American high schools were designed a century ago to imitate a factory model for an economy that only required a fraction of students to graduate and go on to college. Although the world has changed-our high schools have largely stayed the same. The future success of our society requires that all students graduate from high school well prepared for college and then graduate from college with the understanding and skills necessary for responsible citizenship and career success in the new global economy.

While many Austin students graduate prepared to succeed in college, too many others struggle, drop out, and never reach their potential. What's more, even some high-performing students lose interest in high school because they are not challenged or engaged by their classes, especially during their senior year.

The Austin Independent School District is redesigning its eleven comprehensive high schools to better prepare its students to succeed in college and future careers and to become active, responsible citizens in their communities. Each high school will engage students by offering several choices of aligned courses of study related to broad ranges of college and career interest, such as Science and Technology or Humanities and Law. Every student will be part of a smaller learning community in which he or she will develop strong academic relationships with a small group of teachers and students. Teachers will receive advanced staff development to improve instruction and will work in teams to continually raise the bar for teaching and learning in all classes. Every high school will be a small universe in which there are interdependent planets of academic, cultural and social activity.

One size does not fit all 21st Century students. Teachers, students, parents and the larger school communities will be actively involved in each high school's redesign plan. The transformation of our eleven comprehensive high schools will be the focal point of AISD's portfolio of high school opportunity, which will also include special schools of choice, such as the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, the Liberal Arts and Science Academy, Garza Independence High School, and the International High School.

AISD is joined in this effort by strong, committed partners and financial support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. These foundations are investing in Austin's students and teachers because they believe that AISD can be a national model for successfully redesigning all high schools in an urban school district to meet the diverse needs and aspirations of its students.

"We came to Austin because of the vision your superintendent, your school board and your community has for its children," Gates Foundation Education Director Steve Seleznow told a November 14, 2006, press conference in Austin. "This is not a broken school district. We see it as a place where we could have the best chance of going from good to great."