A clear path to the future
2015 REPORT
Building the strongest educational pipeline in the country
PRESENT AT THE INCEPTION
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Sylvia Acevedo
Roderick Emanuel
Steve Kinslow
Nikki Salzillo
Yolanda Almendarez
Karen Embry Jenlink
Barbara Knaggs
Vanessa Sarria
Ray Almgren
Gary Farmer
Jason Robert Kovac
Drew Scheberle
Raul Alvarez
Jimmy Ferguson
Gregory Kozmetsky
Will Schlotter
Robert Amezcua
John Fitzpatrick
Anna Lamb
Randi Shade
Erin Denise Atwood
Betty Sue Flowers
Sterling Lands
Patty Shafer
Gene Austin
Richard Fonte
Steve Laukhuf
Ed Sharpe
Amy Averett
Pat Forgione
Marissa Limon
David Shaw
Charles Avery
Amor Forwood
Michael Lofton
Sam Shomaker
David Balch
Robert Franco
Libby Malone
Jon Sloan
Ellen Balthazar
Arnold Garcia
Andy Martinez
Martha Smiley
Rick Bateman
Myndi Garrett
Jackie Mata
Evan Smith
Margarine Beaman
Rodney Gibbs
Margaretta Mathis
Patti Smith
Valinda Bolton
Richard Glasco
Earl Maxwell
Phylis Snodgrass
Hollis Bone
Elizabeth Gonzales
Nyle Maxwell
Suki Steinhauser
Carmel Borders
Kristin Gossett
Jack McDonald
Mark Strama
Terry Bray
Sandy Gottesman
Nancy McDonald
Ronald Swain
Barrie Breed
Hannah Gourgey
Susan McDowell
Steve Swanson
Kathrin Brewer
Sherri Greenberg
Linda Medina
Mike Swayze
Don Brown
Joene Grissom
Lynn Meredith
Meredith A Taylor
Sam Bryant
Janis Guerrero
Alan Miller
Larry Temple
Rick Burciaga
Jeff Hahn
Barbara Mink
David Thompson
Edna Butts
Jay Hailey
Janet Mitchell
Danette Toone
Sue Carpenter
Richard Halpin
Mark Mitchell
Denise Trauth
John Carroll
Janet Harman
Kerry Keith Mix
B Valdez
Paul Carrozza
Martha Harris
Dick Moeller
Melinda Valdez
Tom Cedel
Eric Harslem
Meg Moore
Gregory Vincent
K.C. Cerney
Mike Heiligenstein
Charles Owen
Jim Walker
Lyn Chasteen
Brenda L. Hellyer
Raymund Paredes
Marina Walne
Jesus Chavez
Suzanne Hershey
Joseph C. Parker, Jr.
Kirk Watson
Amy Chronis
Gerald Hill
Krystal Leigh Peralez
Nola Wellman
Mike Clifford
Jon Hockenyos
Stephanie M. Phillips
Katy Wells
Diane Cox
Donna Howard
Christy Ponce
Susan Wendel
Ashton Cumberbatch
Linda Huynh
Michelle Pope
Mark Williams
Mark Curry
Bill Imhoff
Rebecca Powers
Taylor Willingham
Susan Dawson
Steve Jackobs
Patrick Pringle
Lloyd Wilson
Matt DeFerranti
Keith Jackson
MariBen Ramsey
Bill Wilson
Bob Digneo
Barbara Johnson
Jeffrey Richard
Pete Winstead
Sandy Dochen
Joseph Jones
Veronica Rivera
Rebecca Young
Margo Dover
Pat Kelly
Mike Rollins
Blanca Zamora-Garcia
Doots Dufour
Laura Kilcrease
Rene Ruiz
Ken Zornes
Charles Dupre
Andrew Kim
Bob Rutishauser
Diana Zuniga
Pete Dwyer
Sun-Yun Kim
Debra Salge
Melinda Ellis
Gail King
Carlos Salinas
The Blueprint for Educational ChangeTM
JANUARY 28, 2008: 150 LEADERS LOCKED IN A ROOM TO COMMIT TO EDUCATION. There we were on a chilly day in a conference room with no windows. The walls showed no view, but they held great vision. A bold vision that our economic vitality could lead the nation, if our education system was peerless. Simply put: We saw our community’s prosperity through the success of our educated children. Business CEO’s across virtually every industry. College Presidents from across the region. Superintendents. Political Leaders. Community Leaders. We were there because, even though we were slowly improving on almost every educational outcome, we were losing ground in a 21st century global economy. We were doing great things in education — thousands of disparate great things often competing for funding, sometimes redundant, sometimes actually in conflict. Our vision needed to change and with that vision our commitment to education. Our economic future depended on real systemic change. That chilly day, we reviewed and discussed data coming from the state’s first comprehensive regional education profile. We looked at the priorities that emerged from thousands of hours of community dialogues on education. We debated. We discussed. We voted. We debated more. Ultimately, we came up with four overarching goals that became the priorities driving our regional strategic plan to build the strongest educational pipeline in the country: The Blueprint for Educational ChangeTM There’s no doubt that we’ve made tremendous progress: Creating the first student-centered standard for Kindergarten Readiness in the history of the state and using it to measure progress in 15 school districts. Demonstrating a model for transforming middle school teaching and learning that is poised to scale to a tipping point for change across our region. Increasing the pipeline of students preparing for STEM careers by over 560% in 7 years — growth that is unprecedented in the country. Returning over $20M in funding to Central Texas school districts through a coordinated regional campaign to improve student attendance. Aligning around the first regional plan for increasing college persistence in Texas. We set our objectives for 2015 and now it’s here. You’ll see in this report our tremendous progress toward those objectives. Systems change is happening. But you’ll also see that we have much further to go. So we have set new targets for 2020, and now we must redouble our efforts. On behalf of the 150 people in that room in January 2008, and the many hundreds of people, organizations, institutions, businesses, and individual volunteers who have been part of this journey, and the tens of thousands of hours spent in the difficult work of changing systems, we thank you for your tireless commitment. We ask that you continue the Blueprint journey with us.
