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• Letter to the Editor
• National Test Confirms TAKS Trends
• More Than $250,000 in Scholarships Awarded to Students During 2006 ExxonMobil Texas Science and Engineering Fair
• Seven School Districts from Texas Included in the ''Best 100 Communities for Music Education in America''
• Texas Public School District Enrollment and Spending
• Researchers Call for Spatial Thinking in K–12 Curricula—Dallas School Leads the Way
• S&P Issues New Reports on the Performance of School Districts in Texas
• Branson Elementary School of Burleson, Texas Named Finalist for Schools of Distinction Award
• San Antonio High School All-Star Football
• Texans Can! Schools
• A Student Wins State Championship in Travel Challenge
• Librarians Included in Proposed 65 Percent Rule
• Gains in Achievement, But a Narrower Curriculum Focus Under No Child Left Behind—Cuero Independent School District Included in Study
• Edvance Research Wins U.S. Department of Education Bid to Run the Southwestern Regional Educational Laboratory

• Free Student Workbooks for Preview 

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The following letter was sent in response to the April 2006 newsletter articles. Back issues of this e-newsletter can be found http://www.queuenews.com/TXnews.html.




To submit letters to the editor for this e-newsletter, please reply to jdk@queueinc.com.  Please indicate whether or not we have permission to publish your comments in future newsletters.  The editor reserves the right to trim content for length purposes when necessary, but will not edit the tone of the letters.

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National test results show that the average performance of Texas students in reading and mathematics is above the national average in the elementary grades.

"Increases in average test scores over a 10-year period are particularly evident in reading at grade 3 and in mathematics at grades 3 and 5," according to a new Texas National Comparative Data Study.

Periodically, Texas students are given a national exam to determine how their academic performance compares to that of children in other states. The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills are given to elementary and middle school students and the Iowa Tests of Educational Development are given to high school students. The Iowa Tests were given in the fall of the 2004–2005 school years. Approximately 500 Texas districts were sampled and tests were given to about 12,500 students per grade.

The Iowa Tests' results largely track results on the state's Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.

Texas students at grades 3–8 and 11 scored above the national average on the Iowa Test's math exam. Students in the ninth grade tied the national average and 10th grade scored below the national average.

Reading performance was mixed with students in grades 3, 4, 5 and 11 scoring above the national average, while eighth-grade scores tied the national average. Reading scores for grades 6, 7, 9 and 10 were below the national average.

When Texas students' performance on the Iowa Tests are examined over a decade from 1994 to 2004, reading scores are up at grades 3, 4, and 5; stable at grade 8; and down for grades 6, 7, and 10. Texas results are not available over this time period for grades 9 and 11. Reading and math Iowa Tests were not administered in 1994 at those grade levels.

"The results on the Iowa Tests offer another validation that the Texas Reading Initiative, which focuses on grades 3–5, is paying off. These results also confirm that the state's increased focus on improving secondary schools is justified," Commissioner of Education Shirley J. Neeley said.

A comparison of math scores from 1994 and 2004 show improved performance at grades 3, 4, 5 and 8 and stable scores at grades 6 and 7.

"We are pleased that our math scores for 2004 are above the national average, but we must continue to improve in this area. Math skills are a key component of 21st-century jobs and we want our students well prepared," Neeley said.

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More than 50 Texas students were awarded top honors for their science and engineering projects at the 2006 ExxonMobil Texas Science and Engineering Fair held March 30–April 1, 2006 at the at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio. Best of Show awards went to Thomas Catanach of Allen, Texas in the Senior Division and Houston student Kaci Franssen in the Junior Division.

The 20th annual state competition, presented annually by the Texas Science Careers Consortium and hosted by The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), recognized all students placing first, second, third or receiving an honorable mention in the fair's 16 competitive categories. In addition, more than $250,000 in scholarships were awarded.

The competition drew more than 1,000 students from across Texas. Students competed in two divisions—junior division (grades 6–8) and senior division (grades 9–12). Grand prize winners in the senior division received all-expense paid trips that will allow them to compete in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF), which will be held May 7–13, 2006 in Indianapolis. The top 10 percent of competitors in the junior division were invited to apply for the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge in Washington, D.C. occurring in October.

ExxonMobil Foundation provided a $60,000 grant to support the event and has been the title sponsor of the state competition since 2001. A portion of the grant went towards a diversity recruitment initiative that enabled more minority youth to participate in the regional and state competitions.

