This year kicks off the second season of Inside AISD the Austin Independent School District's monthly good news TV program. The first episode of the second season is scheduled to air Thursday, September 5th at 6:30pm. The Inside AISD series is featured on AISD-TV (Channel 22 on Time Warner and Grande Systems and on the channel 99 menu system on U-verse) at the following dates and times:
Thursday, September 5 - 6:30 pm
Saturday, September 7 - 6:30 pm
Sunday, September 8 - 8 am
Tuesday, September 10 - 6:30 pm
Thursday, September 12 - 6:30 pm
Saturday, September 14 - 6:30 pm
Sunday, September 15 - 8 am
Tuesday, September 17 - 6:30 pm
Thursday, September 19 - 6:30 pm
Saturday, September 21 - 6:30 pm
Sunday, September 22 - 8 am
Tuesday, September 24 - 6:30 pm
Thursday, September 26 - 6:30 pm
Saturday, September 28 - 6:30 pm
Below are descriptions of the topics covered in this episode.
2012 Graduation Rates at an All Time High: Graduation rates for the Austin Independent School District's Class of 2012 are at an all-time high at 82.5 percentage points, a 2.5 percentage point increase from the previous year, according to the Texas Education Agency's recently released report on graduation and completion rates. Since 2008, graduation rates among AISD's high school seniors have risen steadily from 74.3 to 82.5 percent.
Great News highlights: Intel employees surprised Oak Springs Elementary School teachers with school supplies to help reduce the costs of setting up their classrooms. Austin ISD helped families prepare for the school year at the annual Back-to-school Bash and Safety Fair. AISD schools earn academic distinctions and out perform comparable school districts. More than 330 students from five AISD schools participated in mock trials that opened a dialogue on an important subject affecting youth: teen dating violence. The Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders graduated its first class this past May.
Performing Arts Center Groundbreaking: AISD celebrated its art-rich community at the groundbreaking and construction preview of the Performing Arts Center. The Board of Trustees approved the purchase of the Mueller site in April 2011. Construction on the facility began in April 2013. The district expects the PAC will be completed by late 2014.
Bond Approval: Austin voters approved Propositions 1 and 3 of the Austin Independent School District's bond to support technology, transportation, energy conservation and address facility repairs and improvements across the district. Voters approved Proposition 1 for $140.5 million to upgrade technology to ensure all students have access, build new science and technology labs, add new school buses and improve energy conservation. Proposition 3 was the largest of the four at $349.1 million and will allow the district to repair and renovate all of its aging schools, including fixing leaky roofs and replacing old plumbing. This proposition includes repairs for every school in the district. A complete list of repairs by school can be found online at www.austinisd.org/bond/bond-program/by-school.
All-Staff Convocation: Every August, before the start of the school year, AISD Superintendent Dr. Meria Carstarphen addresses district team members to review the district's goals and priorities. This year’s virtual convocation used the powerful tool of imagery, drawings and text on white boards, illustrated by Adam Miller a Geography and Government teacher at Crockett High School. In the video Dr. Carstarphen highlights the district’s accomplishments, the impact of legislation and the district goals for school year 13-14. The district’s focus will be on four areas… providing competitive compensation for staff, balancing the budget, developing a facility master plan, and turning up the spotlight on student literacy. Dr. Carstarphen concluded by encouraging staff to inspire hope in AISD students to maximize their academic success.
Govalle 5th Grade Student Keynotes at NI Week: Govalle Elementary School student David Bocanegra programmed a robot, which is made out of Legos, to be a guard dog at NIWeek in front of more than 3,000 engineers, scientists and educators, alongside astronaut, engineer and former NFL player Leland Melvin. NIWeek is National Instrument's annual conference for engineers and scientists with more than 250 interactive technical sessions. The LEGO Mindstorms Education EV3 platform (named EV for evolution) is the third generation of LEGO Education robotics technology designed for classroom use. The intuitive software platform for EV3 is based on National Instruments LabVIEW graphical programming software.