Higher Quality Materials, Better Results
What to know: A school in Amarillo has been part of a pilot program for the state’s new high quality instructional materials (HQIM) that will now be available to all public schools and teachers in Texas.
The TPPF take: The new materials are already helping those Amarillo students catch up—and the teachers love them.
“Teachers used to stay late, preparing lesson plans,” says TPPF’s Roy Maynard. “But Principal Genie Baca tells me that now, ‘99% of my teachers are gone by 4 p.m. They have a work/life balance again, and they love that. They know they’re ready for class. That’s what the high-quality instructional materials have done for my school.’”
For more on HQIM, click here.
Can’t Blame Them
What to know: According to the IRS, more than 87,000 people moved out of Illinois in recent years, taking with them nearly $10 billion in income.
The TPPF take: People are fleeing the big, Democrat-run cities in Illinois and other blue states.
“At its very heart, government’s most important role is to keep its citizenry safe, and they’re failing,” says TPPF’s Brett Tolman. “They’re failing because they’re implementing policies that are not thoughtful. They’re not best practices that are working. And they’re not considerate of the dangers that men and women are facing as the crime rises.”
For more on the exodus from blue states, click here.
Boom
What to know: Meanwhile, here in Texas, the economy experienced above-average job gains in May. The job growth is outpacing the U.S. economy in general.
The TPPF take: Texas makes this week’s Winners list.
“Gov. Greg Abbott announced this week that 316,700 new jobs had been created in Texas,” says TPPF’s Sherry Sylvester. “This news falls into the ‘same old, same old’ category for people who are paying attention, but we should never forget that our state is the economic engine that helps keep the entire country afloat despite everything Biden has done to slow down prosperity and growth, particularly in the oil and gas industry.”
For more on Winners and Losers of the week, click here.