There is very little doubt that Texas has led the nation in public education reform over the past decade or so and that Texas has served as a model for other states and the nation in the advancement of standards and accountability. There is mounting evidence that the easier phases of reform are behind us in Texas, that some of the more intractable problems with student achievement have not been reached by reforms while serious backsliding is underway in others. It is evident that more of the same accountability and standards will not produce the results we want, and that a much more difficult phase of reform lies ahead.
State Education Board Should Support Proposed Literature List
The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) should adopt a required literature list that supports the literacy and knowledge-acquisition of Texas students and not allow leftist organizations like the Texas Council of Teachers of English Language Arts (TCTELA) to pressure them into adopting a watered-down, politically driven list. Texas public schools have failed at both...