"The number of students competing at the ExxonMobil Texas Science and Engineering Fair has grown annually, thanks to ExxonMobil's support over the past six years," said Stuart Birnbaum, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio and executive director for this year's ExxonMobil Texas Science and Engineering Fair. "The creativity and high level thinking skills these middle and high school students demonstrate is simply amazing. The recognition, awards and scholarships they receive are well-deserved, but the learning gained through their science fair project work is the most valuable thing they will carry with them as they continue their studies of science."

The Texas Science Careers Consortium, which represents the science programs of public universities around the state, has been operating the state level science competition since 2001. Students qualify for the state competition by placing first, second, or third in a Science Service–sanctioned regional fair.

Students were also selected for special awards from donors such as the American Meteorological Society, American Psychological Society, Association for Women Scientists, Discovery Channel, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library Association, National Society of Professional Engineers, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Army and U.S. Navy/Marine Corps.

Additional information on the 2006 ExxonMobil Texas State Science and Engineering Fair is available at http://www.emtsef.org

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Parents, teachers, school administrators, and students from communities across the U.S. consider music education vitally important for a quality education—this was the resounding message from applicants that applied to be recognized as part of this year's "Best 100 Communities for Music Education in America" seventh annual survey. The American Music Conference sponsored the survey. The complete results, along with background information on music education and the survey, can be seen in their entirety at http://www.amc-music.org

The 2006 roster includes seven Texas school districts whose commitment to quality music education—measured across a variety of economic, curricular and programmatic criteria—has enabled them to stand out despite the many pressures on music and arts programs across the country.

In previous years, survey respondents cited that tight budgets in many of the 50 states squeezed school music budgets, but this year's survey revealed some changes in maintenance and overall support of music programs.

Some 86 percent of survey respondents indicated that music is included as a core academic subject in school curricula and instructional priorities that are in line with the definition of arts as core academic subjects as defined in No Child Left Behind (NCLB) policy. Furthermore, more than 80 percent of survey respondents cited that their music programs are growing in terms of funding, size of programs, and public and school board recognition.

This outcome supports the views outlined in a 2004 nationwide Gallup Poll that revealed that 93 percent of Americans said that schools should offer musical instrument instruction as part of the regular curriculum.

The Texas "Best 100 Communities for Music Education in America" districts are listed alphabetically below:

• Arlington Independent School District, Arlington, TX
• Frenship Independent School District, Wolfforth, TX
• Georgetown ISD, Georgetown, TX
• Humble ISD, Humble, TX
• Katy Independent School District, Katy, TX
• Lewisville Independent School District, Lewisville, TX
• Plano Independent School District, Plano, TX

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TEXAS PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT ENROLLMENT AND SPENDING

Enrollment, per-pupil spending, labor costs, and three-year trends for every public school district in Texas, and "65% solution" status for the 2003–2004 school year: http://www.eiaonline.com/districts/Texas.pdf

The charts come from the Education Intelligence Agency (http://www.eiaonline.com/).

Established in June 1997, the Education Intelligence Agency (EIA) is a private, for-profit, one-man contract research firm. EIA itself supports no particular program or specific reform, but does focus on the inner workings of the teachers' unions. Its clients cover the political spectrum, from conservative public policy organizations to teacher union affiliates themselves.

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The National Research Council: http://www.nas.edu/nrc

advises the federal government on critical issues in science and technology. It has issued a report calling on schools to incorporate "spatial literacy" into their curricula. Spatial thinking is an increasingly important skill for living and working in the 21st century, the council said, and geographic information system (GIS) technology can help schools teach this skill to their students.

Currently, spatial thinking is "not systematically instructed in the K–12 curriculum, despite its fundamental importance," the report notes, calling this omission "a major blind spot in the American educational system."

The report defines spatial thinking as the ability to understand spatial relationships, the knowledge of how geographic space is represented, and the ability to reason and make key decisions about spatial concepts. These skills are essential to a wide range of tasks and fields, the report says, and yet "there are neither content standards nor valid and reliable assessments dedicated solely to spatial thinking."

Spatial literacy is not a stand-alone subject in the way that physics, biology, and economics are subjects, NRC said. Instead, it's a way of thinking that cuts across most other disciplines. To foster spatial literacy in students, the academy's report recommends that schools take an approach similar to the movement to teach writing " across the curriculum"—that is, to integrate it into instruction in all appropriate content areas.