Earl Maxwell
HANNAH GOURGEY
CEO, ST. DAVID’S FOUNDATION
VICE PRESIDENT, E3 ALLIANCE
SUSAN DAWSON PRESIDENT, E3 ALLIANCE
Denise Trauth
SYLVIA ACEVEDO
PRESIDENT, TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY
CEO AND FOUNDER OF COMMUNICARD, LLC
JESUS CHAVEZ
KIRK WATSON
ED SHARPE
PETE WINSTEAD FOUNDING SHAREHOLDER, WINSTEAD PC
STATE SENATOR
FORMER SUPERINTENDENT, RRISD
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
2015 Report
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THE BLUEPRINT’S GUIDING PRINCIPLES BUILDING THE STRONGEST EDUCATIONAL PIPELINE IN THE COUNTRY From its auspicious beginning in 2008, The Blueprint for Educational Change is exactly that: it is a plan designed by our community leaders, but brought to life by the universe of highly-skilled, incredibly-dedicated and passionate practitioners charged with bringing high quality teaching and learning into every classroom, every after-school program, every childcare center, every family room in Central Texas. Charting a course toward Kindergarten Readiness, Eliminating Achievement Gaps, High School, College and Career Success, and ultimately toward a Culture of Community Accountability in Education – charting such a course is as powerful as it is complex, and must be guided by a set of principles that can outlast inevitable changes in our partners across Central Texas.
And so, the work of The Blueprint for Educational Change is: 1. Led and implemented by the community our partners across all sectors whose missions may differ but who are united by the vision of a strong education pipeline for all our children. 2. Grounded in data and focused on results through positive change finding the many promising practices already underway in our community and bringing them to light and to scale. 3. Inclusive and regional recognizing the interdependence between education and community organizations, higher education, and businesses as they strive for our social, civic and economic vitality. 4. Catalytic and bold acknowledging that innovation often requires big change, and that such big change must start small and take risks to achieve systems transformation. 5. About the students and their families framing the conversation to always look to our vision and hope for their and our education achievement and economic prosperity, Our North Star.
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The Blueprint for Educational ChangeTM
WE ARE CENTRAL TEXAS!
We
are 495 Schools and 327,772 students
and their families from Pre-K – 12th Grade. We
are 8 Colleges and Universities with 120,692
undergraduates and 18,474 graduate students.
We
are 150+ Businesses and Industry Networks.
We
are 25+ Community-based Organizations
and State Agencies.
We
are 50+ Public and Private Education Investors.
We
are Dynamic and Diverse!
We
are The
Blueprint for Educational Change!
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Goal:
1
SCHOOL READINESS All Children Enter Kindergarten School Ready
53% Ready
47% Not Ready
Almost Half of Central Texas Students Not Ready for Kindergarden1
Children who participate in high quality Pre-K programs2 More likely to read on grade level
OBJECTIVES: • 70% of children enter Kindergarten school ready by 2020 • All eligible children enrolled in a Pre-K program by 2020
More likely to graduate high school More likely to attend college More likely to earn more and have a stable job
• The percentages of chronically-absent children in public Pre-K is reduced from 20% to 10% by 2020 $9 Return
“ Having a school readiness standard linking pre-K to K has been invaluable ensuring our children are ready for school when they start Kindergarten. The training our Kindergarten teachers received and the Kindergarten Readiness assessment helped them more effectively tailor instruction at the very start of the Kindergarten year, so that we can make the most out of that year, and put the students on a pathway to success.” Stephanie Bonnet-Kramer, Early Childhood Administrator, Hays CISD
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The Blueprint for Educational ChangeTM
$1 Invested
Every $1 invested in quality early care and education saves taxpayers up to $9 in future costs.3
SCHOOL READINESS
REGIONAL INITIATIVE HIGHLIGHTS Ready, Set, K! In 2008, E3 Alliance convened a School Readiness Taskforce of experts from across the region who worked almost two years to develop Ready, Set, K!, a guide with instructional practices and developmental interventions for Pre-K and Kindergarten teachers and evidence-based measures of school readiness for Kindergarteners – the first such student-centered, multi-competency standard for school readiness in Texas. • Education Service Center Region 13 and E3 Alliance trained hundreds of Pre-K and Kindergarten teachers in instructional practices and rubrics to support student school readiness through Ready, Set, K!. • Since 2010, Ready, Set, K! has provided the most comprehensive, student-centered assessment of readiness available anywhere in the state. These results have been used by teachers and districts, as well as our region, in powerful ways: Because of the very strong correlation between Pre-K attendance and readiness, Ready, Set, K! data helped inform both school districts and legislators to sustain Pre-K funding. Research shows that there is a link between full day Pre-K programs with low student to teacher ratios and greater school readiness , giving districts concrete practices to implement. Ready, Set, K! data has been leveraged by community based organizations to accelerate the work for Kindergarten Readiness in Central Texas, as well as the School Readiness Action Plan for Travis County, led by Success by 6. E3 Alliance continues research linking attendance to School Readiness and student achievement AARO’s Big Bet in Education In 2014 E3 Alliance worked closely with the Austin Area Research Organization’s Education Committee to launch an initiative to enroll every eligible child not currently in a child care program into pre-K. Every year in Central Texas, over 2,000 low-income 4-year-olds are eligible for FREE public school Pre-K, but they don’t enroll. By enrolling these eligible 4-year-olds in high quality Pre-K, our region could see a $30M return on investment over the students’ lifetimes, per annual cohort of students. School Readiness Parent Guide Ready, Set, K! shows that children at home or with a relative in the year prior to Kindergarten were less prepared for school than peers in Pre-K or child care programs. Just as Ready, Set, K! helps teachers build and measure school readiness, the School Readiness Parent Guide helps parents help their children develop these skills. The Guide was redesigned in 2014 to focus on activities that build persistence, problem solving, self-regulation, communications and emerging literacy and math skills within the home environment. Many community partners and Austin ISD strengthened the guide to make it easy to read and use in English and Spanish. A grant from the Kellogg Foundation helped to make this work possible.
