AUSTIN – Commissioner of Education Mike Morath announced today that the Texas Education Agency (TEA) is accepting applications from school districts to the 2019 cohort of the System of Great Schools (SGS) Network.

“The System of Great Schools Network is designed to build the capacity of school districts to create high-quality, best-fit school options for their students,” said Commissioner Morath. “By being a part of the Network, school districts receive support to increase the number of students attending highly-rated schools and reduce the number of students attending schools where improvement is required.”

All Texas school districts are eligible to apply for the SGS Network. School districts selected to the join the SGS Network receive:  

• Consulting support from an experienced executive advisor to help each district plan and execute its individualized SGS strategy;
• Access to model policies, process guides, tools, and resources designed to accelerate implementation of the SGS strategy;
• Membership in a professional learning community of superintendents and senior staff that come together regularly to build understanding of the SGS strategy, enhance leadership skills, and create connections across districts;
• High quality professional development programming to build the capacity of staff in existing or newly created Offices of Innovation; and
• Opportunity to access SGS related funding opportunities, such as those provided through Senate Bill 1882 and related grant programs and be connected to supportive philanthropic partners.

Thirteen districts of various sizes are currently members of the SGS Network, including the Galveston Independent School District, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District, San Antonio Independent School District and Fort Worth Independent School District.

SGS districts have designed and launched numerous new schools, including early childhood centers, innovative district schools, district-charter partnerships, and replications of existing successful district schools.  In addition, the first cohort of SGS districts have generated impressive academic gains, including a 47 percent increase in the number of high performing campuses and a 34 percent reduction in the number of low-performing campuses since joining the network.

SGS Network applications are due by Jan. 18, 2019. TEA staff and reviewers will review and score applications and will notify selected Network members by March 1, 2019. To review the SGS Network application materials or for additional information or assistance, visit the TEA website at https://tea.texas.gov/Texas_Schools/District_Initiatives/System_of_Great_Schools.

# # #