The report urges federal agencies and education leaders to encourage the development of spatial literacy standards and curriculum materials to help educators teach students how to think spatially. It also calls on technology developers and educators to tailor GIS technologies to the needs of students, giving them easy-to-use tools to explore and practice spatial thinking both inside—and outside—the classroom.

Bishop Dunne Catholic School in Dallas is a leader in using GIS technology to enhance student learning. The school's GeoTech Research Lab allows students to become the researchers and creators of geographic and environmental solutions in an authentic, problem-based approach to instruction.

For example, Bishop Dunne students have partnered with the Dallas Police Department for several projects. In the early stages of the partnership, students produced maps for neighborhood crime-watch organizations. The maps illustrated where crimes were and what types of crimes were occurring on a monthly basis. Later projects have included producing maps to help determine where the Dallas Police Department should deploy its Robbery Task Force.

For more information on Bishop Dunne's GeoTech Research Lab:  http://www.bdhs.org/gis

To see the complete article, please go to:
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=6259

To read or buy the complete study, go to:
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11019.html

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Follow the instructions below to view a school district’s report.

1. First, find the school district using the search bar located at http://www.schoolmatters.com/
2. Next, once you have reached the School District Overview page, select the blue link that is available within the S&P Observations section, located toward the top of the page. Selecting this link will open the school district report.
3. Individual school reports are also available.

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Forty-eight schools have been named as finalists for the Intel and Scholastic Schools of Distinction Awards. The awards honor schools for implementing innovative and replicable programs that support positive educational outcomes.

The schools will compete for $190,000 in grants from the Intel Foundation and additional prizes from sponsoring companies will be presented at an awards ceremony in October.

The 48 finalists were chosen from public and private schools that participated in the application and judging process, which was overseen by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory Center for Classroom Teaching and Learning. Sixteen winners will be selected in each of eight categories— one each for elementary and secondary schools. Winning schools will also compete to be named "Best of the Best."

Branson Elementary School of Burleson, Texas is a finalist in Science Achievement—The science curriculum is designed to ensure high levels of achievement for all students and should include instructional strategies incorporating critical thinking skills, hands-on, investigative experiences and project-based learning.

The winners will be honored at an awards ceremony to be held October 5 in Washington, D.C., and will each receive a $10,000 grant. One elementary and one secondary school will be honored with a "Best of the Best" award and will receive an additional $15,000 for a total award of $25,000 each. Schools winning this award must have a comprehensive program addressing technology, involvement of parents and the community, professional development, teamwork and consistently achieve high academic standards. For more information about the Schools of Distinction Awards, visit http://www.schoolsofdistinction.com.

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San Antonio High School All-Star Football Game Presented by the U.S. Marines will stage its 28th annual football spectacular on Saturday, May 20th at Comalander Stadium, Blossom Athletic Center.

The game features high school football players from all over the greater San Antonio area, representing more than 56 high schools. Nominated by their coaches and chosen from a selection committee, players met on May 1st.

As many as 15 participants annually receive scholarship offers from college and university recruiters as a result of playing in the game. Scouts from all over the United States attend the game each year. In the past 27 years an estimated $5.5 million in scholarship offers have been made to players.

In addition to game participants, area high schools also select outstanding cheerleaders and dancers to cheer and perform at halftime. Coaches are also selected from area high schools.

The All-Star teams are geographically divided into East and West. Many All-Star game alumni have gone on to play in the NFL.
 
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Texans Can! offers a second chance at education for thousands of at-risk kids throughout Texas. With 11 campuses in Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Houston and Carrollton/Farmers Branch it serves more than 7,000 students a year. Seventy-eight percent of our graduates plan to continue on to post-secondary education.  The relationship-based education works and is changing lives of more than 6,000 kids annually.

For more than 20 years, the Can! Academies have provided kids at risk of becoming dropouts a second chance to earn a high school diploma. They feature smaller class sizes, morning or afternoon classes and a student to counselor ratio of 45 to 1.

They take an active role in their lives by giving them free bus passes to get to and from school, help them with daycare costs or learning how to get food stamps. It is more than just teaching these kids the basics. It is about changing lives. The results? Seventy-eight percent of their graduates plan to go on to some form of higher education. The remainder enter the workforce or the military.

