Project Details

Agency Name: The Texas Education Agency (TEA)

Agency Type: State, Local

Services: Technical Assistance

Client Goals

The Texas Education Agency had the goal of addressing summer learning loss, which can have a profound effect on students from low-income backgrounds. The cumulative impact of summer learning loss has been shown to create a gap of up to three grade levels for low-income students by the fifth grade.

Research has shown that the impact of summer learning loss can be eliminated if academic instruction is offered for three to four hours a day for five to six weeks. Additionally, when comparing students in the US to those of top performing countries on the PISA exam, we see that many of those countries have shorter summer breaks, and all have more instructional days per year (as many as 47 additional days in countries like South Korea). This suggests that holding more instructional days leads to academic achievement, however there has not previously been additional funding for lengthening the instructional year in Texas until the passage of HB 3.

Safal Approach

Safal is on TEA’s Additional Days School Year (ADSY) initiative vendor list and is currently Aldine ISD’s technical assistance provider for the ADSY initiative. Through this engagement, Safal led two Aldine ISD campuses through a year-long strategic planning process toward launching a 210-day school year, including gathering feedback from families, students, campus staff, executive staff, and board members; vision setting and implementation planning; designing a calendar to include ENVI210N Wednesdays that focus on performance task-based learning; leading principals through change management processes with staff; and engaging with departments across the district, including transportation, finance, academics, and many more. Vines Primary and Ermel Elementary successfully launched as ENVI210N campuses in July 2021, and Aldine has continued to engage Safal in planning for future implementation of ENVI210N campuses across the district and to ensure sustainability as the program continues.

Through the ADSY initiative, Safal is also currently the technical assistance provider for Lighthouse Public Schools and University of Texas Charter School System for the TCLAS Decision 7. Safal led the Lighthouse elementary campuses through a year-long strategic process involving stakeholder engagement and feedback, program design, implementation, and ongoing technical assistance through this engagement. This process has required extensive expertise in stakeholder engagement, strategic planning, and financial efficiencies. Safal assisted the UT Charter system by conducting comprehensive needs assessments, strategic planning, developing financial efficiencies, technical assistance, and implementation support.