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The other day, my kids and I went to a Sunday afternoon jazz concert at the Witte. An empty-nest couple from Government Hill struck up a conversation; they praised me for introducing my kids to jazz music so early. (Thanks!) The wife recommended that we try a program...
The new issue of Texas Monthly also features a book review of "Saving the School: The True Story of a Principal, a Teacher, a Coach, a Bunch of Kids, and a Year in the Crosshairs of Education Reform" by Michael Brick. "Why Johnny Can't Learn", Elizabeth Green, Texas...
Texas Monthly senior executive editor Paul Burka interviewed Robert Scott on his last day (July 2) as commissioner and summarized the standardized testing debate. "The Big Test", Paul Burka, Texas Monthly, August 2012. Burka asked Scott about his criticism of Texas's...
Erin Carroll, a pre-K teacher at Highland Park Gifted & Talented Academy (a charter school), offers her perspective on Mayor Julian Castro's Brainpower Initiative. She reports seeing big differences between kindergarteners who show up with pre-K experience and...
Dallas ISD closed nine campuses at the end of the 2011-12 school year. "Dallas ISD says it won’t sell school buildings that were closed this month", Dallas Morning News, June 11, 2012. The editors at the Dallas Morning News propose that high-performing charter...
Education reform writer Richard Whitmire urges parents to tune out the noise and notice that both President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney agree that we should be building more great charter schools. "Obama and Romney Right to Agree on Charters", Richard...
New York Times columnist David Brooks recently wrote about the "boy crisis." What if Shakespeare's Henry V were a rambunctious boy going to an American school today? But the big story here is cultural and moral. If schools want to re-engage Henry, they can’t pretend...
A recent article in The Economist praises charter schools' flexibility: Charter schools have been successful because they offer freedom to shape the school to the pupils, rather than the other way round. Schools can change the length of the school day, fire bad...
Time for even more rumors about the next Texas Education Commissioner. "Speculation rises about next Texas education commissioner", Shirley Jinkins, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, July 6, 2012. The latest short list: Rob Eissler, recently Texas State Representative for...
Here is Trinity Baptist Church on Mulberry Avenue in the Monte Vista Historic District. KIPP: San Antonio is reported to be leasing classroom space there in fall 2012.
From Sunday's editorial in the San Antonio Express-News: There are about 20,000 4-year-olds in San Antonio. Approximately 4,000 of them either lack access to full-day pre-K programs or are eligible but not enrolled. The Brainpower Initiative would target this group...
In Texas, the STAAR test is replacing the TAKS test, but the Texas Education Agency argued that the scores were not comparable, and so asked for a one-year waiver from "No Child Left Behind." The federal waiver was denied, so the TEA recently ordered a "bridge study"...