ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT

BAKE BARRONROBERT MARTINEZ

CHRISTOPHER STEIN

Standards Group Project

IMPACT OF EXPONENTIAL GROWTHON 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 demographicsBond passage needed to support building

additional campusesBetween 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 2000-2001 and 2007-2008

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 8 year period the Total Student Population Increased 263%

Student Population in 2000-2001

Total student population 1,195

Professional Staff Demographics 00-0191 Total Teachers

Student Population in 2007-2008

Total Student Population 4,341

Professional Staff Demographics 07-08315 Total Teachers

Economically Disadvantaged Student Population

Increase of 761% over the 8 year period

Growth of Hutto and Manor ISDs

In the 8 year period the Total Student Population IncreasedHutto: 263% Manor: 115%

Student Population in 2000-2001

Student Population in 2007-2008

Professional Staff Demographics 00-01

Professional Staff Demographics 07-08

Economically Disadvantaged Student Population

Hutto: 761% Increase Manor: 154% Increase

Hutto and Manor Accountability Ratings

District 2000-2001 2003-2004 2007-2008 2008-2009

Hutto Elementary Middle High

Manor Elementary Middle High

1 Acceptable1 Exemplary1 Recognized

3 Acceptable1 Acceptable1 Acceptable

2 Acceptable1 Acceptable1 Acceptable

3 Acceptable1 Acceptable1 Acceptable

3 AA, 1 Rec1 Acceptable1 Acceptable

1 R, 3 AA, 1 AU1 Acceptable1 Unacceptable

5 Recognized2 Acceptable1 Recognized

3 AA, 3 Rec1 AA, 1 AU1 AU

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 Elementary2006 Cottonwood Creek Elementary2007 Ray Elementary2008 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 08-09 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

00-01 only 92 teachers07-08 315 teachers Increase of 246%Hispanic Teachers increased from 2 to 37African American Teachers increased from

1 to 6In the 8 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 for Districts Experiencing Hyper-Growth

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

Create as much stability as possible in the executive leadership team

HuttoOverall 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 White 97.8 Hispanic

91.9 African American

86.7 Eco-Disadvantaged

88.2

Hutto Overall TAKS Results 04-05

Reading/ELA White 87 Hispanic 80 African American 77 Eco-Disadvantage 75

Math White 80 Hispanic 67 African American 59 Eco-Disadvantage 63

Science White 76 Hispanic 46 African American 44

Eco-Disadvantage 36 Social Studies

White 94 Hispanic 82 African American 91 Eco-Disadvantage 79

Overall TAKS Results 07-08

Reading/ELA White 94 Hispanic 87 African American 90 Eco-Disadvantage 86

Math White 84 Hispanic 71 African American 68 Eco-Disadvantage 86

Science White 85 Hispanic 59 African American 64

Eco-Disadvantage 60 Social Studies

White 98 Hispanic 84 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 and proactive 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

Portfolio

We created a wiki to help us collaborate throughout the project

Additional information and data relating to our project can be found there

http://edad687.wikispaces.com

Collaborative Work

The biggest challenge was working at a distance

To alleviate this, we collaborated through a wiki and by email

We also communicated through a chat room

When in College Station, we met in person