Exploring the Academy of Global Studies at Austin High School

Austin High School is the second closest AISD school to my home. In Austin Independent School District they have a number of high schools that have academic programs called, "Academies." At first I figured the academies were similar to Magnet programs, but I'm wrong. Traditionally, in all of the places I have lived before, Magnet programs were meant to draw populations with a particular interest to a school. On the face, there's nothing wrong with trying to make school more enjoyable by employing programs that students would love to participate in if they have a keen interest in arts, science, technology, etc. Except in my experience, these programs are usually started at schools that have higher number of children from low income housing.

How do I know this? I was one of those kids who attended a special public school program where a certain group of students were bussed from one side of town to the other to try and even out the income disparities. To be honest, it's hard not to notice the physical geographic lines through all of the cities I have lived in of where the haves from the have nots are, and it's not just heartbreaking, it's wrong. Schools should have programs not because they want to lure a specific demographic to a school, but because all the kids already in that school deserve such a program.

Today I was learning about the Academy of Global Studies from a high school junior. She was a great tour guide in that I got to see the whole building. You should know it was built in the 1970s when open classroom and pod learning were very popular. I guess this has fallen out of favor, because they have created floor to sealing dividers that break each of the rooms up into various classrooms. Similarly, different areas of the buildings have wings -- the social studies wing, the athletics wing, the science wing, the arts wing. The school is three floors and has been added onto over time. 

Aesthetically, everything is dated. Some classrooms had newer desks that crated hexagons for group study, but like your typical public high school -- it's not flashy. 

As I was walking into the building, a small group of theater students were working outside together. They were clearing enjoying their assignment and appeared to be trying to block out a scene together. It made me happy to see arts at the forefront of the building. Upon walking in, a security guard greeted me and asked me for my ID. My tour guide explained that this was a new protocol put into place by the new principal, who she said was doing a great job on making some changes to create a safer atmosphere at school. There were also signs indicating that only seniors are allowed to leave the high school campus during the day. 

While I waited for my security name badge to print out, I stood across the open space from the orchestra room. It was very peaceful. All the students were in class, so it was very quiet in the hallways except for the classical music.

I walked up to the second floor office with a school nurse. She asked me about X-man, and I told her that I was touring early to try and come up with some decisions because he's a bit quirky. She smiled and claimed to have a similar child. She told me that her child went to the Eanes school district, but that it was not a good fit. And that if she had the chance to do it all over again, Austin High School would have been a better fit. "We have all kinds of kids here and they are definitely more accepting of difference." 

And I have to tell you, there were a lot of different kids, which I loved. Kids in wheelchairs. Kids in newspaper. Kids working on group projects. Lots of diversity, and their seemed to be a very casual air about it. The high schoolers were all wearing jeans with layered t-shirts and sweatshirts. It wasn't anything fancy. I saw no girls in heels. It felt -- normal. 

The global studies program is for students who are interested in international problem solving and current events. Each semester the students travel somewhere. Freshmen year is usually a trip to a Poverty Simulation in Arkansas. Sophomore year is usually a trip to Costa Rica. This year's juniors are headed to New Mexico, and the senior class is off to China. 

My tour guide said that class size in her Academy has always been smaller than her other classes. She said 16-20 was her norm in Global Academy, but 32-35 in all other classes. However, she said that low student to teacher class number probably will not continue and that they will be raised to be the same across the board next year. The classrooms are fairly large, but they are filled with large bodies. The classes are quiet though, and focused. There were no "out of control" classes, that I sometimes had at my high school. Everyone was focused and doing their thing. 

Austin High School is a neighborhood school, so children in that area get first dibs on spots at the school and in the Global Academy. Then if they have space, they let other students transfer in. When my tour guide was applying to schools, they weren't taking any transfers. She physically moved in with a different relative in order to use their address to go to school. When I set up my appointment, the woman said that in 2017 they would be accepting up to 40 transfers, which means competition is pretty high for the few number of slots they have.

I also learned that right now the plan for Austin High School is to start three more Academies. My tour guide thought for sure there was one based on technology (They do have a lot of computer labs, which are all PC. The only Macs are found in the newspaper, school multi-media and yearbook rooms.), one based on STEM and Classical Studies. The plan was, she thought, that everyone who attended the school would choose an Academy to be a part of. So that there was no "traditional" educational pathway at that high school any more. Applications to the Academies are due by Feb. 1 for out of "attendance zone" applicants. 

One of the things I did love was that the teachers had little signs with their names, what they taught and where they graduated from college outside their door. Classrooms had varying levels of technology. Some classrooms had Chromebooks, other did not. 

One of the things I look for when I visit a school is how my sensory sensitive child would react in an environment, and I have to be honest that Austin High School might be hard for him. The first issue was that at lunch time all of the students in the school eat at the same time. The cafeteria is large, but my guide told me students eat everywhere, in the halls, on the stairs, outside, basically wherever they can find a space with their friends. The cafeteria looks kind of like a McDonald's. It's got booths lining one side and lots of tables around the room. I was pretty sure that X-man would never wait in line for any kind of lunch purchasing, and the noise of the chaos of all of the students eating together, would likely drive him mad.

