AISD Superintendent Meria Carstarphen opened an all-staff convocation today by highlighting achievements in the district. But she also made clear there’s room for improvement.
Carstarphen told teachers they will have to handle non-violent disciplinary cases with in-school suspensions. It’s part of a policy the district is pursuing to increase graduation rates among minorities, who are disproportionately placed in the districts disciplinary schools.
“Nearly a third of African American and Hispanic males did not graduate on time. Hispanic females have dropout rates that are five times higher than Caucasian females in the district,” Carstarphen says.
Carstarphen’s go-to phrase during the convocation was “teamwork will make the dream work.”
The convocation was held this morning at Crockett High School. It was also streamed online for the district’s 12,000 or so employees.
The convocation kicked off this morning with a rousing parody of Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe.”
The convocation is like a pep rally for staff and was complete with cheerleaders and a band – until the band members had to go back to practice.
The video of the convocation was not available online at the time of this posting but an AISD spokesperson said it will be posted to the district's website: austinisd.org or AISD's YouTube channel.