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The School Readiness Action Plan for Travis County As Part of the School Readiness Action Plan Leadership Team facilitated by United Way for Greater Austin, E3 Alliance works with partners such as KLRU, Capital Area Workforce Solutions, ESC Region 13, Travis County Health and Human Services, City of Austin Early Childhood Council and Health and Human Services, Child, Inc., Children’s Optimal Health, Central Texas Literacy Coalition, Austin Community College and the Community Advancement Network to strategically align goals and strategies so that all children are ready for school when they enter Kindergarten. Especially exciting are two new efforts that focus on dual-generation education and enrolling more 3 year olds in high-quality early education. The Blueprint measure of Kindergarten Readiness developed with the leadership of Success By 6 helps to guide this work. The National Campaign for Grade Level Reading Central Texas is a leader in the Campaign for Grade Level Reading, working to improve school readiness, decrease chronic absences, and increase summer learning opportunities so that all children are reading on grade level by 3rd grade. E3 Alliance facilitates the work of the campaign in Central Texas and has received a Pacesetter award to honor the efforts to mobilize civic, business and community leaders to work with school, libraries and other organizations, together with the School Readiness Action Plan, the Central Texas After School Network, the Missing School Matters Taskforce, KLRU, and other community partners. National League of Cities The City of Austin has been working closely with the National League of Cities to learn from communities around the nation on how to better align systems to promote school readiness. E3 Alliance as well as Travis County, Austin ISD, and United Way for Greater Austin have been key learning partners to better understand and implement best practice approaches in data collection, governance, parent engagement and strategic alignment of resources. Children Enter Kindergarten School Ready4
2010*
2011
2012
2013
2014**
Overall
52%
51%
56%
53%
53%
Girls
61%
63%
63%
59%
61%
Boys
44%
40%
49%
47%
46%
Non-Low Income
66%
63%
68%
64%
65%
Low Income
39%
40%
45%
44%
42%
Attended a Pre-Program
55%
55%
58%
58%
55%
Did Not Attend a Pre-K Program Eligible 4-Year Olds Enrolled in Public Pre-K5 Central Texas Region
39%
38%
42%
46%
42%
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
76%
79%
80%
78%
77%
28%
33%
31%
31%
34%
Early Childhood Programs in Quality Improvement and Accreditation Programs6 Licensed Child Care Quality-Rated Capacity *Kindergarten Readiness Measure began in 2010. **Kindergarten Readiness Measure revised slightly.
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The Blueprint for Educational ChangeTM
Progresss toward Goal
Trend
SCHOOL READINESS
SUCCESS INDICATORS ARCHITECT OF CHANGE Brian Mowry is the primary author of Ready, Set, K!, the first multi-competency Kindergarten Readiness Assessment in Texas. Brian served on the School District Readiness Taskforce, where he volunteered his expertise in school readiness and knowledge and passion for authentic assessment to develop the assessments and instructional tools in Ready, Set, K! as well as training modules for teachers. His leadership and vision has given Central Texas an invaluable tool in measuring the readiness of our students, while continuing to enhance readiness through instruction. He continues to train Kindergarten teachers every year to promote an ongoing cycle of teaching and assessment to improve readiness with Ready, Set, K!. Mowry has worked in the Austin Independent School District for 23 years, teaching bilingual prekindergarten and kindergarten serving as a K-5 mathematics support specialist, writing curriculum and providing teacher in-service training. Brian has been named Teacher of the Year and the Austin Association for Education of Young Children Teacher Educator of the Year, has authored a national textbook curriculum in mathematics, and has presented at several national and state conferences.
WHAT CAN YOU DO? Educators:
• Participate in the Central Texas Kindergarten Readiness Study
• Encourage teacher professional development opportunities that support Pre-K teachers
• Streamline Pre-K registration process to ensure parents can more easily enroll eligible children
Community Partners:
• Broaden outreach to parents to encourage eligible children to enroll in public Pre-K programs
• Support the School Readiness Action Plan in Travis County, and help broaden strategies to other regions
• Encourage regular attendance in high quality early education programs for all children
Business Leaders:
• Distribute information to employees on the importance of early care and education
• Get a School Readiness Parent Guide in the hands of employees and clients with school aged children • Support parents of young children through family friendly business practices: flexible leave policies; flexible schedules; working from home; and providing child care resources
FOLLOW THE PLAYBOOK! Parents are our children’s first teachers — Let’s equip them with the tools they need to make sure their children start school ready to learn and succeed. Share the Parent Guide for School Readiness with your colleagues, friends and family, it's our playbook to get kids in the game! Contact Laura Koenig at lkoenig@e3alliance.org for more information about printing needs, distribution opportunities and making sure “There’s an App for That!”
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40% GAP
Goal:
2
Between black and white students on 8th grade STAAR test7
ELIMINATE ACHIEVEMENT GAPS 2/3
Central Texas Eliminates Achievement Gaps While Improving Overall Student Performance
OBJECTIVES: Summer Learning Loss accounts for about two-third of the 9th grade achievement gap in reading8
• 70% of all 8th graders in every subpopulation meet the Satisfactory Performance Standard (Phase II, Level II) as determined by the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) by 2020
“ The #1 thing that E3 Alliance has done for us is brought districts to the table around critical issues that we have never collaborated on before. It’s a case of building trust.” Bret Champion,
Average # of Absences
• 95% of all 8th and 9th graders are absent 6 days or less for the entire school year by 2020 14 12 10 8
12.0 12.5
10.0 10.5
13.4
6 4 2 0
Superintendent, Leander ISD
Central Texas low income highschool students miss more school than students in all other urban areas in Texas9 El Paso
Dallas
San Antonio
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The Blueprint for Educational ChangeTM
Houston
Central Texas
ELIMINATE ACHIEVEMENT GAPS
REGIONAL INITIATIVE HIGHLIGHTS Summer Learning & Out of School Time National studies show that schools alone cannot eliminate achievement gaps. High quality summer and out of school programs for students help to remediate, reinforce and elevate learning. Through a partnership with the KDK-Harman Foundation and the Central Texas Afterschool Network, a county-wide needs assessment and asset mapping project is nearing completion. This first phase of work lays the ground work to build a common agenda leading to a thriving ecosystem of out of school and summer learning programming. English Language Learner Rubric for Highly Functioning Campuses Pilot The ELL Rubric pilot launched this fall with 16 elementary and secondary schools from seven
participating school districts. To support the implementation of the Rubric, participants attended four workshops aligned to best practices outlined in the ELL Rubric. Through this pilot, nearly 5000 of Central Texas English Language Learners will benefit from the best practices detailed in the regional Bright Spots Study for English Language Learners, as well as national research into practices to better help our ELLs learn at high levels.
