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News, analysis and opinion on reforms being offered to improve schools, whether the ideas originate in Washington, Austin or Dallas. The online discussion will take education policy debates seriously, while it connects them to students from grade school through college. We welcome and read all letters from readers. Letters are selected for publication based on their clarity and brevity. They also are chosen to represent a diverse set of views on as many issues as possible. March 2010
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The Texas Education Agency announced Wednesday that one school district - the long-troubled Kendleton district near Houston - and three charter schools are losing their state accreditation because of substandard academic or financial ratings. All are expected to close by July, including the Jean Massieu Academy in Arlington. The other charter schools are in San Marcos and Houston - although the TEA noted the Houston school is not presently in operation. "This is an extremely serious step and it is not one that this agency takes lightly," said state Education Commissioner Robert Scott. "Each of these (charter schools and district) has exhibited years of extremely poor academic performance and/or ongoing financial problems. Children and taxpayers deserve better." Two other school districts and three charter schools were classified as "Accredited-Probation," meaning they could face closure next year if they fail to improve. Among the charter schools are Metro Academy of Math and Science in Arlington and Northwest Preparatory in Fort Worth. On the other side, nearly 1,200 school districts and charter schools earned full accreditation status, with their academic and financial health meeting minimum state standards in those areas. "An overwhelming majority of our Texas school districts and charters are providing strong academic instruction to students and are appropriately handling public funds," Scott said. That number represents about 97 percent of the school districts and charter schools in the state. This year marks the first time that school districts or campuses have been closed because of poor ratings in the three-year-old accreditation system.
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I am a former deputy superintendent in the Houston Independnt School District(HISD.) and subsequently superintendent of the Phar-San Juan-Alamo school District. As I travel the world and read/hear the news, I am so ashame and sorry to hear about the turmoil in education in the State of Texas and the accreditation problem in HISD.
WCM