ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT BAKE BARRON ROBERT MARTINEZ CHRISTOPHER STEIN Standards Group Project

IMPACT OF EXPONENTIAL GROWTH ON CHANGING STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS, TEACHING STAFF AND TEST SCORES Hutto ISD

Rationale Smaller school districts relatively close to larger cities are experiencing explosive growth This growth rapidly changes demographics Bond passage needed to support building additional campuses Between 2002 and 2007, Hutto ISD had the distinction of being the fastest growing school district by percentage in the state

Growth and Student Achievement Before the hyper-growth, Hutto was a small, predominantly white, agricultural community, and the schools educated that population well With new students, significant achievement gaps appeared between sub-groups Re-examination of curriculum and instruction was needed

Texas Superintendent Standards (c) Learner-Centered Leadership and District Culture.  (4) conduct and analyze district/school climate inventories  (10) promote multicultural awareness and appreciation of diversity (d) Learner-Centered Human Resources Leadership and Management  (5) implement effective strategies for recruitment, selection, induction, development, and promotion of staff

Texas Superintendent Standards (g) Learner-Centered Organizational Leadership and Management  (2) gather, analyze, and use data for decision making  (4) develop, implement, and evaluate change processes (i) Learner-Centered Instructional Leadership and Management  (10) Create environment where all students can learn

National Standards Standard 2(a): provide leadership for assessing, developing, and improving climate and culture Standard 3(b): recruit, select, induct, and retain staff to support quality instruction Standard 5(d): demonstrate appreciation for and sensitivity to diversity in the school community

Change in Student population between and Between 2001 and 2008 the City of Hutto and Hutto ISD experienced exponential growth Relatively inexpensive land and the housing boom of early in the decade Quality education and small town atmosphere

Growth of The District In the 7 year period the Total Student Population Increased 263%

Student Population in Total student population 1,195

Professional Staff Demographics Total Teachers

Student Population in Total Student Population 4,341

Professional Staff Demographics Total Teachers

Economically Disadvantaged Student Population Increase of 761% over the 7 year period

Growth of Hutto and Manor ISDs In the 7 year period the Total Student Population Increased Hutto: 263% Manor: 115%

Student Population in

Student Population in

Professional Staff Demographics 00-01

Professional Staff Demographics 07-08

Economically Disadvantaged Student Population Hutto: 761% Increase Manor: 154% Increase

Facilities Built to Meet the Growth Prior to 2000 Hutto ISD was 1 Elementary and 1 combined Middle School and High School 2003 Nadine Johnson Elementary 2006 Cottonwood Creek Elementary 2007 Ray Elementary 2008 Veteran’s Hill Elementary and Farley Middle School

What this has meant for the District’s Professional Staff Teachers and Staff must educate according to the changing demographics of the community and school Over half of the teachers have less than 5 years in the district The District must redefine how it views and defines the needs of the students District has created a Bilingual Program at Cottonwood Creek Elementary

Cottonwood Creek Elementary Positive-This campus is specifically designed to meet the linguistic needs of the parents and students (Recognized Campus School Year) Negatives-In order for students and parents to receive the full benefits of the programs they may be bussed from their home campus.

Changing Staff in the 7 Year Period only 92 teachers teachers Increase of 246% Hispanic Teachers increased from 2 to 37 African American Teachers increased from 1 to 6 In the 7 years Hutto ISD has also added 2 Native American and 2 Asian Pacific Islanders to the teaching staff

Actions taken by Hutto ISD Recruited and hire “highly qualified” teachers Made a concerted effort to recruit and hire minority teachers Traveled to universities and colleges which typically produce high quality minority teachers

Actions Taken by Hutto ISD Provided numerous staff developments pertaining to instructional strategies which help to overcome the language barrier Implemented a standard math and science curriculum throughout the district

Recommendations Continue to actively recruit and hire high quality teachers and professionals of color Investigate the feasibility of beginning a “grow your own” teaching staff especially for the underrepresented populations Continue to provide professional development which focuses on the needs of the changing student population

Overall 2000 TAAS Grade 3, 8, 10 Reading  White 96.7  Hispanic 85.6  African-American 88.9  Eco-Disadvantaged 78.5 Writing  White 91.4  Hispanic 94.6  African-American 80  Eco-Disadvantaged 82.6 Math  White97.8  Hispanic91.9  African American 86.7  Eco-Disadvantaged 88.2

Overall TAKS Results Reading/ELA  White87  Hispanic80  African American 77  Eco-Disadvantage 75 Math  White80  Hispanic67  African American 59  Eco-Disadvantage 63 Science  White76  Hispanic46  African American 44  Eco-Disadvantage 36 Social Studies  White94  Hispanic82  African American 91  Eco-Disadvantage 79

Overall TAKS Results Reading/ELA  White94  Hispanic87  African American 90  Eco-Disadvantage 86 Math  White84  Hispanic71  African American 68  Eco-Disadvantage 86 Science  White85  Hispanic59  African American 64  Eco-Disadvantage 60 Social Studies  White98  Hispanic84  African American 92  Eco-Disadvantage 87

What Have We Learned? Growth and change can be painful for a community and creates new set of challenges District/school leaders must be aware of the changing student population District/school leaders must be able to forecast plan of action several years down the road

What Can We Do? School/District leaders must learn to adjust to fluid situations Hutto leaders could have had better foresight in the areas of curriculum and instruction At the start of hyper-growth, state was moving from TAAS to TAKS, which also should have warranted a reexamination of curriculum and instruction

How Can We Construct a Better Social Justice Agenda? Focus on public relations – hire district public relations specialist Clearly and effectively communicate with community of the changing needs of the district during growth Leaders must remain cognizant of the changing needs of the student population