Central Texas Council on Educator Preparation The Central Texas Council on Educator Preparation (CTCEP) consists of school districts, Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) and teacher alternative certification programs from across the region working together to better align the teacher pipeline. CTCEP has identified skills and knowledge for new teachers and field experiences for teacher candidates desired by districts and EPPs. CTCEP is using this information to develop relevant curricula and agreements for improved teacher preparation across the region in critical areas such as Bilingual Education, as well as working to identify and eliminate barriers in the educator pipeline. RAISEup Texas Six demonstration schools in districts across the region just completed a ground-breaking demonstration project to transform middle school teaching and learning using the University of Kansas Strategic Instruction Model. Struggling middle school students in RAISEup Texas schools drastically outperformed their nationally-normed peers, with over 10 times the point gains in pre- versus post-tests at every grade level. RAISEup Texas is now poised to rapidly expand across the region, targeting 28,000 students in 16 middle schools with high concentrations of struggling learners over the next five years. Kids Vision for Life Kids Vision for Life Central Texas launched as a separate initiative in the Fall of 2013 to provide free eyeglasses for students with problem vision across the region. E3 Alliance is the evaluation partner proving ground-breaking national research into the impact of vision improvement on student success.
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SUCCESS INDICATORS Student Passing Rates (STAAR, Phase II, Level II)10*
2012**
2013
2014
Mathematics
40%
37%
43%
Reading
51%
58%
53%
Mathematics
48%
47%
54%
Reading
54%
61%
58%
Mathematics
79%
76%
82%
Reading
84%
86%
85%
Mathematics
89%
87%
93%
Reading
83%
87%
87%
Mathematics
44%
43%
48%
Reading
50%
56%
53%
Mathematics
78%
76%
81%
Reading
83%
87%
85%
Progresss toward Goal
Trend
Black 8th Grade Students
Hispanic 8th Grade Students
White 8th Grade Students
Asian 8th Grade Students
Low Income 8th Grade Students
Non-Low Income 8th Grade Students
Attendance Rate Progress toward 95% absent ≤ 6 days 8th Grade Overall 9th Grade Overall
New Objective: Benchmarking in 2015 New Objective: Benchmarking in 2015
*Note: STAAR Level II, Phase II represents the most recent guidance to school districts regarding student achievement that is demonstrating performance on track to college and career readiness by high school graduation. **STAAR is the new state assessment implemented in 2012, Achievement Gap indicators prior to 2012 used TAKS. Please refer to the E3 Alliance website for more data regarding student performance on TAKS.
% of Students Chronically Absent
15
12.2 10
9.1
8.2 7.2
5
0
5.9
5.4
5th Grade
6.5
6.6
5.9 5.3
6th Grade
7th Grade
Low Income
8th Grade
Low income students twice as likely to be chronically absent by High School.11
9th Grade
Non Low Income
ARCHITECT OF CHANGE Leander ISD is a true leader for educational change in Central Texas. The district is a model of regional collaboration – working with Blueprint partners to share best practices, build expertise and drive toward excellence in education for every child throughout the region. Leander leaders, administrators, principals and teachers not only volunteer on Blueprint leader teams and collaboratives, but:
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The Blueprint for Educational ChangeTM
ELIMINATE ACHIEVEMENT GAPS
• Helped develop the first school readiness standard in the state, Ready, Set, K!,
• Committed and leveraged resources to build out the STEM pipeline, adding engineering courses in every high school, • Demonstrated the power of RAISEup Texas in Wiley Middle School, one of only four schools in the country to be honored with a national SIM Impact Award, • Participated in the first Get Schooled regional attendance challenge in which Leander High won a national first place honor. Every time the opportunity arises to leverage powerful data in decision-making, work collaboratively across traditional campus and district boundaries, and set an example of embracing systems change, Leander ISD is there and ready to lead as a true Architect of Change.
WHAT CAN YOU DO? All:
• Share the Attendance Parent Guide with all families
• Stay in school and stay healthy: get your flu vaccine
Educators: • Actively participate in E3-3D presentations, collaboratives and symposia to assist in identifying best practices to eliminate achievement gaps • Keep E3 Alliance staff informed about the pressing issues and best practices in your school district
Community Partners: • Coordinate summer learning activities for low income students to help stem summer learning loss
• Join a school or district advisory or decision-making committee
Business Leaders: • Recruit employees to become mentors, tutors, or academic coaches at a high needs middle school
• Coordinate with E3 Alliance to host an employee forum focused on education
• Share the Attendance Parent Guide with employees, suppliers and customers
GET BEHIND THE GAME CHANGER! RAISEup Texas is a proven, compelling program ready to be scaled to transform middle school teaching and learning across our region and beyond. Your investment in the regional expansion of RAISEup Texas will help change the lives of over 28,000 students over the next five years. You can create a tipping point for sustainable population-level change across our region! Contact Karl Nichols at knichols@e3alliance.org to be a part of it.