On the flip side, off of the school library, they have what's called an innovation room. If you get done early with something in class, you can ask for a pass to go there and work on whatever you're curious about, so that you don't get in trouble being bored. I thought this was a wonderful idea, and I liked that it was situated off of the library. The library is large, more tables for work than there are stacks, but they have one, and it is clearly used. 

Another thing I noticed was that everything in the school was hard surfaced. It was a lot of rock and concrete and plastic chairs. There was one couch in a hall which had a teenager sleeping on it at 10:15 a.m. And I noticed another teen carrying around a pink fuzzy baby blanket. He might have gotten it from the child development class, or he might have brought it from home. 

There was a Healthy Snack vending machine being stocked while I was there. Students are also given FIT time, which is Flexible Instruction Time that allows students to get extra help and guidance from teachers in specific subjects. It's not only for those where students struggle, but also in areas that students excel. There is also a Culinary Arts program at the school for any future chef in your life. 

My guide said school usually starts at 9 a.m. and ends at 4:30 p.m. So your child will never have to wake up when it's dark outside again. (Woot!) But if you attend an academy and don't live in the Austin High School designated neighborhood area, the district does not provide transportation for your child. You will have to drive him. City buses are available, but my guide said that they don't drop off at the high school (!). Instead they would have to walk from down near the Y or from over near Magnolia on the other side of Mopac in order to walk to school. From where we live, it might even be worth finding someone near the lake that would allow us to park a kayak and have X-man kayak to the school. :-) 

My guide said there are tons of extracurriculars to choose from, which is an advantage of larger high schools. She said there is also a late activity bus home for children who stay late for practices, if students live in the attendance zone.

My guide was really pleased with her choice in schools. She loved her travels and learning about complicated world issues.

My Visit to Odyssey School (45th and Red River)

Today I toured Odyssey School in Austin. It is just north of the University of Texas about a mile away from where Airport Road and I-35 meet.

Odyssey School is a small private school for middle and high school students who learn differently either because they are neurodiverse or have learning disabilities. Students have to have a documented learning disability to attend. The school self identifies as being able to best help students who have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD or have been evaluated as having "dyslexia, dysgraphia, processing disorders, executive functioning issues and low academic self-confidence."

The school rents space in two buildings from a neighborhood church and it is quite small. On average they have 60 students total enrolled in fifth through twelfth grades. The student body is predominantly male (75%). The average class size is usually 1 teacher to 8 students, but in math classes it is often less. Students focus on achieving mastery rather than accomplishing academics on a calendar. So, if you have a child that needs an extra four months to understand Algebra, they can get the extra time. If you have a child who whizzes through Algebra, they're not required to sit around and wait for a year to end bored out of their minds.

The whole direction of the school is based on positive learning experiences that help students learn steps to be successful in the future. Yes, they teach the main core requirements math, language arts, science and social studies. And the base tuition (about $16,000 per year) is just for those academic teachings. But, more interestingly, they also teach juniors and seniors a Pragmatics class that covers certain life skills that students will need. For example, for college-bound high school students, they tour a college apartment, put together a budget to see what they'll need to furnish the apartment or how to plan and organize weekly grocery budgets. Life skills like changing tires or exploring professional opportunities are also included. For example, if a student says he wants to be a video game designer... that sounds fun, Odyssey takes him to visit a video game studio and talk to people in the industry and find out if that's really what he wants to do before he applies to a university, so he can understand what the profession involves academically and to make sure he really wants to do that.

Odyssey seems very in tune with making sure that students are fully integrated in the choices they make about their education and their future career opportunities.

In addition to the core subjects and things like Pragmatics, Odyssey has electives that students can choose from. These are not included in the base tuition and look to cost $2k per class more. Students are limited to two electives, but they have them every day. This includes foreign languages (at this time just Spanish), studio arts, PE, maker shop, technology, study hall (so they get homework done at school rather than having to bring it home), and healthy living. Music is available, but it isn't a formal class. It is an after school opportunity in a studio they have access to, but instead of a traditional band, is more of a rock band experience (guitars, keyboards, drums). The school will also work with you to accept other activities as credit towards these electives. For example, if your student enrolls in an ASL class at the Deaf School, they can receive language credit. If they play a high level sport outside of school, that experience can transfer to PE credits, etc.

School starts at 8:45 a.m. and traditional core classes run until 1:30 p.m. Then electives are from 1:30 to 3:40 p.m. School is open with aftercare, if you need it, until 5:30. Students are welcome on campus as early as 8 a.m. to visit with friends or to ask teachers for help with something.

The school shares the gym with the church, so they do have indoor and outdoor activity space. Team sports vary depending on participation, as not all kids at Odyssey are excited about competition, but they do have a basketball team that has played Griffin High School and they have a small soccer team. An Austin Fencing group also uses the gym after school, which could make for a great individual sport opportunity.

