Rosebud-Lott ISD in Texas is a 2A rural school district nestled between the towns of Rosebud and Lott and affectionately known as the Cougar community. What began as a partnership with ANet to improve accountability processes through the Texas RSSP grant has blossomed into a district-wide movement fueled by strategic collaboration, inspired leadership, and a relentless commitment to student success.
Today, Rosebud-Lott is not just progressing—it’s showcasing educational growth and innovation.
And in the last two years, they’ve seen that growth. They’ve progressed from a D-rated school to a B-rated school. Beyond ratings, RLISD educators are aligned to their strategic vision, consistently engaging in professional development, and striving to put faces to their data as they make data-informed decisions.
The work with RLISD centered around holistic and sustainable processes, actionable data, and true partnership. ANet Coach Heidi Waterstradt utilized the momentum of a new superintendent, Dr. Jim Rosebrock, and the admin team’s expertise around strategic planning to support their goal creation.
In creating their strategic plan, Dr. Jim Rosebrock emphasized simplicity and focus: "An organization with too many priorities is dead." Under his leadership, the district identified five core principles and embedded them through every aspect of operations.
The process was intentional and involved all stakeholders at RLISD. One activity to help refine and internalize the district’s new instructional priorities was a "catch ball" activity that had stakeholders catch a beach ball and comment on the priorities that their hands landed on or suggest revisions. Several activities like these created discussion and collaboration around the strategic planning process and buy-in towards the operational behaviors needed to make the strategy a reality.
ANet District & Systems Coach Heidi, whom Dr. Rosebrock describes as "part of the Cougar family," supported the leadership team in translating those operational behaviors into everyday practice. From the outset, ANet helped institutionalize weekly leadership meetings. What initially seemed like a heavy lift became what the team calls "sacred time," where they make sure to sync up and discuss priorities and data. With Coach Heidi guiding the process and using a structured agenda, these meetings evolved into powerful touchpoints for reflection and planning.
The format is simple in nature. Heidi Waterstradt keeps the rolling agenda that they use each week. In the document, they have:
The leaders at Rosebud-Lott lauded the accountability as one of the most important pieces of this rhythm. This “sacred time” created a space for collaborative discussions and allowed leaders to ground themselves in current practices and align on priorities. The weekly touchpoint also clarified what to look for during classroom observations and how to engage more meaningfully in data meetings—making the time not just consistent, but transformational. And so, the partnership with ANet became not just another meeting or obligation. As Natalie Parcus puts it, "It’s a plus. It’s an advantage."
The weekly touchpoints combined with the strategic plan created the foundation for the educators at RLISD to put their work into action.
Professional learning is a key component of success at RLISD. “Professional development helps us grow,” said Secondary Principal Jerrod Barton. “We have to grow people, because not everybody has the capacity walking in the door on how to be a teacher. Even if you go to school, you student teach, you’ve learned all those things. There are things you don’t know how to do in the real world. And so growing our people is so important.”
Tier 1 instruction was a focus of their district-wide professional learning. A pivotal realization for RLISD leadership was that Tier 1 instruction was insufficient. The team had been focused on Tier 2 supports, leaving some students unable to catch up post-COVID. The professional learning process to accomplish their goal was incremental and led to coherence and support.
Through these efforts, RLISD strengthened Tier 1 instruction so all students had access to the rigor and support they needed to succeed.
Principal Barton shared Principal Whatley’s sentiments, and emphasised how essential professional learning is for their roles. He mused, “If I’m expecting my students to grow every year a full academic year of growth, shouldn’t I grow a full academic year as well?”
Melissa Mirick, the Rosebud-Lott Data Fellow who joined in 2022, experienced firsthand the power of data at Rosebud-Lott. Mirick became a conduit between data and action, equipping teachers with insights, supporting board presentations, and creating data newsletters to aid everyone at RLISD. These data structures she credits to the partnership. "Heidi became a thought partner," she said. "It’s about positive movement."
The change gives leaders the ability to consistently flex their data-informed decision-making muscles. Now it’s a holistic data system with several components:
Because of the work the educators did culturally, data goes beyond just the numbers they examine on paper or a screen. When discussing a student, they know who that student is and mention them by name, adding context and observations to help make a holistic assessment of student progress.
The sense of community is palpable at Rosebud-Lott, and it enhances processes like their data analysis into a vehicle to make the choices best for their students.
Now a "B" rated district with sights on an "A," Rosebud-Lott is delivering stronger instruction and experiencing greater coherence and clarity. Their goal—for every student to achieve one year’s academic growth annually—drives every decision and can be seen in the classroom. Dr. Rosebrock emphasizes that this wasn’t a personnel change—it was a systems change. "My admin team is the same here as it was when we got a D," Dr Rosebrock shared. “The transformation came from redefining systems and aligning around core principles.”
This is a story not just of improvement, but of empowerment—where every stakeholder has a seat at the table, every action is tied to purpose, and every choice is student-centered. In Rosebud-Lott, transformation isn’t a buzzword. It’s a lived experience.