Garza Independence High School, which opened in January of 1998, is a public school of choice for any student with 10 or more credits who has completed two full years of high school and who wishes to earn a high school diploma. Students may apply anytime, whether they are presently enrolled in school or have not attended school for a period of time.

Like all Austin ISD high schools, Garza is a fully accredited high school. Students completing all local and state requirements, including TAAS/TAKS, will be eligible to graduate with a high school diploma. Garza provides a credit-by-proficiency environment designed to remove the traditional barriers to succeeding in high school.

How is Garza different?

Gonzalo Garza Independence High School is an open enrollment/open exit academic school of choice designed to meet the needs of students who:

• Have completed two full years of high school and who currently have at least 10 credits
• Need to remove "traditional barriers" to high school completion
• Wish to pursue an academic setting that offers several multi-credit options, as well as, providing extensive career education, college preparation, counseling, and support services
• Are interested in a non-traditional, credit-by-proficiency approach to learning that thoroughly integrates access to technology
• Want the opportunity to engage with connected, relevant, challenging curriculum

Students may enroll at Garza High School throughout the school year. The school day is four blocks of time from 9:00am to 3:20pm. Students sign up for their courses much like you would in a post-secondary situation. While Garza High School offers much flexibility, students must adhere to the school's "Code of Honor" (demonstrate personal honor and integrity at all times; choose peace over conflict; respect ourselves and others). The school adopted a solution-focused approach that strengthens the belief system that students are the solution for the issues that affect their lives. The question becomes, "What can we do at school to make things better and make you more successful?" Students who have earned ten credits are preferred for admission. The capacity of the school is 300 students.

How many credits must a student have to enroll in Gonzalo Garza Independence High School?

Students should have a minimum of 10 credits to enroll, although, each student is assessed individually with their own personal graduation plan. The school follows the state requirements for graduation credits and offers students the option of graduating in 3 years.

What is the attendance requirement at Gonzalo Garza Independence High School?

Students must maintain 90 percent attendance or better in order to receive credit. Gonzalo Garza Independence High School enforces the "ninety percent rule" by requiring 90 percent or better attendance to award a course credit. If a student has less than 90 percent attendance, the credit will be put in escrow until the student regains 90 percent. Numerous opportunities are offered should it become mathematically impossible to reach 90 percent. The student may obtain credits towards graduation by participating in numerous school-sponsored activities such as community service and/or college/career advancement.

Can students attend Gonzalo Garza Independence High School to earn credits and return to their home school to graduate?

Dual high school enrollment is not permitted. Students accepted at Gonzalo Garza Independence High School have their own graduation. In most cases, the students have already completed their credits and choose to return to walk "across the stage."

Can students attend Garza and ACC concurently?

Yes. Dual enrollment at ACC is permitted and encouraged. Working on ACC while enrolled at Garza is economical and exposes the student to college-level coursework.

What percentage of students applies and/or attends post-secondary education?

• 80% apply for 2-year community colleges or an associate degree
• 16% attend 4-year universities
• Projected 2006 32% attendance 4 year universities

Garza Independence High School: A Solution-focused High School

Imagine a high school where students are in control of their destiny. Imagine a high school that believes that a student's environment and past history does not have to decide their future. Imagine a high school that teaches that a student's family problems, and poor neighborhood do not have to dictate their personal success in school or work.  Imagine a high school that considers a student's personal adversities and life difficulties as strengths that they can harness for their personal betterment. Imagine a high school that inspires hope and teaches that the small steps that a student takes can lead to big changes in their life. Imagine a high school where each principal, teacher, social worker and staff member are convinced that every student has capacities that can be built upon to assure a positive outcome for that student. Imagine  a high school where at-risk and dropout youth attend school, graduate from high school, and successfully transition to college and work.  Imagine Gonzalo Garza Independence High School, a solution-focused high school, where dreams come true.

From "Whatever It Takes: How Twelve Communities Are Reconnecting Out-of-School Youth," Martin & Halperin, American Youth Policy Forum, 2006

Solution-focused Alternatives for Education (SAFED) Project

The University of Texas at Austin, School of Social Work in partnership with The Hogg Foundation, has selected Garza High School as the site for the first year of a planned five year study on the solution-focused high school.

