by Josh W Chief Com ucher, municatio ns Off
IN-DISTRICT CHARTER
icer, Transf o
rmation W aco
TRANSFORMING STUDENT OUTCOMES IN WACO Transformation Waco (TW) is the nonprofit,
in-district charter partnership managing and operating five campuses in the Waco Independent School District: Alta Vista Elementary, Brook Avenue Elementary, J.H. Hines Elementary, G.W. Carver Middle, and Indian Spring Middle. We serve a diverse student body from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade, and we are led by a board who has a deep belief in the power of Waco – our students, families, educators and community. We work to improve the quality of academics at our schools, draw in new resources and build strong connections with our families and the Greater Waco community. We attract educators who have a heart for tackling difficult circumstances. With over 98% of TW students economically disadvantaged, we are committed to increasing student success by closing economic and racial disparity gaps, which means our responsibility extends beyond the classroom and into the community. Four strategic priorities provide direction and operational 34 | SPRING 2022
guidance: talent development, performance management, support to students, and nonprofit operations. Our priorities are by no means mutually exclusive, as they build on one another with work that interweaves academics, behavior, attendance, engagement and staffing. There are several key initiatives to recruit, develop, retain and promote a culturally-responsive staff, which now consists of more than 350 dedicated teachers, leaders and support staff. Our Urban Educator Residency Program is an innovative partnership between the Academy for Urban School Leadership (AUSL), Tarleton State University and TW to provide interns and residents with the training they need to teach in the challenging and fast-paced environment of a TW classroom. Nineteen residents have earned a master’s degree and teaching certification and have committed to serving in a TW school for at least three years. We believe in growing our own, and our partnership with AUSL also includes a Novice Teacher Academy (NTA) and an Instructional Leadership Academy (ILA). The NTA provides
