data are included for
comparison purposes. Also, some information on Fort Worth ISD is
included to provide a comparison school district of similar size
to Austin ISD. Fort Worth was chosen because its total enrollment
is nearly identical to Austin ISD and is similarly diverse.
Post-secondary Education: This portion includes
six formal institutions of higher education in our area: The
University of Texas at Austin, Southwest
Texas State University, Austin Community
College, St. Edwards University,
Huston-Tillotson College, and Concordia
University.
III. What’s Not Included?
The focus of this assessment is on what happens in and to the
formal education institutions in our community. This by no means
implies that these institutions are solely responsible for all learning
in our community. In fact, some studies have concluded that only
40% of educational achievement can be attributed to factors within
the education system (Goldhaber, 2002); the remainder is a function
of other individual, family, and community conditions. However,
previous CAN assessments have examined many of these factors and
those findings will not be duplicated in this document.
In addition, several types of education institutions and settings
will not be addressed at this time but are important topics for
further study. These include:
- Private and parochial elementary and secondary schools: there
were 10,148 private school students in Travis and Williamson counties
in 2000 (TEA). While no state or local projections were found,
national projections estimate that the percentage of K-12 students
enrolled in private schools will remain stable around 11% through
the next decade (National Center for Education Statistics).
- Public charter schools: our community has seen rapid
growth in the number of charter schools and the number of
students they serve (see Figure 1), however, they remain
a very small portion (about 1%) of the total student enrollment.
- Home schooling: no local estimates were found, but national
estimates project that there were roughly 850,000 home-schooled
K-12 students in 1999 (Bielick, Chandler and Broughman,
1999), representing 1.7% of children in this age range.
If this rate is true locally, it would translate to roughly
3,500 home schooled students. The annual growth rate in
home schooling is estimated to be between 7%-15% nationwide
(US Dept of Education, Spring, 1999).
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- Private trade and technical schools: there are currently 27
private trade and technical schools in our area approved and regulated
by the Texas Workforce Commission . Some are specific to a single
occupation (locksmith, bartender, or court reporter, for example).
Others focus upon specific industries (health careers). Others
can provide basic skills broadly applicable across different industries.
- Adult continuing education: lifelong learning is important
for both professional and personal growth. A number of formal
education institutions offer various types of adult education.
These can range from adult basic education and literacy to highly
technical instruction in non-degree programs.
IV. Underlying Trends
Two underlying trends are driving change in education:
- Demographic: rapidly increasing diversity,
particularly the growth of the Hispanic population. Historically,
poor and minority students have not been well served by
our education systems. Compared to their white counterparts,
African-American and Hispanic students have generally not
scored as well on assessment tests, have dropped out more
frequently, and have been less likely to pursue higher education.
As these population groups grow, it becomes increasingly
important that our education systems serve all students
equally well.
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- Economic: As the U.S. moves from an industrial-based
to a service- and knowledge-based economy, there is widespread
agreement that adults and youth need a higher level of academic
knowledge, greater competency in information analysis and problem-solving,
and a different mix of technical and technology skills. Higher
expectations in the workforce have translated into higher standards
for achievement in elementary and secondary education and higher
demand for post-secondary education.
- National research clearly demonstrates the economic benefits
of continued education (see Figure 2).
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- Local data repeats this trend. Among targeted occupations
identified for our community, wages for those occupations
that require the least preparation are, on average, less
than half that of occupations with an associate’s
degree. In turn, those occupations pay 20% less than occupations
that require at least a bachelor’s degree.
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V. Key Findings
Close the gaps in achievement and participation across racial,
ethnic, economic and cultural groups:
- While all population groups grew in the five school years from
96-97 to 00-01, the increase in Hispanic students (11,717) exceeded
the total increase of the other four groups combined.
- Hispanic, African-American, and low-income students are,
with few exceptions, less likely to take and less likely
to pass college entrance exams.
- In the Austin area, 43.5% of the total population is African-American
or Hispanic, yet only 20.9% of the students enrolled in
the 6 featured higher education institutions are African-American
or Hispanic.
- The continued rapid growth of minority populations (Hispanic
in particular) coupled with the persistent reality that
African-American and Hispanic students earn fewer degrees,
relative to white students, “could lead to a dearth
of skilled workers.”
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- The shortfall in the number of degrees and certificates earned
leads to a less-educated workforce, which leads to greater poverty
and a poorer Texas. If current trends hold, it is projected that,
by 2030, Texas will see a 3% increase in the poverty rate and
a $3,000 decline in household income.
- One third of white Texans between the age of 25 and 65 have
a bachelor's degree, compared to 14% for all other races. If all
ethnic groups had the same educational attainment and earnings
as whites, it is projected that total personal income in this
year would be $44 billion higher and bring an additional $16 billion
in tax revenue.
Meet higher standards and expectations:
Across the nine districts, almost half of all students in the 00-01
school year attended campuses that were rated exemplary (23.4%)
or recognized (25.9%). Less than 3% attended low performing schools.
Preliminary information from TEA indicates that the number and percent
in recognized or exemplary schools will be higher for the next reporting
period.