SAFED Research Team

Cynthia Franklin, Ph.D, Professor ( Co-Principal Investigator) http://www.utexas.edu/ssw/faculty/franklin/

Calvin L. Streeter, Ph.D, Professor ( Co-Principal Investigator)

Joann Garner, MSSW, School Social Worker

Johnny Kim, MSW, Research Assistant

Laura Hopson, MSW  Research Assistant

What is the Solution-focused Approach in Education?

Garza Independence High School is pioneering the solution-focused approach to dropout prevention, and successful work and career transition. "Brief, Solution-focused Intervention" is a mental health model that was developed by clinical social workers and family therapists from the Brief Family Therapy Center in Milwakee.  It has evolved over the past 18 years in the context of working with multi-problem, impoverished and hard-to-reach individuals and families who sought help at counseling and social services agencies. The solution-focused model is a strengths-based helping model that offers specific skills and change strategies for enabling and facilitating positive future behaviors. It is future oriented, goal directed, and offers a set of well defined and easy to learn intervention methods that focus on making changes in people's perceptions, behaviors, and social environment.

The solution-focused intervention model offers all school staff specific skills for fostering strengths in students. In the school setting, for example, practitioners assisting students use the solution-focused intervention skills to help students to develop an image of a realistic solution; discover the ways in which the solution is already occurring in their lives; determine small, measurable goals toward the solution; and take immediate steps to make a difference in educational and life outcomes.

Comparing Solution Building with Problem Solving

Solution-Focused
 Accountability Schools
for the Twenty-First Century:
A Training Manual...

(click on the image above to download the Word document)

For more information on Dr. Franklin and her work, visit: http://www.utexas.edu/ssw/faculty/franklin/

• Best Public School Model by The Austin Chronicle
• Best Program Model - CSI Garza by The Austin Chronicle
• AMD (Advanced Micro Devices Corporation) - Garza National Model To Provide Internet Access To Students Without Technology At Home
• World Congress Informational Technology (WCIT) Recognized Garza As Their American Model School
• Austin Independent School District Board Recognition for Victoria Baldwin on the Harvard Graduate School of Education Principal's Center
• National Advisory Board Harvard Graduate School of Education Principal's Center
• American Youth Policy Forum for Youth Development and Policy Research Washington DC recognized Garza as an exemplary school
• 2003 Program of the Month for January for AED Center for Youth Development and Policy Research
• 2001 Family PC Magazine Top 100 Wired School
• 1999 Vera Institute of Justice New York, Model School
• 1999 US Department of Education and Department of Justice, School Safety Report Recognition

Publications

• Texas Monthly, July 2004, "One School Left Behind" by Gary Cartwright
• "Solution Focused Accountability Schools for the Twenty First Century: A training manual for Garza Independence High School" developed by Dr. Cynthia Franklin University of Texas School of Social Work
• "Solution-focused Alternatives for Education: An Evaluation of Gonzalo Garza Independence High School," Principal Investigators , Doctors Cynthia Franklin and Calvin L. Street, The University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work
• Community College Times, June 21, 2005, "One-on-one Connection Eases Entry for High School Students to Community College."
• Austin Family, August 2005, "Youth Speak Out, Garza Students Make the Grade," by Monica Davis
• "Whatever It Takes: How Twelve Communities Are Reconnecting Out-of-School Youth," Martin & Halperin, American Youth Policy Forum, 2006
• Texas School Business Journal, September 2006, "In The Spotlight Austin ISD Principal Vicki Baldwin Empowers Students To Aim For The Stars

Join Us!

It's a good day to apply. Open doors with a diploma from Garza Independence High School.

Garza is an open enrollment campus, which means you can apply anytime. To apply, schedule an appointment with Garza's registrar, Lucy Martinez, 512-414-8614.

Information on school year 2008-2009:

Texas Education Agency 2006

Alternative Education Accountability Data Table TAKS Progress  

SAT Scores

Of AISD's 12 High Schools, Garza has the highest average SAT scores

Parent Survey Results:

Parents agree or strongly agree that Garza meets their needs in following areas:

• School staff treats me with courtesy and respect.
• Provide opportunities for two-way communication.
• Welcome input in academic decisions.
• Treat children fairly with respect to culture, gender, ethnicity, age, religion, and disability.
• Provide me with information about my child's preparedness for T.A.K.S.

Student Survey

Garza works for students (scale 1-4)                                    

Staff Survey

• Over all organizational health: 87.6% of 100%
• Instructional Integrity is 95.3%