"Our schools are public schools of choice. We give these kids the second chance they deserve. Whether they are pregnant, parenting, working full-time or just fell behind, our schools can and are changing lives," said Founder and President Emeritus Grant East.

For more information: http://www.texanscan.org

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A 12th grader from Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas, won the state title in the fourth annual AAA Travel High School Challenge. Francis Norman, who attends the Texas Military Institute, matched his travel geography wits against students from across the Lone Star State to take home the title.

Francis now heads to Orlando, Florida, this May to compete in the national finals for a chance at the national title, a $25,000 college scholarship and additional prizes.

With surveys showing American teens trailing their international counterparts in geographic literacy, it's great to see students like Francis excelling in travel and geographic competitions," said Rose Rougeau, spokesperson for AAA Texas. "Francis will compete with some of the nation's brightest students during the national finals in Orlando."

The AAA Travel High School Challenge aims to increase teens' travel knowledge and geographic literacy while creating awareness of career opportunities in the travel and tourism industries.

With more than 50,000 9th–12th-grade students registered across the country for the online portion of the competition, Francis placed among the top five scorers in Texas. Then Francis scored the highest on a 40-question written, proctored exam taken by the five state finalists. The state exams challenged students' knowledge of U.S. and world geography, with an emphasis on travel and tourist destinations.

The finals will be held May 13–16, 2006 at Universal Orlando and will begin with a written elimination exam, followed by a series of round-robin, game show-style playoffs to determine national team champions. Then, for the first time in the event's history, the competition will move to an elimination round to select one overall national champion, who will receive a $25,000 college scholarship. Second and third place winners will receive $15,000 and $10,000 scholarships, respectively.

The AAA Travel High School Challenge will award more than $100,000 total in scholarships and prizes.

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School librarians will be included when calculating instructional costs under proposed revisions to the state's school financial rating system, which is designed to provide the public with a clear look at the spending practices of each school district, Commissioner of Education Shirley J. Neeley said.

Draft rules for the revised School Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST), including an indicator that focuses on instructional costs, have been posted on the Texas Education Agency website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/rules/home/coeprop.html

While there are a number of updates to the financial rating system, most of the attention has been focused on one of the 26 indicators contained in the system. This indicator deals with the percentage of funds that districts spend on instructional costs.

In an executive order, Gov. Rick Perry directed the commissioner to include an indicator in the system that requires that "65 percent of school district funds be expended for instructional purposes as defined by the National Center for Education Statistics."

Neeley said, "Gov. Perry made it clear from the beginning that he realized that one-size does not fit all school districts and gave the Texas Education Agency some flexibility in designing this measure. He also recognized that school district spending plans can't change overnight and so was agreeable to a three year phase-in."

The draft rule follows the NCES definition of instructional costs, except that it adds expenses related to librarians into the calculations.

Costs included in this calculation, under the draft proposal, are:

• instructional costs;
• librarians;
• extracurricular activities;
• payments to fiscal agents of shared service arrangements; and
• payments to Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Programs (JJAEP).

The above categories are known as Functions 11, 12, 36, 93 and 95 to school business officials.

The proposed rules call for a three year phase-in, with districts required to spend at least 55 percent on instructional costs in 2006–2007, 60 percent in 2007–2008, and 65 percent in 2008–2009 in order to receive full credit for this indicator in the rating system.

The proposal allows a school district that does not meet the 65 percent expenditure rule to post its check register, excluding the payroll register, and an aggregate total payroll expenditure to the district's website and receive full credit for this indicator. The check register lists payments to all vendors.

The 65 percent instructional cost indicator is worth five points in the School FIRST system. The maximum points a districts can obtain from the complete set of 26 indicators is 100 points. Districts receive a rating of Superior Achievement, Above Standard Achievement, Standard or Substandard based on the points they accumulate.

"We think this proposal is fair. It gives credit to those districts that are driving dollars to the classroom. It recognizes that librarians provide an important direct instructional service to students. It provides an alternative to districts that don't meet the 65 percent standard and makes districts' finances transparent to the public," Neeley said.

"Schools are often the biggest business in town. The public wants to know that their tax dollars are well spent, but citizens do not turn out in large numbers for public hearings on school district budgets or tax rates. This provision gives school officials the chance to show their public in a high profile manner that they are efficiently and effectively using their public funds," Neeley said.

