I'm pretty surprised that Miles and co.'s arms haven't fallen off due to all the back patting they've done regarding those STAAR results. Seriously, the amount and intensity of the propaganda they fill my email inbox with is unsettling and unprofessional.
The teaching model they've implemented is basically wiping away anything that's not direct classroom instruction (e.g., libraries, reading nooks, etc), a lot of high-intensity (almost always timed) instruction with constant check-ins from the teacher and administrators, and making it clear to the teachers that they'll be compensated based on test scores. It's designed to improve test scores, and that's what it did. Are kids actually learning more? More prepared for college? For the workforce? Honestly I don't know.
The really big question, however, is is the model sustainable? My kids are at a non-NES elementary and anecdotally, morale is pretty low among teachers and staff. The firing of so many (often popular) principals has kinda blown everyone's minds. It really is Miles's way or the highway. There's also the fact that none of Miles's stuff is paid for, and HISD is digging itself a huge financial hole with no apparent plan to fill it. They are going to have to cut to the bone over the next couple years to make the math work out. At the end of this past school year they cut every single janitor in the district and offered to rehire them as contractors. Twenty years in the teacher retirement system? Fuck you, hit the bricks.