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This paper argues for a radical restructuring of education for grades 11-14--by erasing the arbitrary dividing line between high school and college--to open opportunities for the learners the current systems leave behind. The authors make the case for an entirely new type of institution--neither high school nor college--designed specifically to better meet the needs of young people after 10th grade and help prepare them to succeed in the world of work. The authors take a hard look at the obstacles that impede more than half of the nation's young people from making successful transitions from high school to postsecondary education to the labor market despite the best of intentions of the many who support them. They identify the four key areas that need transformation: (1) incentives (in accountability and finance); (2) alignment; (3) governance; and (4) staffing. For each, the authors provide examples of innovation--existing policies, programs, and networks--that have made strides toward smoothing transitions. Last, the authors recommend an action agenda of next steps to start pushing closer to the ideal. [For the executive summary, see ED614770.]

UTeach is a well-known, university-based program designed to increase the number of high-quality science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers in the workforce. The UTeach program was originally developed by faculty at the University of Texas at Austin but has rapidly spread and is now available at 44 universities in 21 states; it is expected to produce more than 9,000 math and science teachers by 2020. Despite substantial investment and rapid program diffusion, there is little evidence to date about the effectiveness of UTeach graduates. Using administrative data from the state of Texas, we measure UTeach impacts on student test scores in math and science in middle schools and high schools. We find that students taught by UTeach teachers perform significantly better on end-of-grade tests in math and end-of-course tests in math and science by 5% to 12% of a standard deviation on the test, depending on grade and subject. The effect is larger for the founding site at the University of Texas at Austin than for replication UTeach sites, with estimated upper bounds of additional months of learning for students taught by UTeach Austin graduates of 4.0 months in high school math and 5.7 months in high school science. Controlling for the selectivity of the undergraduate institution appears to explain the differential between Austin and replication UTeach sites, but not the overall difference between UTeach and non-UTeach teachers. [Financial support was provided from the Institute of Education Sciences to Southwest Educational Development Corporation, an affiliate of American Institutes of Research.]

This study examines Algebra II completion and failure rates for students entering Texas public high schools from 2007/08 through 2014/15. This period spans the time when Texas students, beginning with the 2007/08 grade 9 cohort, were required to take four courses each in English, math (including Algebra II), science, and social studies (called the 4x4) and the time when, beginning with the 2014/15 cohort, the state moved to the new Foundation High School Program, which eliminated Algebra II as a math requirement. Overall, Algebra II completion and failure rates followed the same trend for the 2014/15 cohort as for the seven cohorts that graduated under the previous graduation requirements. Key findings include: (1) In the 2014/15 school year, the first after enactment of HB 5, 37 percent of districts reported requiring students to complete Algebra II to graduate from high school; (2) Fewer than half of districts reported that they planned to offer the alternative math courses in the first year of the new graduation requirements; (3) Both before and after enactment of HB 5, 78 percent of students completed Algebra II as their third math course; (4) Trends in Algebra II completion and failure for most student subgroups remained stable after enactment of HB 5; and (5) Almost all students who did not complete Algebra II after taking Geometry either were taking a pre-Algebra II course or had completed math courses only through Geometry in the first three years of high school. The findings from this study suggest that students' choice of the third high school math course was not immediately influenced by the HB 5 policy enacted in 2013.

The goal of the study is to build a deeper understanding of teacher mobility in Texas by identifying patterns of teacher mobility. The study characterizes the movement of teachers in Texas public schools during the 2011/12 through 2015/16 school years. Analyses explore links between mobility and teacher, student, and school characteristics. In addition, this study explores the relationship between teacher mobility and school-average teacher effectiveness, as measured by the T-TESS rubric. Findings from this study provide state policymakers in Texas with updated information about the patterns and trends of mobility in the state's teaching workforce and offer a systematic baseline for monitoring and planning for future changes. The findings presented here were guided by four research questions developed with the Educator Effectiveness Alliance: (1) What are teacher mobility rates and destination proportions at the district, regional, and state levels in each school year from 2011/12 to 2015/16?; (2) What is the association between personal and professional characteristics of Texas public school teachers and their mobility behaviors?; (3) What is the association between student/school characteristics and school-level mobility rates?; and (4) What is the association between school-average rubric ratings of teachers participating in the 2014/15 T-TESS pilot and school-level mobility rates? [For the full public report provided by the Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest, "Trends in Teacher Mobility in Texas and Associations with Teacher, Student, and School Characteristics," see ED578907.]

The Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest Educator Effectiveness Research Alliance expressed interest in investigating annual teacher mobility in Texas. This resulting study, using data from the 2011/12-2015/16 school years, first asked how large teacher mobility was and how much of that movement was between schools in the same district, how much was between districts in Texas, and how much was out of public school teaching in Texas altogether. The study also addressed the relationships between teacher mobility and teachers' personal and professional characteristics, school-level student characteristics, and schools' average teacher ratings (under a new system piloted in 2014/15). The study used 2011/12-2015/16 data collected by the Texas Education Agency on all Texas public schools. It also used data collected by the Texas Education Agency during the 2014/15 pilot of the Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS) in 57 school districts-about 5 percent of districts in Texas. This report provides state and district policymakers in Texas with updated information on trends in teacher mobility and on correlates of mobility in the teaching workforce, offering a systematic baseline for monitoring and planning. The findings will enable policymakers to formulate a strategic, targeted approach for recruiting and retaining teachers rather than relying on generic approaches for increasing the overall supply of teachers or improving recruitment. For example, informed efforts might target attracting and retaining teachers in specific fields (such as special education), at certain stages of their career (such as novice teachers), or in certain geographic areas. Moreover, the analysis enriches the knowledge base about schools' teacher retention and mobility in relation to the quality of the teaching force and may inform policy discussions about the importance of a stable teaching force for teaching effectiveness. [This document was produced in collaboration with the Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest Educator Effectiveness Research Alliance.]

UTeach is a well-known, university-based program designed to increase the number of high-quality science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers in the workforce. The UTeach program was originally developed by faculty at the University of Texas at Austin but has rapidly spread and is now available at 44 universities in 21 states; it is expected to produce more than 9,000 math and science teachers by 2020. Despite substantial investment and rapid program diffusion, there is little evidence to date about the effectiveness of UTeach graduates. Using administrative data from the state of Texas, we measure UTeach impacts on student test scores in math and science in middle schools and high schools. We find that students taught by UTeach teachers perform significantly better on end-of-grade tests in math and end-of-course tests in math and science by 5% to 12% of a standard deviation on the test, depending on grade and subject. The effect is larger for the founding site at the University of Texas at Austin than for replication UTeach sites, with estimated upper bounds of additional months of learning for students taught by UTeach Austin graduates of 4.0 months in high school math and 5.7 months in high school science. Controlling for the selectivity of the undergraduate institution appears to explain the differential between Austin and replication UTeach sites, but not the overall difference between UTeach and non-UTeach teachers.

This study investigated whether vertical (grade level sequence) alignment of the curriculum in conjunction with teacher collaboration would enhance student performance on the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) test in south Texas school districts of various sizes. Surveys were mailed to the office of the superintendent of 47 school districts with varying student populations. Respondents rated statements about the degree of vertical alignment and collaboration in their district. The study used the Exit-Level TAAS as the standardized test to determine the level of student achievement. A total of 27 out of the 47 school districts returned the survey, and 23 were usable. Researchers determined growth on the TAAS by calculating the difference between the 1997 grade 10 percent passing all tests and the 1994 grade 10 percent passing all tests. Test scores came from the Academic Excellence Indicator system report. Data analysis indicated that there was no significant correlation between the degree of vertical alignment/collaboration and growth on the TAAS test from 1994-1997 as there was growth in student achievement on the grade 10 TAAs for all districts from 1994-1997 regardless of degree of vertical alignment/collaboration. There was also no significant correlation between the degree of vertical alignment/collaboration and percent of students passing all tests on the grade 10 TAAS. (Contains 23 references.) (SM)

This study describes how some school districts have implemented full motion, two-way interactive video in rural small schools and communities. A prototype and guidelines for future implementation are presented. Researchers studied 14 school districts in the Oklahoma Panhandle and eastern New Mexico and three sites in Texas where the technology has been or is being implemented. Findings suggest that use of two-way interactive video is growing in the Southwest region, assisting in the delivery of effective education in areas of economic decline. The technology requires the support of dedicated local visionaries who persevere in technology application. Although expensive, this technology is affordable with support from the local business community, particularly the local telephone company or cooperative. Teacher training is essential to the success of implementation. Education delivered by interactive video was considered effective and was well-received in the communities studied. One table and seven figures illustrate the study. (Contains 35 references.) (SLD)

This retrospective quantitative study examined the relationships among gender, Acanthosis Nigricans (AN), body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure (BP) in children attending school Grades 1-9 in Southwest Texas. Of the 34,897 health screening records obtained for the secondary analysis, 32,788 were included for the study. A logistic regression analysis was carried out with AN as the dependent variable, with year, gender, BMI, and BP as independent variables. The results indicate that the rate of children in each grade with three positive markers increased 2% during a 3-year period between 2008 and 2010. In the 5-year period between 2005 and 2010, a clear trend of significantly higher numbers of children with both AN and BMI markers was apparent. Gender played a significant role as females were more likely to have the AN marker than males. Further study is indicated based on the increasing trend of school-age children in Texas with positive markers for AN, increased BMI and BP.