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Goal:
65%
3
of all jobs will require credential beyond High School by 202012
HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE & CAREER SUCCESS Students Graduate College and Career Ready and Prepared for a Lifetime of Learning
OBJECTIVES: Earning increase with each successive credential13
• 95% Central Texas high school students graduate “on time” by 2020 • 70% Enroll in higher education within one year of graduation by 2020 • 55% Complete a postsecondary credential within 6 years of enrolling by 2020
“ E3 Alliance’s outstanding data analysis work on career pathways is a real “best seller” that we should all have on our bookshelves to guide our work!” Dr. Daniel A. Brown, Dean of University College, Texas State University
36% 11%
Low Income
Non-Low Income
Earn a higher ed credential within 6 years.14
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HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE & CAREER SUCCESS
REGIONAL INITIATIVE HIGHLIGHTS
Austin
College Access Network (ACAN)
• ACAN is a collaborative of seven community-based organizations working with regional higher education institutions dedicated to improving first generation student college participation and success. ACAN has increased 6-fold the number of students receiving support services in the last six years to over 7500 primarily low income and first generation students, 2000 of whom are already in college. • ACAN has implemented a common FERPA-compliant student data release form, the first of its kind in the nation, enabling Austin Community College, Texas State University, and Concordia University to work collaboratively to improve college completion for ACAN students. • ACAN created and delivered counseling workshops on key topics supporting student access and success, including New Texas Success Initiative (TSI) Assessment, College Advising for Immigrant Students, and Fresh Start: Transitioning from High School to College, reaching over 300 counselors, coaches and student success practitioners across Central Texas to help them more effectively advise low income and first generation students. • Through the ACAN Student Success Practitioners Council, institutions of higher education from across the region work together to share best practices to improve supportive services, identify student trends and institutional policies that may inadvertently serve as a barriers to student success.
Pathways
of Promise
• With the support of the Greater Texas Foundation, E3 Alliance completed a qualitative and quantitative study unprecedented in the country, comparing postsecondary success outcomes for students in differing high school Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways. The Pathways of Promise study showed higher rates of graduation for students who completed more CTE courses. Four school districts have partnered with E3 to develop strategies to fortify and align secondary to postsecondary career pathways to support greater student success. • Since 2007-08, over two dozen school district, higher education, and industry partners have been working with E3 Alliance to strengthen critically important STEM pathways. There are now 8,398 middle and high school students in the PLTW Engineering and Computer Science Pipeline, an increase of over 560% since 2008 – growth that we believe is unprecedented in the nation. • 14 Central Texas school districts have made the commitment to baseline and increase the number industry certificates earned by students annually. In 2013-14, 7,622 industry certificates where earned; yet only 6% of these reside in the career clusters of STEM, IT, Health Science and Education which are critical in meeting regional workforce demand.
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SUCCESS INDICATORS HS Class of ’07
HS Class of ’08
HS Class of ’09
*
*
Graduation rate16
77%
% Graduated on Recommended or Distinguished Plan17 % Graduates Meeting State College & Career Standards18
Students Completing College & Career Ready % Seniors Rigorous Coursework
15
HS Class of ’10
HS Class of ’11
HS Class of ’12
HS Class of ’13
*
53%
54%
55%
53%
78%
80%
84%
85%
88%
89%
80%
82%
82%
82%
79%
80%
82%
43%
47%
53%
58%
59%
62%
62%
$5810
NA
Median Annual Wage in First Year After HS Graduation19
Prepared for a Lifetime of Learning 62%
61%
61%
61%
60%
58%
57%
% College Students Persisting in Higher Education (Freshman to Sophomore)21
83%
83%
82%
81%
81%
80%
NA
HS Class of ’04
HS Class of ’05
HS Class of ’06
HS Class of ’07
48%
47%
48%
48%
% College Students Obtaining Postsecondary Credential Within 6 Years of Enrollment22
HS Class of ’03 49%
Progresss toward Goal
*articulated credit data not available
ARCHITECT OF CHANGE Over the last six years, TG has been a vital thought partner with E3 Alliance and ACAN in a platform of collective impact, amplifying our efforts and encouraging us to step outside our comfort zones, to build deep relationships with organizations throughout Central Texas with a common mission of improving postsecondary access and success for underserved students. ACAN partners have forged innovative practices at a scale that moves beyond serving ACAN students and endeavors to improve college access and completion at a regional level. The strategic investments of TG have allowed ACAN to conduct objective program evaluations and supported the creation of a “common agenda” with IHE partners, focusing on college persistence and transfer success for low-income, minority, and first-generation students. Through this partnership, sustained by a multi-year financial commitment to collective impact, The Austin College Access Network (ACAN) has gained national recognition for promising practices in college access and success and as a model for a national college access network. TG has deepened our community’s partnership to use data-driven decision-making to improve student outcomes throughout Central Texas.
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The Blueprint for Educational ChangeTM
Trend
Progress toward Goal New Objective
% Graduates Enrolling in Texas Colleges within 1 Year of HS Graduation20
Students Succeed in Workforce Entry
Progresss toward Goal
Trend
HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE & CAREER SUCCESS
WHAT CAN YOU DO? Educators: • Partner with community-based organizations on your campuses to improve college preparation, financial planning and student supports, especially for low income and first generation students • Connect with business and local colleges to fortify career pathways with a focus on alignment to postsecondary
• Attend and support student participation in College Signing Day on May 1, 2015
Community Partners: • Support efforts by ACAN, the Austin Chamber, and community-based organizations to improve college readiness, graduation and FAFSA/TAFSA completion which is shown to increase direct-to-college enrollment • Share information with your participants about HB 5 and the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) Repository • Volunteer your time to promote college readiness by connecting with member organizations of Austin College Access Network (ACAN)
Business Leaders: • Provide applied approaches and industry-specific examples for teachers to increase relevance and career awareness • Provide work-based learning opportunities to students (e.g. mentoring, job shadowing, summer internships) • Provide input to the education community on skills and industry certifications needed for career entry in your field, especially to guide advanced courses in career pathways required by HB 5
HELP STUDENTS WIN THE GAME! We celebrate football signing day and basketball signing day… how about we make it a trifecta and kick-off College Signing Day. Join our High School Seniors on May 1st as they "sign with" the colleges of their choice. Make it an organizational event and show your college pride on May 1st! Register your commitment to a regional effort that 70% of our graduating senior enroll directly into college. Visit e3alliance.org/collegesigningday for more information and contact Christine Bailie at cbailie@e3alliance.org to find out how to connect. See you there!
