HISD Magnet Program Review

SUMMARY OF WORK PROCESS: Scope of Work—Phase II-Section VII:

AN EVALUATION OF THE QUALITY OF INDIVIDUAL CAMPUS-BASED

MAGNET PROGRAMS

Purpose: To evaluate the quality of each individual program’s theme-based program and its
compliance with current magnet procedural guidelines. The review included site visits to each
magnet school (walk-through), staff interviews, school binder reviews, and data analysis of
documents from Phase I. Each site visit was one-half day. The following table provides a
summary of the process tasks employed and purpose of each:

Process Tasks Purpose

Document Review of 113
Magnet School Binders
prepared by each magnet
school, submitted to the
Office of School Choice
for Magnet Schools of
America’s school site
visits.
Site Visits to 113 HISD
Magnet Schools – 10/25 to
10/29/10
Protocol: Walk-through at
each Magnet School.
To prepare each consultant for school site visits
by reviewing prepared materials by each magnet
school requested by Magnet Schools of America.
The protocol for reporting included: School
Climate; Program
Descriptions; School Leadership; Marketing &
Recruiting; Budget; Plus-Deltas (what is working,
what needs improvement); and District Support.
To visit on site each magnet school by a team of
12 MSA experienced consultants—each
consultant followed a prepared schedule
clustering by experience and level—one
consultant per school, five days, up to 2 per day.
To observe teaching and learning at each school
and the integration of the magnet theme; to
assess the theme’s impact on the instructional
process; and to validate materials and information
shared by each school

Protocol: Interviews with To validate observations, clarify information

administration, magnet
coordinator, and other staff
at each Magnet School
Debriefing Protocol:
Findings, Commendations,
and Recommendations
PHASE II, SECTION VII: Interim Report December 3, 2010
from staff input and instructional/theme materials
shared with consultants at each school. To
dialogue with those involved in the school on a
daily basis.
To debrief each evening, the MSA consultants
met and discussed their observations, information
collected from the walk-through and interviews.
To prepare the day’s report for submission to the
project site manager.
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 HISD Magnet Program Review

The following emerging themes were noted as a result of the examination of magnet school
binders, review of data/documents provided to MSA by HISD, walk-through observations at
each magnet school, and staff interviews:

Support of campus leadership for the magnet program

Role and duties of the Magnet Coordinator
Scope, sequence, and alignment of Magnet curriculum to program specialty
Scheduling of students into appropriate magnet program course sequence
Availability of activities and resources related to the specialty beyond the core subject
requirements
Outside involvement and mentoring of magnet students, if appropriate
Capstone activities related to specialty curriculum
Certification, knowledge, training, and experience of Magnet specialty teachers
Facilities, technology, materials, and/or supplies for the magnet offerings
School process for marketing and recruitment
School process for handling student applications, qualifications, selection, and wait lists
School process for monitoring student achievement, handling grown plans, and
documenting students who leave the program

Magnet School Elements:

Magnet Schools embody five (5) essential elements1 for an effective Magnet school system (also
included in the 2006 HISD PEER review report). MSA Phase II protocols were benchmarked
against these essential elements:
Diversity of the Student Population (reflective of the overall population of the community)
Unique and Innovative Curriculum
Improved Student Achievement (Academic Excellence)
Professional Development/Specialized Teaching Staff (supporting the magnet theme)
Dynamic Partnerships (Parent and Community Involvement)

1
Adapted from U.S. Department of Education Publications: Creating Successful Magnet School Programs, 2004;
Creating Strong District School Choice Programs, 2004; Creating Successful K-8 Magnets, 2008; Giving Parents
Options—Strategies for Informing Parents and Implementing Public School Choice & Supplemental Education
Services Under NCLB.