Because the ratings are based on audited financial data, the first ratings issued using the new criteria would be released in June 2008.

Based on audited data from the 2004–2005 school year, the average expenditure statewide on instructional costs is about 62 percent.

Other proposed changes in the School FIRST ratings include:

• posting the superintendent's contract;
• listing any outside employment by superintendents;
• disclosing all gifts to superintendents and board members valued at $250 or more per year; and
• linking the financial and academic ratings by requiring a district to earn an academic rating of Recognized or Exemplary in order to qualify for a superior achievement rating in the School FIRST system.

If the proposed rule is approved with minimal changes, the rule will become effective July 16. If substantial changes are proposed, the rule must be reposted for additional comment.

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NCLB Affecting Everyday Lives of Students & Educators; Greatest Impact in Urban Districts, According to New Report, Survey

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is having a greater impact on the everyday activities of schools and districts. It has prompted districts to better align instruction and state standards and more effectively use test data to adjust teaching. These are the findings in a report from the Washington, D.C.-based Center on Education Policy. The Center is tracking federal, state and local implementation of the law. However, the Center also found that a majority of districts surveyed—71 percent—reported having reduced instructional time in at least one other subject to make more time for reading and mathematics, the topics tested for NCLB purposes.

The report is based on the most comprehensive national study of the impact of NCLB. It comprises an extensive body of original research and analysis, including a survey of education officials in 50 states, a nationally representative survey of 299 school districts, and in-depth case studies in 38 geographically diverse districts and 42 individual schools. Cuero Independent School District, TX was the subject of one of the in-depth case studies.

According to state and local officials surveyed, scores on state tests are rising in a large majority of states and school districts, and many school leaders cited NCLB requirements for adequate yearly progress (AYP) as an important factor in rising achievement, though far more credited school district policies and programs as important contributors to these gains. In addition, the vast majority of state and district officials say that the Act's focus on the academic performance of student subgroups is having a positive effect.

The report also notes that officials in several case study districts, as well as some district survey respondents, feel the law has escalated pressure on teachers to a stressful level and is negatively affecting staff morale in some schools.

"The effects of NCLB are complex, and this policy has both strengths and weaknesses," said Jack Jennings, president and CEO of the independent, nonpartisan CEP. "If anyone is looking for a simple judgment on NCLB, such as 'good' or 'bad,' they will not find it in this report."

The report, From the Capital to the Classroom: Year 4 of the No Child Left Behind Act, is the fourth in a series of annual reports to be issued through 2008 by CEP, and offers a long-term look at how the law's implementation is affecting states and school districts.

Urban districts appear to be experiencing the greatest effects of the law. According to the report, the majority (54 percent) of Title I schools identified for improvement nationwide are in urban districts—a disproportionate share because only 27 percent of Title I schools are located in urban districts. Altogether, 29 percent of urban Title I schools are in improvement, compared with 11 percent of suburban Title I schools and six percent of rural Title I schools. And 90 percent of the schools now in restructuring, the last stage of NCLB's sanctions, are located in urban districts. Moreover, a greater proportion of urban districts than suburban or rural districts have been identified for district improvement.

A combination of factors has led to this pronounced impact in urban districts, including the fact that many urban districts must demonstrate AYP for 6-10 student subgroups while some rural districts must show progress for only two, white and low-income students. In addition, urban districts tend to be larger, so they have many more schools that must make AYP than smaller districts do; they also enroll higher percentages of low-income students.

Nationwide, the number of schools identified for improvement under NCLB has remained steady, in part due to changes in federal and state rules for testing students and determining adequate yearly progress that have made it easier for some districts and schools to make AYP. The report also finds:

• Teacher Quality: The proportion of districts that said they are on track to have all of their academic teachers highly qualified by the end of this school year was similarly high across urban, suburban, and rural districts. Also, for the first time this year, the report finds no significant difference in the percentage of high-minority enrollment districts and lower-minority enrollment districts reporting that all their teachers are highly qualified. Still, a majority of district officials surveyed expressed skepticism that the NCLB teacher requirements are improving the quality of teaching.
• Tutoring & School Choice: The number of students taking advantage of key NCLB accountability provisions has changed little over the last few years, according to the report. Currently about 20 percent of all eligible students participate in tutoring programs under NCLB, while less than 2 percent  of eligible students are taking advantage of the NCLB choice option to change schools.
• Goals for Student Proficiency: Several states and districts question their ability to bring 100 percent of students to the proficient level of achievement by 2014.
• Subjects Being Reduced: One-third (33 percent) of school districts reported reducing time for social studies “somewhat or to a great extent” to make time for reading and math, while 29 percent said they had reduced time for science and 22 percent for art and music.