All Odyssey students participate in service learning once a month. There are several Austin-area non-profits that partner with them in the area.

The whole Odyssey brand seems to be in tune with the idea that "though we be small, we are mighty." And flexibility for each individual learner is the utmost important to grow a successful learner.

Money for the school is focused on instruction and resources. So don't go in expecting everything to be brand new and shiny. The library is small, but they do have one.

In addition, they offer all kinds of educational testing for students and non-students. So if you need a full assessment or a dyslexia evaluation, or a re-evaluation for your child to see if he or she qualifies for special accommodation on the SAT or ACT, Odyssey can provide that service to you. One of the nice parts is that if your child does qualify for SAT or ACT accommodations, they can take the test at Odyssey with only the proctor in the room (usually a particular Odyssey instructor) rather than in a large room with dozens of other students.

There is a three-step process to admission. 1) A Consultation and tour where the parents can talk with staff. 2) Submit an application and the potential student does a 3-day visit. 3) An admissions committee looks over all the information and discusses the visit to see if the student is a positive match or if they can recommend an alternative fit in a program other than Odyssey.

The headmaster gave me my tour. He spoke my language, which was nice, and was able to give me some feedback on some of the research I had been doing on public schools in Austin as it related to where kids who might have been at Odyssey for middle school and then transitioned to public high school attended.

There aren't many people who can afford private school prices. But for those kids with learning disabilities who are not able to make public school successful due to Texas' limits on Special Education, sensory needs, or large classes. Odyssey is a definite lifesaver. The students were engaged in class. The teachers are specifically trained in the population they serve, and Odyssey has been in existence for 20 years, so it's got staying power.

It might take parents some time to get used to non-traditional, flexible schooling, but it might also be a really good fit for children who need daily structure with a shot of flexibility.

Piecing Together the Education Puzzle in Texas

To native Austinites, people like my family are invasive species. Over the last 25 years together, my spouse and I have migrated from the midwest to the mid-Atlantic back to the midwest to the west coast and found ourselves home in Austin in fall 2015.

It isn't much of a surprise that there are parts of Austin, had they been our first experiences, we would have not found the community we have. After spending a little over two years in the concrete suburbs of San Jose and five other years inside the beltway in the D.C. area, we knew we needed a smaller city with quick access to land where you can drive your car and sit and see no people for miles.

Had we toured the development of North Austin first, I'm not sure we would have chosen to live here.  But we didn't. We toured the east side and the south side and Oak Hill, and we loved it.

One of the the drawbacks of moving in the middle of a school year and not knowing where you will find housing, however, is making decisions about where your child will go to school. In this venue, we were extremely lucky to find a private school where our only child could attend, so he wouldn't have to experience three schools in one school year. In Austin, like in most locations, your public school choice is determined by where you live -- mostly.

We wanted X-man to start school within a week of the move. Our kiddo is a bit out of the mold. He is 2E. He is cognitively gifted with learning disabilities. In this case, he has been diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety and has had an IEP identify him as significantly gifted with nonverbal learning disabilities specifically regarding writing (dysgraphia). He also has delays in processing, emotional intelligence and regulation, fine motor skills related to endurance and executive functioning. He is both significantly sensory defensive and sensory seeking depending on the day -- and he's a very emotionally sensitive kid. So choosing a school where he doesn't cry on the way there and on the way home every day from the emotional tragedies and unfairness or over sensory stimulation or boredom is not as easy for us as it might be for parents of neurotypical kids.

It is especially difficult in a state that was was investigated and found to be limiting special education accessibility to only 8.5% of children in most every district. If you'd like news articles backing up that sentence there are several. The one that came out today talks about how restrictions were so intense that even blind kids can't get assistance.

Emails to a couple principals in schools in areas we were looking for housing in weren't hitting the level of knowledge of special needs I was looking for, and any that did, were quick to confirm that they would evaluate the deficits, but could offer nothing for his strengths. In California, this was also the case -- and it put a large damper on my child's enjoyment of learning and made him feel like every day was only about what was wrong with him.

So, we enrolled X-man in a small private school with lots of kids like him. Only 12 or less children to a class. And it's working out. But that school ends in eighth grade, so I'm looking forward to high school.

I'm going to come out right here and admit that I am a big supporter of public schools and of teachers. It was hard for me to rearrange my own thinking about educational goals and my own experience to send my son to a school that has turned out to be better for him rather than society at large. I was raised by a teacher who sent me to public school, even though she taught at a private one, and there are larger societal issues at play in most educational situations that I will likely call out that other people won't want to talk about or hear about but that I find important.

Mostly, what I hope this blog does is show how I navigated the educational options in Austin, and maybe it can serve as a resource for other parents wondering how best to investigate their options for schools in Austin.

No one educational choice is right for all students. I know that, and I hope you do, too.