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Goal:
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COMMUNITY ACCOUNTABILITY Central Texas as a Community Prepares Children to Succeed
1/2
of student success due to factors outside of school23
$20,000
OBJECTIVES: By 2020, our region has a pervasive culture of shared accountability for all student success • Increase stakeholder sense of accountability to support the success of students in Central Texas, even if they don’t have children of their own, to 96%
Each High Shool loses per week due to student absences24
• Decrease student absences by 2 percentage points, or 3 days per student per year, to return $34M annually to Central Texas schools
“ The work of promoting a culture of success for all students in our region to create a qualified, home-grown, career-ready workforce is critical to our future prosperity. E3 Alliance is working hard to ensure that community accountability is more than a slogan and becomes the rallying point for community members, businesses, educators and families in our region.” Alex Gonzales, Shareholder, Winstead PC
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$20M saved for Central Texas Schools since Missing School Matters launched25
COMMUNITY ACCOUNTABILITY
SUCCESS INDICATORS 2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Stakeholders reporting sense of accountability for student success, even with no children of their own in the education system26
NA
NA
NA
NA
92%
# Education, community and business groups participating in collaborative Blueprint efforts
127
171
202
242
285
# Stories per year in print media, television, or radio broadcasts
11
16
20
33
43
# Educators, business leaders, community and collaborative partners involved in Missing School Matters campaign (cumulative)
NA
NA
250
384
422
# Central Texas students involved in the Get Schooled Attendance Challenge
NA
NA
20,000
17,000
24,524
% Increase in average student attendance in participating Get Schooled Challenge Schools27
NA
NA
2.2%
.2%
.25%
Cumulative revenue to school districts through improved attendance since Campaign launched
NA
NA
$7.6 Million
$12 Million
$20
REGIONAL INITIATIVE HIGHLIGHTS
Missing
School Matters Taskforce
Starting in spring 2011, the Missing School Matters outreach has been promoting a culture of student attendance in our region. The campaign focuses on “triple bottom line” positive impact: students need to be present in the classroom to learn, teachers need consistency of attendance to effectively teach, and school districts need state funding that is based on attendance to provide precious resources and services to all students. The Missing School Matters Campaign came about due to some remarkable data:
• The year before the Missing school Matters campaign was launched there were 2.4 million student absences in Central Texas.28 • High school students who missed 10 or more school days a year were 3 times more likely to drop out than those who missed 5 or fewer days.29 • Because schools are paid based on student attendance, costs add up rapidly. In total, Central Texas loses $91 million in school funding every year because of student absences.30
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Since 2011, over $20 million dollars has been returned to school districts in our region due to decreased student absences despite rapidly increasing student enrollment. Community and business partners have been valuable partners in this work: from Blue and Brown Santa have disseminated over 7500 holiday attendance flyers annually, to Yellow Cab of Austin placing MSM signs on their cabs in key routes across the city, to PSAs in Texas Monthly, to HEB and ABC Home & Commercial Services distributing the Parent Guide for Attendance to homes as refrigerator magnets. UT football greats Vince Young and Ricky Williams have helped get the message of attendance out to students and parents, visiting schools, recording PSAs, and giving away signed footballs. Get
Schooled Central Texas Attendance Challenge
Starting in the fall of 2012, a coordinated attendance challenge in Central Texas has involved over 20,000 middle and high students each year to improve their attendance. Schools and students have been engaging in a friendly competition to see which school can earn the most points by improving attendance and participating in online educational activities and games that encourage a college-going culture among students. The winning middle and high school each earned a $5,000 cash prize for their school and school-wide celebration of their success. Regional
Flu Immunization Campaigne
In 2013, E3 Alliance conducted a nationally ground-breaking Absence Reasons Study indicating that almost half of student absences are due to acute illness, and there is a very high correlation between absence spikes and county flu outbreaks. Based on this data, E3 Alliance led a broad coalition in the fall of 2014 to undertake the largest in-school flu immunization campaign ever in the state of Texas. Over 6500 immunizations were administered at on-campus clinics in 55 Central Texas elementary schools in five school districts in one week. Plans are already being formed to triple the size of the flu immunization campaign in 2015.
ARCHITECT OF CHANGE Austin Area Research Organization (AARO) was there at the birth of E3 Alliance, helping to launch what has become a premier model for collective impact in education in the country. AARO leaders helped to craft and launch our original strategic plan to build the strongest educational pipeline in the country: The Blueprint for Educational Change. AARO reorganized its committee structure to directly support the Community Accountability Team, using AARO members’ influence and leadership to help build a broad and deep culture of responsibility in our region for high educational outcomes for ALL of our students. AARO remains a strong and committed leader of the goals of the Blueprint, acting as a true Architect for Change.
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COMMUNITY ACCOUNTABILITY
WHAT CAN YOU DO? Educators: • Make presentations on the importance of attendance at your school back-to-school nights, PTA meetings, parent groups • Visit www.missingschoolmatters.org and use the many resources available for presentations and outreach
Community Partners:
• Make Missing School Matters presentations to your stakeholder groups
• Work with parents, families and stakeholders to create a sense of accountability for high educational outcomes for EVERY child
Business Leaders:
• Download and put up Missing School Matters posters at work
• Place articles in your business or organizational newsletter
• Sponsor Missing School Matters by providing printing and disseminating flyers, producing and disseminating parent guide magnets, running co-branded PSAs, etc.
HELP OUR STUDENTS BE PRESENT TO WIN! Missing School Matters! School Attendance can be one of our region’s greatest assets: students learn when they are in the classroom, teachers can teach effectively and complete their lesson plans, and our school districts receive precious funding they can use to provide sport programs and student services. Our goal is to put a “Attendance Parent Guide” magnet on every family fridge! Contact Khotan Shahbazi-Harmon at kharmon@e3alliance.org to help us produce and distribute these magnets in our region.
