Leslie & Jane, 

Thanks for sending a copy of your book, Hello my name is PUBLIC SCHOOL and I have an image problem.  I got it in the mail a few days ago, and started reading it this morning.  And, I kept reading until I finished it. 

I know it was written mainly for teachers and how they can be positive ambassadors for public education, but it means just as much for school board trustees as well.  Everything you wrote about PR, image, speaking up, elevator speech, contacting legislators, loyalty and pride are very much in tune with what trustees face from "the harsh criticism leveled mostly by those with bullhorns who have no formal connection to the education profession."

Congratulations on the book.  You have captured the importance of being proud of Texas public schools. 

Chad Chadwell

Round Rock ISD

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Leslie and Jane,   Just wanted you to know that I had an opportunity to read your book - Hello! My Name is Public School and I Have an Image Problem!  Great job!  Great tips! Well done!  I recognized a few things as some ideas that I have subscribed to for many years.  You did a wonderful job of pulling some terrific thoughts together. I enjoyed and will recommend as a "must read" to others.   Thanks, Mike Moses

Check out our rock star founder of Friends of Texas Public Schools, Leslie Milder! Her new book, "Hello! My Name is Public School and I Have an Image Problem", just released last week and is available on Amazon.

Co-authored with colleague Jane Braddock, this book is a must read for all educators... the best teacher book since The First Days of School.

order the book...  

Participation in Advanced Placement (AP) tests by Texas public school students was up by 4 percent in the 2011-2012 school year. According to data from the College Board, performance increased for all students by 9.1 percent, with African-American and Hispanic students showing the greatest gain in performance at 12 percent and 13.9 percent, respectively.

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by Kathy Wilson

8th grade mathematics teacher

Whitesboro Middle School

Whitesboro Independent School District

 

Mrs. Wilson, third from right in front row, with one of her classes

As educators in American society today, we have to be able to defend our public education system and answer the question, "Why does public education matter?"  

There are three important areas that support this often asked question. Public education can be seen as a legal issue, an economic issue, and a social issue.

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Improving public education, or "fixing our failing schools", as the critics and self-proclaimed education reform experts like to condemn, has been and will continue to be at the very top of the list of political issues. The 2013 Legislative Session has yet to begin, but the political machine is already racing to pass whatever its latest agendas are for public education. As ambassadors for Texas public schools and the profession, we should adopt a new approach. In fact, I recommend this be our standard message henceforth when engaging in discussion or debate about strengthening public education. We are not doing any good for our students or those who work in our schools by conceding that our schools are failing, which is essentially what we are doing when we engage in this education reform debate without first acknowledging our achievements.

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The following text came from a newsletter to staff written by Brian Woods, Superintendent of Northside ISD in San Antonio, Texas. 

Like you, I am frustrated by the media's focus on the negative and their willingness to ignore the wonderful things that happen each day in an effort to find and report on an anomaly. It is sad that when 99,000 plus students in Northside have a great day, the one who did not will be highlighted in the 6 p.m. news.

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In today's volatile economic and political climate education stands out as a topic that seems to polarize people in one camp or the other. Of all the educational issues that we disagree about, the cost of education appears to be one of the most divisive.   Some people believe that schools receive plenty of funding and are merely wasting money on frivolous expenditures while others think that schools are underfunded and need even more money to provide world-class educational opportunities for kids.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics or NCES (2011) the U.S. spends around $600 billion per year to educate its public school students. Texas spends over $54 billion of that to educate their approximately 4.6 million school children (Moak, Casey and Associates, 2011). While both sides of this often heated argument may have their points it is helpful to know just where educational dollars go and why they are spent that way. The following expenses are just a few things that go into providing education to students.

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