Read the Executive Summary
Spring Branch Independent School District (SBISD) is an urban-suburban district located in Houston, Texas. Fifty-eight percent of its 35,000 students come from low-income households, 32 percent are limited English-proficient, and 58 percent are Hispanic. Superintendent Duncan Klussmann has led SBISD since 2004 and has built a coalition of loyal school and district staff who have worked to improve preparation for higher education, engage stakeholders throughout the community, and apply rigorous performance standards. SBISD adopted the portfolio strategy as a way to reach its goal of doubling the post-secondary completion rate from the district average of 36 percent in 2012 to 72 percent in 2017.
In October 2013, researchers from the CRPE conducted a qualitative analysis of the internal processes and policies of Spring Branch Independent School District related to portfolio management. This report encompasses SBISD’s mindset and activities at two different points in time: the original round of interviews with district leaders in October 2013, and a follow-up snapshot assessment in July 2014. The report also provides recommendations to SBISD for next steps to generate progress on the portfolio strategy in the year ahead.