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TRANSFORMATION THROUGH COLLABORATION The work of The Blueprint for Educational Change highlights both the importance and the transformative power of systemic change. By undertaking collaborative action, our region can realize the exponential effects of improved student outcomes and civic engagement that lead to greater economic prosperity for our community and our future. Transforming systems is much more than just partnering or sharing common metrics — it means investment, shared ownership and sustained commitment. The commitment is not to change the lives of a handful of children in a given school or neighborhood through one program (no matter how strong). Instead, such commitment means that we expect results not for 60 children but for 60,000; not for one middle school but for all our 68 middle schools; not for one demographic but for all. E3 Alliance helps to facilitate and orchestrate transformation through collaborative action, fueling the work of the Blueprint through objective data-driven decision making, bringing together communities, creating a commitment to change, and ultimately changing not just practices but systems.
CHANGE SYSTEMS
CHANGE PRACTICES & BUILD CAPACITY
THEORY OF CHANGE FORGE COLLABORATION
BUILD COMMON AGENDA IDENTIFY DATA INSIGHTS
CONVENE STAKEHOLDERS
CREATING COMMITMENT TO CHANGE
BUILDING COMMUNITY
OBJECTIVE DATA-DRIVEN DECISION MAKING
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SUSTAINING A CULTURE OF HIGH PERFORMANCE
WHO IS PART OF THIS COLLABORATIVE ACTION? ALLIANCE DISTRICTS have an ongoing, formal relationship with E3 Alliance for joint planning with superintendents and district leaders, detailed data sharing, regional grant opportunities, sharing of practices and other ongoing collaboration. Austin ISD Bastrop ISD Del Valle ISD Eanes ISD Elgin ISD Hays CISD Hutto ISD Lake Travis ISD Leander ISD Manor ISD Pflugerville ISD Round Rock ISD San Marcos COALITION INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION (IHEs) are based in the Central Texas region and have an ongoing, formal relationship with E3 Alliance for regular joint planning with IHE leaders, collaborative activities and shared strategic planning and practices. Austin Community College District Concordia University Huston-Tillotson University Southwestern University St. Edward’s University Texas State University The University of Texas at Austin Western Governors University COMMUNITY GROUPS AND NONPROFITS across the region have worked with E3 Alliance on collaborative projects and initiatives, design of The Blueprint for Educational Change, joint grants and other Collective Impact activities to support higher outcomes for the students of Central Texas. American YouthWorks Any Baby Can Attendance Works Austin Area Research Organization Austin Community Foundation
Austin Interfaith Austin Opportunity Youth Collaborative Austin Partners in Education Austin Technology Council Austin Voices for Education and Youth Bastrop P-16 Partnership Early Childhood Business Alliance Breakthrough Austin Capital Academies Capital IDEA Career Expressway Central Health Central Texas After- School Network Central Texas Education Funders Charles A. Dana Center Children’s Optimal Health City of Austin College Forward CommuniCare Communities In Schools Community Advancement Network Con Mi MADRE Dell Medical School Educate Texas Education Service Center Region 13 Entrepreneurs Foundation Envision Central Texas Essilor Vision Foundation Get Schooled Foundation Girls Scouts of Central Texas Goodwill Industries Greater Austin Chamber Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber Greater Texas Foundation Greenlights for Nonprofit Success Hispanic Austin Leadership Hispanic Scholarship Consortium iACT I Live Here, I Give Here Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas Impact Austin Kids Vision Central Texas KDK Harman Foundation Leadership Austin Lifeworks Literacy Coalition National Math & Science Initiative Opportunity Austin
People’s Community Clinic Raise Your Hand Texas Ray Marshall Center Ready by 21 Coalition Rotary Clubs Seton Family of Hospitals Skillpoint Alliance St. David’s Foundation Success by 6 Sustainability Indicators Project Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering Texas Association of School Boards Texas Association of School Administrators Texas Association of School Personnel Administrators Texas Charter Schools Association Texas Education Agency Texas Education Grantmakers Advocacy Consortium Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Texas Regional Collaboratives The Women’s Fund Travis County Research and Planning United Way for Greater Austin United Ways of Texas Workforce Solutions Capital Area INITIATIVE COLLABORATORS IDEA Public Schools KIPP Austin Public Schools Mainspring Schools NYOS Charter School Texas A&M University UT Elementary Charter BUSINESS PARTNERS AND INDUSTRY GROUPS across the region have supported the work of E3 Alliance through monetary and in-kind contributions, strategic leadership, collaborative projects and initiatives, design of The Blueprint for Educational Change, and other activities to support higher outcomes for the students of Central Texas. They include over 100 organizations and are growing every day!