The Continuing Capacity Gap

The Center’s survey again finds that the lack of capacity is the greatest NCLB-related challenge for most states and districts. In fact, nearly every state (47) cited providing assistance to all schools identified for improvement as their greatest challenge in implementing NCLB, while 42 states indicated that the size of the state education agency staff presented a serious or moderate challenge to NCLB implementation.

Meanwhile, 37 states said that the adequacy of state funds to carry out NCLB duties was a serious or moderate challenge, while 34 said that the adequacy of federal funds presented a serious or moderate challenge. In addition, 33 states reported that funds have been inadequate to assist all schools identified for improvement, while 80 percent of school districts said they had costs for NCLB that were not covered by federal funds, such as costs for administering assessments, managing data, and providing professional development to help teachers meet the law’s requirements.

The Center’s 2005 report on NCLB made eight recommendations for improving the law, four of which were acted on at least partially by the U.S. Department of Education. The Center’s current report includes a series of new recommendations for federal action, including:

1. The Department should provide more information to the public about the process for considering state changes to their accountability plans.
2. The Department should monitor and report on how confidence intervals, the safe harbor provision, and similar flexibility provisions are affecting the number of schools and districts making AYP.
3. The Department of Education should move swiftly to help states develop assessments for certain students with disabilities, the so-called “gap children,” using modified standards.
4. The Department and the Congress should provide more funding for the act in general.
5. The Department and the Congress should earmark more funding and provide other types of support to help strengthen states’ and districts’ capacity to assist schools identified for improvement.
6. The Department and the Congress should give states and school districts sufficient authority and resources to monitor and evaluate supplemental educational service providers.
7. The Secretary of Education should use her waiver authority to expand the pilot program that allows some districts to offer supplemental educational services instead of school choice in the first year of improvement and to wait until the second year of improvement to offer choice.
8. The Secretary of Education should use her bully pulpit to signal that social studies, science, the arts, and other subjects beside reading and math are still a vital part of a balanced curriculum.

To read the case studies and the full report, please go to: http://www.cep-dc.org/nclb/Year4/Press/

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Edvance Research, Inc. has been selected by the Institute of Educational Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education to run the Southwestern Regional Educational Laboratory (SWREL). The $38-million contract commenced on March 15, 2006 and continues through 2011.

SWREL, run by Edvance Research, is one of ten educational laboratories in the Regional Educational Laboratory Network (REL Network), the nation's network of support for research-based school reform run by the IES. SWREL serves the states of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana and works for the benefit of over 6.5 million students, over 400,000 teachers in approximately 14,000 schools in grades kindergarten through college in this five-state region.

Educators in the southwest region may call 1-877-EDVANCE (1-877-338-2623) to obtain technical assistance.

Edvance Research has a strategic partnership with WestEd, a leading research, development and service agency based in California. WestEd has directed the Regional Educational Laboratory for the Western Region for many years. This partnership is ideal as WestEd has vast experience conducting and disseminating solid and innovative educational research. The American Institutes for Research (AIR) is also a strategic partner with their specialized capabilities in special education and high school reform. In addition, several highly respected Universities with leading research capabilities and experience have partnered with Edvance Research to address educational issues in the southwest. These include the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Oklahoma, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Edvance Research is a leading provider of high-quality, rigorous educational research and is committed to identifying and promoting scientifically valid educational programs that can be utilized to close the achievement gap in the southwest. Founded in 2005, Edvance Research is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas with an affiliate office in Austin, Texas.

http://www.edvanceresearch.com  
Queue, Inc. offers previews of its Texas test preparation workbooks to public schools.  Queue publishes test prep books in Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, and Composition for Grades 3–high school, as well as Practice Tests in Math.
 
Queue also offers Math and Reading workbooks for grades 1 and 2, and publishes a wide variety of other workbooks in Literature, Science, History, Government, Health, and ESL.  Samples of student workbooks are available for preview.
 
 
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