Education Assessment

CAN Education Assessment Overview 2002

An assessment of the formal educational system in Travis County

I. Purpose

U.T. System Chancellor
R.D. Burk

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.

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.

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).

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.

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).

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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