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ENDNOTES: E3 Alliance analysis of data gathered as part of the 2010-2014 Kindergarten Readiness Study. Hollier, D., 2013. What is the ROI on Early Childhood Education, Preschool isn’t just about school. Hawaii Business. Available online: http://www. hawaiibusiness.com/whats-the-roi-on-early-childhood-education. Accessed: Feb. 18, 2015. 3 Heckman, J.J., Moon, S.H., Pinto, R., Savelyev, P.A., Yavitz, A.Q., 2009. A Reanalysis of the HighScope Perry Preschool Program, unpublished manuscript, University of Chicago, Department of Economics. First draft, September, 2006. Available online http://jenni.uchicago.edu/perry_reanalysis/ general-090424-1808.pdf. Accessed: Feb. 18, 2015. 4 E3 Alliance analysis of data gathered as part of the 2010-2014 Kindergarten Readiness Study. 5 E3 Alliance analysis of PEIMS enrollment (fall snapshot) and attendance (summer snapshot) data at the UT Austin Education Research Center (ERC) by E3 Alliance. Denominators include students, enrolled in Kindergarten in a given school district in Central Texas, who were either low income or English Language Learners. Numerators include only those students in the denominator that attended an Early Education or PreK program at any school district in Texas in the prior year. 6 E3 Alliance analysis of data compiled by E3 Alliance Using Department of Family and Protective Services Child Care Licensing data with Children in Care reports from Workforce Solutions Capital Area and Rural Capital Area. Early Childhood Education centers with a full license, serving children under 5 that are accredited through Texas Rising Star, NAEYC, NAC, TSR! or the Kindergarten Readiness System or Head Start Centers in Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson Counties. 7 E3 Alliance analysis of 2013-14 STAAR results obtained from the Texas Education Agency. 8 Summer Can Set Kids on the Right—or Wrong—Course: An interview with Karl Alexander. National Summer Learning Association. Available online: http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.summerlearning.org/resource/collection/CB94AEC5-9C97-496F-B230-1BECDFC2DF8B/Research_Brief_02_-_ Alexander.pdf. Accessed: Feb. 18, 2015. 9 E3 Alliance analysis of PEIMS attendance data at the UT Austin ERC. 10 E3Alliance analysis of 2011-12 through 2013-14 STAAR results obtained from the Texas Education Agency. 11 E3 Alliance analysis of PEIMS attendance data at the UT Austin ERC. 12 Carnevale, A. P., Smith, N. and Stohl, J., (2013). Recovery 2020: Job Growth and Education Requirements Through 2020. Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. Available online: http://scs.georgetown.edu/departments/5/center-for-continuing-and-professional-education/ news/1052/report-recovery-2020-job-growth-and-education-requirements-through-2020. Accessed February 18, 2015. 13 American Community Survey, 2013 5-Year Estimates. 14 E3 Alliance analysis of high school graduation and higher education completion data at the UT Austin ERC. 15 E3 Alliance analysis of PEIMS course completion data at the Education Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin. Rigorous coursework was defined as Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, dual credit, or articulated credit. 16 E3 Alliance analysis of PEIMS enrollment and high school graduation data at the UT Austin ERC. 17 E3 Alliance analysis of AEIS and TAPR data from the Texas Education Agency. 18 E3 Alliance analysis of AEIS and TAPR data from the Texas Education Agency. 19 E3 Alliance analysis of high school graduation and higher education enrollment data at the UT Austin ERC for Pathways of Promise Initiative. 20 E3 Alliance analysis of high school graduation and Texas Workforce Commission wage data at the UT Austin ERC. 21 E3 Alliance analysis of higher education enrollment data at the UT Austin ERC. 22 E3 Alliance analysis of higher education enrollment and completion data at the UT Austin ERC. 23 Pil, F. and Leana, C. (2009). Applying Organizational Research to Public School Reform: The effects of teacher human and social capital on student performance. Academy of Management Journal, 52(6): 1101–1124. Available online: http://www.pitt.edu/~fritspil/Pil%20and%20Leana%20AMJ.pdf. Accessed: Feb. 18, 2015. 24 E3 Alliance analysis of PEIMS attendance data at the UT Austin ERC. 25 E3analysis of PEIMS data at UT Austin ERC for 2002-2013 and Texas Education Agency ad hoc request for 2014. 26 Ekwurzel, E.V. and Adams, L. (2013). Measuring Community Accountability in Education. Commissioned by the Community Accountability Team of the Austin Area Research Organization. 27 E3 alliance analysis of attendance data provided annually by Get Schooled that compares each school's weekly attendance during the challenge with their attendance from last year. 28 E3 Alliance analysis of PEIMS attendance data at the UT Austin ERC. 29 E3 Alliance analysis of PEIMS attendance and dropout data at the UT Austin ERC. 30 E3 Alliance analysis of PEIMS attendance data at the UT Austin ERC. 1 2
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SUMMIT PROGRAM SPONSORS
E3 ALLIANCE® FOUNDING PARTNERS
E3 ALLIANCE® INVESTORS
AARO ABC HOME & COMMERCIAL SERVICES ACF-TEGAC ALICE KLEBERG REYNOLDS FOUNDATION APPLIED MATERIALS BANK OF AMERICA BUILD-A-SIGN CENTRAL HEALTH DELL GIVING EPISCOPAL HEALTH FOUNDATION EZ CORP FOUNDATION EANES ISD GREENLIGHTS SOCIAL VENTURE PARTNERS
HEB IBM KDK-HARMAN FOUNDATION KERI AND ERIC STUMBERG FAMILY FUND THE MEADOWS FOUNDATION THE MITTE FOUNDATION NOWLIN FAMILY FUND ORSINGER FOUNDATION PHILANTHROPITCH RAISE YOUR HAND TEXAS RGK FOUNDATION ST. DAVID’S FOUNDATION SILICON LABS STATE FARM SUPERIOR HEALTHPLAN WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS – CAPITAL AREA
...and multiple individual contributors to whom we are grateful!
IN KIND DONORS ACC ELIZABETH CHRISTIAN & ASSOCIATES ESC REGION 13 MAXWELL, LOCKE & RITTER TERMINAL B TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY YELLOW CAB
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NOTES: DATA TO REMEMBER FROM THIS REPORT:
DATA I CAN USE:
ACTION AND FOLLOW-UP:
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“ The excitement is amazing. I’ve never seen broad segments of the community and educators working together like this before.”
Earl Maxwell,
Chief Executive Officer St. David's Foundation
“ E3 Alliance is focused on solving complex problems. With their research and data expertise and partnerships with education institutions and organizations across Central Texas, E3 Alliance is uniquely positioned to inform and implement data-driven policy and practice to improve outcomes for students in the region and beyond. If we want to build a successful 21st century global economy, theirs is the kind of thinking we need to apply.”
Wynn Rosser, Ph.D. President & CEO, Greater Texas Foundation
“ The #1 thing that E3 Alliance has done for us is brought districts to the table around critical issues that we have n ever collaborated on before. It’s a case of building trust.”
Bret Champion, Superintendent, Leander ISD
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www.e3alliance.org
Š 2015 E3 Alliance