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 HISD Magnet Program Review

As a result of visiting each HISD Magnet School, this report provides a ―summary‖of the
emerging themes from the school visits as noted by the consultants (further supporting the results
reported in Phase I) from their walk-through and staff interviews:

 Strong district leadership support of the Magnet schools

 Concern for more equitable opportunities to access Magnet schools across the district
 Strong parent and community involvement in Magnet schools
 Excitement and loyalty to the Magnet concept and the Magnet curriculum
 Excitement and loyalty to the long tradition of choice in the district
 Concern for more support to neighborhood schools as the student’s first choice
 Need for quality and variety of magnet themes and staff professional development
 Concern for ―equitable‖ funding for all magnets across the district based on program
needs and student enrollment
 Need for implementation of the district’s Magnet Guidelines and Standards
 Concern to create a common definition of a successful ―Magnet school‖
 Need for clarity of HISD’s application process, selection criteria, and student
assignment
 Understanding and communicating student achievement as an important goal
 Need to define the roles and responsibilities of the Magnet Coordinators
 Strategies for integration of theme-based instruction throughout the curriculum
 Inconsistency of expectations to meet the ―essential elements‖ as stated above

SUMMARY OF INDIVIDUAL MAGNET SCHOOL REVIEW

Magnet School Binder Document Review: Each school provided three sets of requested
information and materials in binders: one for HISD, one for MSA, and one for each consultant.
This was an opportunity for the magnet school to ―showcase‖ its talents, strengths, and
instructional theme(s) and teaching/learning process--an opportunity to tell MSA about the
unique aspects of the school, what’s working, what needs improvement! Schools were provided
a list of requirements to include (cited on page 2) and questions to answer. This design was to

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 HISD Magnet Program Review

guide the schools in preparation for the visit, and have a level of consistency of information
across all magnet schools. The binder was an excellent introduction to the school, and the
walk through and interviews provided a level of ―validation‖ of their impressions. From the
information and document reviews by the consultants, the following were noted:

The presentation, completeness, and degree of detail included in the binders (e.g.,
materials, data and information) varied from to school across the district
Parents have a variety of instructional themes to choose from across the district
Magnet coordinators’ responsibilities, roles, and time allocated to these responsibilities
vary across the district; they do not necessarily correlate consistently to the theme or to
the size of the magnet student population or the total student population
District support for marketing and recruitment exists, but communication is inconsistent
Magnet student application process is inconsistent
Communication regarding acceptance to a magnet school occurs more consistently
Entrance criteria to magnet schools exist, however, it varies across the district
Student population of zoned and non-zoned students varies and, as a result, appears not
coordinated/correlated to building capacity
Diversity goals are not evident, nor reflected in the student population at every school
Magnet funding allocations vary significantly and, in some cases, were difficult to
ascertain in the binder review
Magnet funds are used by the schools in a variety of ways with no oversight by the
district

Walk-Through Protocol: As a result of 113 walk through visits of the HISD Magnet schools,
MSA consultants visited teacher classrooms and observed teaching and learning during key
instructional times. At some schools, consultants observed special programs. The walk-through
visits were designed to give schools an opportunity to demonstrate on-site (1) the uniqueness of
the school, (2) the special theme-based classrooms, (3) skills and talents of their students, and (4)
the instructional process and integration of the magnet theme. The Protocol utilized for the walk-
through process included questions to guide the consultant in his/her observations. Questions
included:

Are the school’s theme, mission and vision well communicated?

Were Magnet related resources readily available in the classrooms?

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 HISD Magnet Program Review

Were students engaged in their learning?

Were Magnet curriculum documents displayed or easily identified in the classrooms?
Was the Magnet theme integration throughout the curriculum clearly observed in the
classrooms?
Are learning benchmarks posed in classrooms reflecting student progress?
Are faculty and staff enthusiastic and engaged in learning with students?
Are school facilities adequate to accommodate the Magnet theme?
Are classrooms equipped with technology to support the instruction and integration of the
theme?

The walk-through was an excellent process to validate their impressions from the binder review
and the on-site interviews (in some schools the interview occurred first). As a result of the site
visits, consultants noted the following emerging themes:

Students were engaged in learning in both theme and non-theme classrooms

Extended day programs existed in some schools to afford students extended time in their
theme, and in one case, the theme is implemented only after school
Funding and other financial resources vary across the schools, and magnet funds
are used by schools in a variety of ways with no oversight by the district (reported above)
Principals, magnet coordinators, and teachers are dedicated to the magnet theme and
school choice
Principals and magnet coordinators extended their hospitality to the consultants. While
nervous and concerned about the Magnet Program Review by MSA, staff revealed a
clear ―snap shot‖ of their schools
Three consultants noted that it ―appeared‖ as though they were observing a ―specially
designed day‖ rather than feeling ―this is the way we do things at the school every day‖
Students, at some magnet schools, accompanied the consultant on the walk-through
Parents, at some schools, accompanied the consultant on the walk-through