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- With one exception, the districts in our area saw an increase
in the percentage of students passing all TAAS tests between
the 1996-97 and 2000-01 school years. However, in only two
districts (Austin and Lago Vista) did this improvement rate
exceed the statewide rate. With only two exceptions, Hispanic,
African-American, and low-income students had lower passing
rates than the rate for all students.
- With one exception (Del Valle), a higher percentage of
students in our area districts took college entrance exams,
and in all but two districts (Del Valle and Manor) a higher
percentage “passed” (scored above the state
defined criterion level). However, while “passing”
rates generally exceed state levels, they remain low –
exceeding only 50% in just one area district.
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Eliminate barriers to participation:
- Eighty percent of the traditional college-age population will
be non-white by 2015. However, minority groups currently are severely
under-represented in higher education.
- The Hispanic population in the state and nation continues to
experience steady growth. By 2008, Hispanics will account for
40% of the Texas population. However, the Hispanic population
has not experienced any consistent growth in enrollment for post-secondary
education since 1972.
- In today’s global economy, where an educated population
and workforce are needed to ensure the nation’s economic
viability, increases in tuition have made colleges and universities
less affordable for most American families.
- More students and families at all income levels are borrowing
more than ever before to pay for college.
- Federal and state financial aid to students has not kept pace
with increases in tuition. The Pell Grant, a needs-based grant
that covered 98% of tuition at a public four-year institution
in 1986, now covers only 57%.
- The current policy shift from grants to loans poses a serious
financial burden on low-income families. To combat this trend,
the Texas legislature recently tripled funding for the TEXAS Grant
program to $300 million.
Recruit and retain quality educators:
- National research finds that the average turnover rate
in most professions is 11%, but for teachers the turnover
rate is 13.2%. In Texas, the statewide turnover rate is
even higher at 16%. Among local districts, only one (Leander
– 14.7%) does not exceed the state rate. Three area
districts exceed 20% annual turnover.
- Research at the state level finds that turnover costs
as much as $5,000 per teacher in a district with higher
than average turnover. This translates to a cost of more
than $4.5 million for Austin ISD during the 2000-01 school
year.
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Ensure successful student transitions:
- Fewer than half of students who enter a public university in
Texas graduate with a bachelor’s degree within six years.
- In Travis County alone, there are 55,310 students defined by
TEA as at-risk of dropping out.
- Locally, 95% of students pursuing higher education matriculate
in state.
- Only 24% of Texas employers are satisfied with how colleges
and universities in Texas are preparing students for work, compared
to 46% nationally.
- As post-secondary education becomes a more and more prevalent
requirement in the workforce, it is projected that by 2028 there
will be 19 million more jobs than workers adequately prepared
to fill them.
Community support and investment in education:
- Statewide, 48.5% of all funding for public elementary
and secondary schools comes from local taxes and 43.6% comes
from the state. But for the nine districts in our area,
the ratio is 79.7% local and 13.3% state. Among the nine
local districts, the three with the lowest state contribution
(Austin-4.2%, Del Valle-6.9%, and Manor-6.9%) have the highest
percentage of low-income students.
- For the 01-02 school year, five area districts qualified
as “property wealthy” and paid approximately
$150 million in recapture (AISD - $92.4 million, EISD -
$41.3 million, LTISD - $12.6 million, MISD - $7.6 million,
LVISD - $1.4 million). For the 02-03 school year, even more
area districts will be subject to recapture.
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VI. Recommendations
In closing, this assessment proposes some potential actions that
our community could take to improve the educational experience of
individual students and the overall performance of the education
systems. In crafting these recommendations, the working group tried
to maintain the following standards:
Given the financial and policy constraints on our education institutions,
it is essential to focus upon ways in which the broader community
can support learning and foster success among all students;
One of the best ways to improve the learning experience of students
is to build stronger connections (including curriculum alignment)
between elementary, secondary and post-secondary education, and
between all levels of formal education and the world of work.
Following is a detailed list of recommendations:
A. Close the gaps in achievement and participation across
racial, ethnic, cultural, and economic groups
- Increase the educational achievement of minority students
- Increase the participation of minority students in educational
settings
- Recognize and embrace diversity as a valuable asset in our community
B. Ensure that all students meet higher expectations
- Increase the alignment within and across educational systems
to better serve all students
- Increase opportunities and support for individual student success
C. Eliminate barriers to participation in post-secondary
education
- Reduce the financial barriers to participation in post-secondary
education and achievement of educational goals
- Increase the access to higher education for all students through
increased institutional capacity and heightened awareness
D. Recruit and retain quality educators
- Utilize "grow your own" approaches to increase the
number of people entering the teaching profession
- Increase compensation and other incentives to attract new teachers
and increase retention of existing teachers
- Increase preparation and support for new teachers
E. Enhance support for students to ensure successful transitions
(grade-to-grade, school-to-school, school-to-work, etc.)
- Increase coordination and communication among school districts,
higher education institutions and employers to enhance learning
- Improve data and information sharing among educational
institutions and with the community
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