ERIC Number: ED352743
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1992
Pages: 38
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Project A+: School Based Improvement in AISD, 1991-92.
Austin Independent School District, TX. Office of Research and Evaluation.
Outcomes of Project A+, a school-based improvement (SBI) partnership developed between International Business Machines (IBM) and the Austin Independent School District, are described in this document. SBI is a vehicle for restructuring schools to meet the goal that all students will function successfully at or beyond their appropriate grade levels. This document evaluates 16 Phase 1 and 12 Phase 2 schools that joined the project in 1990-91 and 1991-92, respectively. Methodology involved interviews with six central office administrators; three surveys--a campus, an employee, and a school climate survey; and analyses of campus improvement plans and student achievement data. Findings indicate that the 1991-92 student outcomes are mixed, and that a drop in the school climate tends to occur during Phase 1, which improves during the second phase. The SBI campuses have not yet found the AISD objectives to be reasonable and attainable and do not see SBI as a vehicle for achieving them. The following obstacles to success were identified: varied expectations, levels of understanding, and ownership; differential training for Phases 1 and 2; lack of adequate and timely clarification of roles, policies, and parameters; lack of universal commitment to SBI concept from the board, central office, and others; need for ongoing training for whole faculties; varying degrees of willingness to practice shared decision making and consensus; issues of trust; and the impact of change. Six recommendations are highlighted. Two figures are included. Attachments contain the SBI timeline, model, mission statement and goals, and action plan summary. (LMI)
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Austin Independent School District, TX. Office of Research and Evaluation.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A