Texas High School Project and the Texas Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

(T-STEM) Initiative

Texas Regional CollaborationMarch 6, 2007

What Is the THSP

The Texas High School Project is a public-private partnership dedicated to improving graduation and college-readiness rates.

Texas Education Agency

Governor’s Office and the Texas Legislature

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Michael and Susan Dell Foundation

Communities Foundation of Texas

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Vision and Guiding Principles

VisionAll Texas students will graduate high school ready for college and career success and prepared to be contributing members of the community.

Guiding PrinciplesTo challenge students with rigorous coursework

To make coursework relevant to their lives

To ensure students are taught by committed educators who develop relationships with them

Our Focus

Urban areas and Texas-Mexico border

First-generation college students

Hispanic and African-American students

Economically disadvantaged students

Texas Science Technology Engineering and Math (T-STEM) Initiative

$71M in public/private funding initiative to pilot innovative ways to improve student achievement in math and science and increase the number of students who enter STEM career fields

Why T-STEM Was Created – School Performance

• Two of the most common reasons campuses were Academically Unacceptable under the state accountability system were failure to meet the TAKS math standards and failure to meet the TAKS science standards.

• Math performance was one of the top reasons that campuses failed to meet federal AYP standards.

Why T-STEM Was Created – College Readiness

• Texas has lower percentages of students taking Advanced Placement exams in Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics than the nation and lower percentages of students scoring a 3 or higher.

• The number of Hispanic and African American students in Texas who score a 3 or higher on the Chemistry and Physics AP exams is fewer than 500.

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Why T-STEM Was Created – Economic Development and Competitiveness

• Of the 20 fastest-growing occupations projected through 2010, 15 of them require substantial mathematics or science preparation.

• On the TIMSS, U.S. 8th graders were out performed by 7 of the 13 other countries in mathematics and 5 of the 13 other countries in science.

Why T-STEM Was Created – Social Equity

• Students with higher level mathematics skills earn up to double the amount earned by others

• Students of all income levels who take rigorous mathematics and science courses in high school are more likely to go to college.

Create 35 T-STEM Academies

Establish 6-9 T-STEM Centers throughout Texas

Develop statewide best practices Network

Increase pool of highly qualified STEM teachers and school leaders

T-STEM Goals

STEM Education

• Teaching and learning strategies that challenge students to innovate and invent

• Model real world contexts for learning and work

• Integration of math, science, and technology with other subject areas

• The design process driving student engagement

How do we help children make sense of the world and solve new and novel problems?

T-STEM Academies Design

• Mix of charter schools, traditional public schools, and schools created in partnership with an institute of higher education (IHE).

• Stand alone campuses or school-within-a-school

• Approximately 100 students per grade

• Grades 6 – 12 (or 9 – 12 and actively work with feeder middle schools)

• Serve a population with a majority representation of high-need students

• Open enrollment, non-selective, admission by lottery

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T-STEM Center Goals

• Support schools and districts in the improvement of student performance in math and science

• Disseminate promising practices and research-based strategies in STEM education

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T-STEM Center Design

• Create regional partnerships between IHEs, ESCs, high need LEAs, nonprofits, and businesses to improve STEM education

• Identify and develop innovative instructional materials that integrate math and science concepts with the practical, problem-solving elements

• Deliver professional development to teachers in STEM fields based on national best practices

• Train administrators and principals in effective leadership strategies for supporting innovative math and science instruction

• Provide technical assistance, training, and coaching to the T-STEM Academies and other schools

T-STEM Network Goals

• Serve as a conduit for sharing best practices and lessons learned from the Texas Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Academies and Centers with all Texas middle and high schools.

• Provide access to relevant professional development, rigorous math and science curriculum, lessons plans infused with real-world activities in math and science, and expert and peer advice.

• Move as many schools and districts as possible toward the implementation of practices that have been proven to better serve students in science and math

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T-STEM Key Priorities 2007

1. Support development and implementation of quality programs in Academy and Center grantees

2. Announce up to 2 new Centers and 60 Network Acceleration grantees

3. Launch T-STEM Network Digital Portal (spring 2007)

4. Identify up to 10 new Academy grantees, TEA RFA to be posted in March

5. Launch THSP Exemplar program (spring 2007)