A recurrent theme in the geosciences is the persistent need for more student demographic diversity, especially in academic programs. A strategy to make the geosciences inclusive and motivating for one marginalized group may not succeed with another, requiring the search for new approaches. The Geoscience Ambassadors, an extracurricular program for…

This practice brief addresses the financial insecurity faced by many community college students and provides recommendations for community college practitioners on how to use incentivized savings accounts to teach financial literacy and prepare students for financial challenges that may impact their educational future. Despite reactive attempts at…

This report describes findings from the Austin Independent School District's (AISD) Department of Leadership Development 2018-2019 evaluation. The purposes of the evaluation in 2018-2019 were to update the Department of Leadership Development theory of change (ToC) and logic model and to evaluate the implementation of the newly developed assistant…

Research for Action (RFA) in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin is engaged in a five-year mixed-methods study of the reforms associated with California AB 705. Over the course of the study, our team will assess the implementation, impact, and cost effectiveness of reforms associated with the law. This report first offers a…

This report contains descriptions of implementation and impact data related to CARES's effect on students, families and staff in 2020-2021. Responses to CARES-related survey items showed the majority of respondents were impacted positively. Further, the CARES team increased employee recognition efforts, the number of RAVEs given increased to…

The Coordinated School Health (CSH) reports describe how the CSH program was implemented at AISD campuses. The report provides district summary information about achieved CSH action goals and information about changes in physical fitness of students at the campus since the previous year.

The purpose of the 2018-2019 CARES evaluation was to (a) help program staff conceptualize the CARES implementation work and goals; (b) define measurable indicators of implementation, outputs, and outcomes; and (c) provide summative data on the first year of program implementation. Results of the 2018-2019 CARES program evaluation activities were…

This executive summary provides highlights of the full report, looking at the impact of the Seed Model Campus Cohort Program in its first 3 years of implementation. Evidence put forth in the report suggests that by deliberately focusing on inclusive program design and peer-to-peer sharing with a focus on growth, the program already positively…

The purpose of this report is to help stakeholders of Professional Pathways for Teachers (PPfT) understand and refine the methods used to measure program implementation and outcomes. This report also contains summative data on the progress of PPfT, which just completed its third year. PPfT first launched district-wide in AISD in the 2016-2017…

This is an executive summary of a full report that helps stakeholders of Professional Pathways for Teachers (PPfT) understand and refine the methods used to measure program implementation and outcomes. The full report also contains summative data on the progress of PPfT, having just completed its third year. PPfT first launched district-wide in…

The Texas Afterschool Centers on Education (ACE) is the program administered through the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for the federally funded 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) grants. The Texas ACE Boys and Girls Clubs of Austin Area Cycle 10 program is composed of a compilation of activities at 9 Austin Independent School District…

This report describes the activities and accomplishments of Austin Independent School District's (AISD's) CARES team during the second year of implementation, school year 2019-2020. Highlights include how CARES team members were able to: maintain and in many cases exceed high-quality standards, continue progress monitoring, and provide support and…

Institutions and administrators regularly have to make difficult choices about how best to invest resources to serve students. Yet economic evaluation, or the systematic analysis of the relationship between costs and outcomes of a program or policy, is relatively uncommon in higher education. This type of evaluation can be an important tool for…

Student researchers are rarely trained to explain their work to a general audience but must do so throughout their careers. To assist undergraduate researchers in building this skill, the Student Research Showdown--a research video and presentation competition--was created at the University of Texas at Austin. Students create brief videos on which…

This report summarizes the results of the AISD CTE Program Analysis Scorecard for the 2020-2021 school year. The CTE Program Analysis Scorecard results focus on three components of program outcomes: (a) program alignment, (b) quality of instruction, and (c) access and equity. Program outcomes provide information about program effectiveness and…