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Sustaining Partners
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Here is the good news for March 2009. |
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"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela
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Student achievement rising in urban Texas schools
Source: Linda Stewart Ball, Associated Press
 Achievement test scores at big-city school districts in Texas still lag far behind their suburban and rural counterparts but they're making great strides and narrowing the gap, according to a report by an education think tank released Wednesday.
A study of 37 of the nation's largest urban school systems by The Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., found that city schools are improving more than other school districts in their respective states.
In Texas, six urban school districts were included in the study: Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. Dallas ISD made the second-largest academic gains among the 37 big-city school districts between 2000 and 2007.
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Almost 1,200 Texas districts and charters receive full accreditation status
Source: Texas Education Agency
Almost 1,200 Texas schools districts and charter schools earned full accreditation status from the Texas Education Agency. This is the second year the agency has assigned an accreditation status to school districts and the first year that charter schools have been reviewed in the accreditation system.
The classification system examines both the financial and academic health of districts and charter schools. It also examines performance in other areas such as data reporting, special program effectiveness, and compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements. In 2008-2009, the newly adopted indicators for financial performance of charter operators were reported for informational purposes only but did not factor into the assignment of charter accreditation status.
Commissioner of Education Robert Scott said 1,195 out of 1,228 districts and charters earned an Accredited status from TEA.
press release
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In another "Freakonomics"-style study that turns conventional wisdom about public- versus private-school education on its head, a team of University of Illinois education professors has found that public-school students outperform their private-school classmates on standardized math tests, thanks to two key factors: certified math teachers, and a modern, reform-oriented math curriculum.
Sarah Lubienski, a professor of curriculum and instruction in the U. of I. College of Education, says teacher certification and reform-oriented teaching practices correlated positively with higher achievement on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) exam for public-school students.
"According to our results, schools that hired more certified teachers and had a curriculum that de-emphasized learning by rote tended to do better on standardized math tests," Lubienski said. "And public schools had more of both."
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At the start of the year, Eduflack made a couple of promises. I would seek to throw the spotlight on positive stories that were not getting the attention they deserved. I would look to education policy stories outside of Washington, DC. And I would continue my Don Quixote-like obsession with continuing to push the notion that evidence-based reading instruction works, and that it can be proven in state after state.
A few weeks ago, we talked about the exemplary results out in California, where student reading scores have significantly risen after the adoption of scientifically based reading instruction under Reading First. This follows similar data from states from Idaho to Ohio, where we've seen tangible, significant impact of SBRR on student achievement. Now we set our sights on the Lone Star State, where reading scores on the state's TAKS exam again show that evidence-based reading works if our goal is to boost student reading proficiency and achievement.
read more |
Dining with Friends Tesimonial
Dearest Supporters and Mentors of educators,
 I cannot begin to put into words how much your support and mentoring has meant to me. It has forced me to look more deeply at myself and my responsibilities to my profession as well as my place in the world in which we live. It has truly been a life altering experience to be a part of Dining with Friends. It has forced me to raise my expectations of myself and my profession to a higher level; and with your guidance and encouragement raised me to a level of professionalism that I was not aware that I could achieve. Should there be a continuation of this cutting edge training, I would be eager to participate. Brenda Jean Patrick, Leslie & Scott Milder are to be commended for their dedication of time, money, and energy they have put forth to provide a successful professional development. FOTPS has been gracious with providing evening meals so that we could continue in-depth conversations about education, the elements that impact education, and our place in the continued success of students in public schools. The time and work put into this type of professional development is priceless and long overdue. Thank you for being the "wind beneath my wings."
Martie James
1st Grade
Birmingham Elementary School
Wylie ISD
more testimonials
Interested in bringing Dining with Friends ambassador training to your school district? Contact Scott Milder at smilder@fotps.org.
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FOTPS Welcomes New Advisory Board Member
 Anette Carlisle serves in her 13th year on the Amarillo ISD Board of Trustees, and is a passionate and outspoken advocate for public education in Amarillo, the Panhandle and the state of Texas. Her background in science helps her focus on systemic change and long term impact to help solve problems. Annet is a founding member of Panhandle Twenty/20, whose mission is to be a catalyst for positive change in the community. The past two years her efforts and those of P2020 have been focused on bringing the community together to increase the levels of educational attainment across the Panhandle. Most recently, Anette cofounded Trustees for Texas, an organization with a mission to create a unified and powerful voice to transform public education in Texas. Anette and her husband Taylor are the parents of three wonderful boys, all products of public schools in Amarillo. |
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Test your TAKS readiness The following question is taken from the 11th grade TAKS test.
When the air is released from a balloon, the air moves in one direction, and the balloon moves in another direction. Which statement does this situation best illustrate?
F. What goes up must come down.
G. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
H. The shape and size of an object affect air resistance.
J. The acceleration due to Earth's gravity is 9.8 m/s 2.
answer: G. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. |
Our Mission The mission of Friends of Texas Public Schools, the leading voice of optimism and hope for our public school family, is to ensure positive and constructive conversation about public schools by educating Texans through honest communication, productive dialogue, and relentless encouragement.
Please share our optimism for public education, pass us along to others.
Friends of Texas Public Schools
Scott Milder, President & Chief Executive
P.O. Box 3526
Harker Heights, Texas 76548
Phone: 214-497-6411
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Visit www.facebook.com and search Friends of Texas Public Schools to join the Group
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