AISD-Watch (a list server organized through Yahoo groups)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AISD-Watch/

Austin Independent School District
http://www.austin.isd.tenet.edu

Just for the Kids
http://www.just4kids.org/en/texas/

This site allows you to see how your school is doing compared to other Texas schools that serve similar students.  It also gives you information about strategies that successful schools are using.

Raise Your Hand
http://www.raiseyourhandtexas.org/

Raise Your Hand Texas is a bipartisan group of  BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS, parents and tax payers dedicated to strengthening and improving our public schools.

Texas Education Agency
http://www.tea.state.tx.us

The TEA website has information about school accountability ratings, the TEKS academic standards, state initiatives, and grants.

Texas Freedom Network
http://www.tfn.org

The Texas Freedom Network is an advocacy organization that tracks education issues such as textbook adoption and school prayer.

The Texas High School Project
http://www.thsp.com/

The Texas High School Project (THSP) is a $261 million public-private initiative committed to increasing graduation and college enrollment rates in every Texas community.

National Resources for Education Reform

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Education Division)
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/UnitedStates/Education/

Through its partnerships in communities across the United States, the foundation is committed to raising the high school graduation rate and helping all students—regardless of race or family income—graduate as strong citizens ready for college, and work.

The Education Trust
http://www.edtrust.org

The Education Trust is a national research and advocacy organization that works to improve education for all students, especially those who have been left behind in the past.  Click here for their 2007 report on teacher quality in poor and minority Texas schools:
Click here to download the Education Trust 2006 Education Watch Report for Texas.  It provides facts and figures about the state of public education in Texas:

Give Kids Good Schools
http://www.givekidsgoodschools.org/main/index.cfm

Give Kids Good Schools is a national campaign to encourage people to learn, vote, and act to support quality public schools.

National High School Alliance
www.hsalliance.org

The National High School Alliance (HS Alliance) is a partnership of nearly fifty organizations representing a diverse cross-section of perspectives and approaches, but sharing a common commitment to promoting the excellence, equity, and development of high school-age youth.

Parents for Public Schools
http://www.parents4publicschools.com

Parents for Public Schools is a national organization of community-based chapters working in public schools through broad-based enrollment.

National Resources on Community Schools

Coalition for Community Schools
http://www.communityschools.org

National Community Education Association
http://www.ncea.com

National Resources for Community Dialogue

The National Issues Forum
http://www.nifi.org

National Issues Forums bring people together to talk about important issues and find common ground for action on issues that concern them. Each forum focuses on a specific issue such as the achievement gap or juvenile crime.   This website has a variety of tools and discussion guides to help people organize forums in their community.

The Study Circles Resource Center
http://www.studycircles.org

The Study Circles Resource Center is a national organization that helps local communities organize community dialogue sessions on a variety of topics.  Their website has a variety of practical tools and discussion guides on education, racism, and other topics.

Other Youth Engagement Organizations

Center for Information & Research on Civic learning & Engagement

http://www.civicyouth.org

Do Something
http://www.dosomething.org

Inner City Struggle (East Los Angeles)
http://innercitystruggle.org

National Youth Advisory Council
http://www.nyacyouth.org

Oasis Center (Nashville)
http://www.oasiscenter.org/do/leadership

Philadelphia Student Union
http://www.phillystudentunion.org/main.html

Southwest Organizing Project (New Mexico)
http://www.swop.net/youth.htm

What Kids Can Do
http://www.whatkidscando.org

Youth Together (San Francisco Bay Area)
http://www.youthtogether.net

Our National Partners

Forum for Youth Investment
http://www.forumforyouthinvestment.org

The Forum for Youth Investment (the Forum) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to helping communities and the nation make sure all young people are Ready by 21™ — ready for college, work and life. The Forum provides youth and adult leaders with the information, technical assistance, training, network support and partnership opportunities needed to increase the quality and quantity of youth investment and youth involvement.

Public Education Network
http://www.publiceducation.org

Public Education Network (PEN) is a national association of local education funds (LEFs) and individuals working to advance public school reform in low-income communities across our country. PEN believes an active, vocal constituency is the key to ensuring that every child, in every community, benefits from a quality public education.

Our Local Partners

Austin Area Urban league
http://www.aaul.org/

Austin Voices is partnering with the Urban League to engage the community in the high school redesign process to improve Austin’s public high schools.

Communities in the Schools of Central Texas
www.cisaustin.org

Communities In Schools is Central Texas' leading dropout prevention program.  Austin Voices partners with CIS on numerous projects to engage students and their families in improving schools.

E3 Alliance
www.e3alliance.org

The E3 Alliance is a Central Texas regional collaborative to increase economic outcomes
by aligning our education systems to better fulfill the potential of every citizen.  Austin Voices has partnered with the E3 Alliance to organize community conversations in six Central Texas communities about the achievement gap.

Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Congress
www.gahcc.org

Austin Voices is partnering with the Hispanic Chamber to engage the community in the high school redesign process to improve Austin’s public high schools.

PODER
http://www.poder-texas.org

PODER is an environmental justice organization that leads the Young Scholars for Justice program.

Ready By 21 Coalition
www.readyby21austin.org

The Ready by 21 Coalition in Austin/Travis County is a collaborative group of youth service providers, educators, government agency representatives, and teen advisors who are concerned about the youth in our community, especially youth who face challenges to achieving self-sufficiency.

Texas Forums
www.texasforums.org

Texas Forums, an initiative of the LBJ Library and Museum, engages people in dialogue about issues that affect their lives.  Using the National Issues Forums (NIF) model for public deliberation, Texas Forums moderators help people have thoughtful conversations about important public issues.  Austin Voices has partnered with Texas Forums on the regional Achivement Gap community conversations.