Interview Protocol: Administrators, Magnet Coordinators, Faculty, and other staff

During the on-site visits, the consultants engaged in a formal interview process with Principals,
Coordinators, Faculty and other staff. At some schools, parents and/or community partners
joined the interview. Note: at one school parents answered all the questions discussed in the
interview, even though the consultant continually directed questions to the Principal and
continually tried to engage the Principal. At another school, the Principal did not join the

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 HISD Magnet Program Review

interview. The interviews were designed to give schools an opportunity to discuss with the
consultant the following:
Uniqueness of their school
Special areas of their school
Skills and talents of the students and the teachers
Instructional process and integration of the theme in the instructional process
Strengths of their school; concerns they have for school improvement
Student achievement and accomplishments beyond formal assessments
Goals for the future
How the resources are used in the school
How partnerships with parents and community support the Magnet theme

The Protocol utilized for the interview process identified questions to guide the consultant in
his/her discussions. Questions included the following:

Briefly describe the history of your Magnet program including how it started and the
current demographics of the student population.
Talk about your Magnet funding and how the funds are allocated.
Describe your Magnet staff and their responsibilities.
What are the unique features of your Magnet theme and how is it integrated into the
curriculum?
What process is in place to promote diverse student enrollment?
What surveys have been done in the last two years for parent and community input to
your Magnet program? Tell about the results and any resulting action you took.
What Magnet standards are in place to ensure teachers and students follow the specialty
curriculum? How do you assure the standards are being met?
How are teachers encouraged/required to participate in professional development? Give
some examples of Magnet training that have taken place?
Describe the role of parents and community in your Magnet program.

The on-site interview was an excellent process to validate the consultant’s impressions from the
binder review and the walk-through. As a result of the interviews, consultants noted the
following emerging themes (some are repeated from the walk-through visits as expected):
Extended day, theme-based programs
At one school, fees are charged to families for their students to be in an after school
magnet program
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 HISD Magnet Program Review

Student achievement is very important to effective school leadership

Acceptance criteria (reported on page 4) varies across the district by theme, by school, by
age of the student population
Transfers of a student out of a magnet program (e.g., discipline infractions) occurs and
there is a due process protocol provided by the district for use by principals
Magnet coordinators’ roles and responsibilities (reported on page 4) are extremely varied,
and providing support to teachers for theme-based instruction is a ―struggle‖ given their
responsibilities also for the program’s recruitment, application process, and enrollment
and retention of students
Theme related professional development is not consistent across schools or across themes
There appears little sharing of best practices across schools or across themes
Feeder patterns are supported by the district, but concerns were raised that there is not
consistency as to ―how well they are working‖ throughout the district
Magnet funding and financial resources (reported on page 4) vary among the magnet
schools, and a sense of resentment among some principals was evident. But, some stated
that they recognize, in the best interest of the students, that they might need to operate
with less money in order for the district to equalize the funding for all magnet schools
Magnet funds are used by the schools in a variety of ways (reported on page 4)
Fundraising occurs in most schools to support a variety of activities and events for
students; types of fundraising and amounts of funds raised vary across the district
Career Technical Program resources and requirements are integrated into the instructional
process, and the resulting achievements of these CT Magnet programs have grown over
the past years; principals of these schools appreciate what the CTE brings to the magnet
Principals, magnet coordinators, parents, students and teachers expressed their support
and loyalty to the magnet theme and for school choice

Principals and magnet coordinators reiterated to the consultants that while they were nervous
regarding the Magnet Program Review by MSA, they felt at ease to discuss their programs and
concerns during the interview. The binder materials and information, the walk-through at each
magnet school, and the interviews with the school and magnet leadership, teachers, parents, and
community provided consultants with a clear understanding of the magnet programs* and a
―snap shot‖ of the school--its mission and vision, goals, successes and challenges. The
interviews, use of protocols, and the time spent at the school with staff and others, particularly
the students, provided a wide range of emerging themes and issues for further reporting and

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 HISD Magnet Program Review

eventually HISD’s consideration. The results continue to support the major issues as reported in
the HISD 2006 Peer Review Study.
*Fine Arts/Physical Development; Math/Science; Vanguard; Literacy/Communication; Languages;
Leadership/Public Service; Montessori; Careers; Technology; and Math/Science/ Technology.

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