Increasing High School Graduation and College-Going Rates in Texas
Company/Organization: The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce
CEO/Board Chair: Roger Mitchell, President of Texas Gas Service, and 2007 Chair of the Greater Austin Chamber
State: Texas
Level of Involvement: District
Community: Austin
Type of Initiative: Advocacy & Expertise
Target Education Priority: Prepare All High School Graduates for College and Careers
"Austin, Texas is the Human Capital...We are a city of ideas and talent and energy, but we must continue to cultivate and grow that talent if we are going to stay globally competitive. One crucial ingredient to doing so is growing a sufficient pool of workers with a well-rounded education." Tim Crowley, President of Community Banking for Frost Bank and 2006 Chair of the Greater Austin Chamber
Overview
Starting with the goal of making Austin the "Human Capital" of the world, local business leaders through the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce are finding original ways to partner with local schools, districts and state policymakers to offer students new opportunities to ensure the region maintains and enhances a pool of skilled and talented employees in years to come, in recognition of the importance of a stronger system for graduating prepared high school students. The Chamber is engaged in a variety of short- and long-term programs and partnerships to better connect local schools with the business community and to advocate for higher education standards statewide, to keep central Texas thriving. The Chamber has a long history of partnering with the Austin Independent School District (AISD) to develop sustainable student- and school-level programs, and recently has been working at the state-level, collaborating with business-led organizations to advocate for increased graduation requirements in Texas that will prepare all students for work and college.
Strategies for Success
The Chamber's ultimate goals are to raise graduate more students from high school ready for college and work, and to encourage those graduates to enroll in college. Over twenty years ago in 1983, the Chamber created Austin Partners in Education (APIE) in collaboration with AISD, to encourage businesses, community organizations and individuals to partner with local schools to improve education opportunities and outcomes. In the past two decades, APIE has grown from 12 partnerships in 25 schools to over 2,500 partnerships reaching every school in the district, and includes such successful programs as Project Mentor, which provides students with one-on-one time with business and community leaders to gain new perspectives about the challenges of work and college.
The Chamber's relationship with the AISD now extends to a fundamental goal of all community education reform efforts: Increasing graduation, college-ready, and college-going rates for students throughout the greater Austin area. In 2005, the Chamber issued a report card monitoring student achievement gains and attainment in AISD on the most important performance indicators to business to reinforce the district's strategic plan. The Chamber also works with high school seniors in AISD who have met graduation requirements but have not yet met the college-ready benchmarks needed to enroll in public statewide four-year institutions, offering SAT and ACT prep courses during the school day so students can retest to reach a higher threshold score. Finally, the Chamber has joined the Austin Community College in the call for all seniors to complete the state's common application, recognizing this is a fundamental, and sometimes overwhelming, step towards postsecondary enrollment. According to the Chamber, these initiatives are relatively low-cost, can be brought to scale, and offer immediate results.
These efforts have been a springboard for the Austin Chamber to get involved in a successful advocacy campaign to accelerate improvement in college-readiness the region's high school students. The Chamber focused time and energy on the school board elections, ensuring all candidate platforms supported the district's strategic plan for improving college readiness and enrollment. The group delved further into advocacy by publicly endorsing state House Bill 1 (HB 1), sweeping legislation designed to retool school funding and promote and support measures to increase the academic preparation of all students. The Chamber provided testimony to the state legislature on the behalf of HB 1 and was a vocal advocate of its passage from the get-go.
The Austin Chamber incorporates several strategies recommended by Business Toolkit for Better Schools in lending its expertise to the Austin Independent School District, including
- Lend corporate influence and prestige to key organizations and activities
- Serve on local and statewide school boards, committees, strategy groups and task forces
- Define the skills and knowledge graduates need to get and keep well-paying, family-supporting jobs
- Provide compelling data and evidence; issue reports and policy briefs
The Austin Chamber also utilizes several advocacy strategies recommended by Business Toolkit for Better Schools, including
- Make the case that the global economy demands higher expectations, a renewed commitment to math and science investments and data-driven decision making
- Join or start local or statewide nonprofit coalitions of like-minded business leaders to advance education reform
- Organize, support and partner with education, civic and political allies
- Serve on local, statewide and national school boards, commissions and task forces
- Lobby in the capitol or city hall for responsible public policy; contribute to political campaigns or ballot initiatives
Indicators of Success
In 2004, the Chamber and AISD re-launched Austin Partners in Education as an independent, non-profit entity, to enhance its stature, fund-raising capability and long-term sustainability. The Chamber was instrumental in developing a strategic plan for the new nonprofit. APIE has committed to conducting internal and external evaluations to ensure the appropriate student populations are being reached and the funding streams are consistent and sustainable.
On the advocacy front, the Texas Legislature passed HB 1 in May of 2006, increasing the state's math and science course requirements and building a statewide effort to increase college-going rates. Beginning in 2007-08, all entering 9th grade students will be automatically enrolled in a high school curriculum that requires four years of math and science, as well as rigorous requirements in the other core and critical areas.
Next Steps
Since the passage of HB 1, the Chamber has increased its efforts to ensure all students complete a rigorous course of study in high school. Although the state legislature passed the bill, the State Board of Education has authority over the implementation of the policy. The Chamber formed the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce Task Force on Math/Science, a coalition of thirty corporations, business groups, educators, and policymakers, to focus on a quick and efficient implementation of the new requirements and lobby the State Board to keep the bar high. Though the State Board punted on some key implementation decisions, the Chamber knows that successful advocacy takes time and it will continue to press for more rigor and higher standards.
Related Content
Web site
Planning Documents
Materials for the Public
- The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce 2005 Community Progress Report on the Austin Independent School District
- Press Release, Sept. 13, 2006
Updated: March 2007
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