BACKGROUND
In 2006, Spring Branch ISD adopted Five-Year Educational Plan Goals.  One of the goals is to be the premier college-focused district in the State of Texas and prepare all students for success after high school graduation.  With existing data, SBISD has difficulty knowing how many students are attending and successful in post-secondary studies.  Therefore, the need to develop and implement a system to accurately track students after graduation became apparent. This system will help ensure that students' needs for post-secondary studies are being met and that SBISD's educational goal is being accomplished.
 
INITIATIVE OVERVIEW
To help the district meet their goal, the vision for SBISD's Preparing to Dream initiative is to improve methods of tracking and surveying graduates, so that new data (both quantitative and qualitative) can be combined with existing data to determine how better to prepare students for post-secondary studies.  In the 2008-09 school year, Spring Branch will develop an interactive website that will allow alumni to update their status as they progress in their post-secondary studies and career.  Graduation surveys and follow-up post-graduation surveys also will be included to gauge student success and to maintain/update changes in former students' contact information.  Based on survey data and preexisting data, recommendations and improvements will then be made to programs and curriculum to ensure the success of future graduates.
 
OBJECTIVES
Through the course of the initiative, Spring Branch ISD will develop a comprehensive, state of the art, high-tech replicable communications and survey strategy to track graduates and measure their success. 
By developing this tracking system, the intended outcomes will be to:

• Accurately measure the post-secondary success of SBISD's graduates
• Improve high school curriculum and programs based on feedback from graduates
• Increase the percentage (and number) of students who attend college the year after graduation
• Increase the percentage of students graduating from high school within four years

TEAM MEMBERS (click to see a full list)

TEAM REFLECTIONS
"Spring Woods High School is committed to the District goal of becoming the premier college-bound district in the state. The Preparing to Dream project is a critical piece to achieving our goal of providing a solid college-bound experience for all of our students."
            - Lance Stallworth, Principal, Spring Woods High School
 
"I am excited about the potential of this project to impact the college success rate of Spring Branch students by providing accurate data on graduates' post-secondary experience, and by helping the district to implement strategies that improve both the numbers of students participating in a post secondary experience as well as their success rates."
            - Dr. Zachary Hodges, President, Houston Community College - Northwest
 
"The Preparing to Dream initiative will truly transform the way we think about programming in SBISD.  Knowing the wisdom and experiences of students who have been through our system will greatly enhance our ability to provide services that ensure post-secondary success."
            -  Dr. Jennifer Blaine, Assistant Superintendent, Curriculum and Instruction, Spring Branch ISD
 
 
MORE INFORMATION
Contact Jennifer Cobb
Director of Program Evaluation and Research
(713) 464-1511 or Jennifer.Cobb@springbranchisd.com