Abstract
This report describes the Austin Independent School District’s recent effort to improve its high schools through a variety of initiatives led by the Office of District Redesign. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation supported the reform effort, as well as this evaluation through a grant to the Texas Education Agency. TEA contracted with SRI International to conduct the evaluation.
The research questions that guided the evaluation focused on the implementation of district-level changes, capacity-building efforts, and multiple supports for all high schools in the district. In addition, the evaluation examined student achievement and other outcomes. Researchers used a mixed method approach that included case studies of the district’s central office and a sample of high schools, surveys of a sample of students and teachers, and all high school principals, and the analysis of extant outcomes data.