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Texas News
Karen Molinar named Fort Worth ISD’s interim superintendent
As it searches to find the successor to Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Kent P. Scribner, the Board of Education has named Karen C. Molinar interim superintendent as Scribner’s Aug. 31 retirement nears.

Molinar earned an associate degree in early childhood development, bachelor’s degree from Salisbury State University in Maryland, master of education administration from Tarleton State University and is currently working on her doctorate of education.
A North Texas school district ranks most equitable in state, study says
Two suburban school districts ranked among the least equitable.

Garland ISD is the most equitable school district in Texas, according to a new study.

Two other suburban districts, however, rank among the least: Highland Park and Carroll school districts.

Personal finance website WalletHub scored 1,016 school districts statewide on two metrics: average household income and expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools per pupil.
Consulate of Mexico in Laredo inaugurates Binational Education Week
Last week, the Consulate of Mexico in Laredo launched the Binational Education Week and promoted the Education App “Guia Educativa” by the Institute of Mexicans Abroad.

The inauguration was held last Monday, as many individuals gathered for the special week. Everyday through Aug. 26, the Consulate of Mexico in Laredo hosted Facebook Live events about local education programs, online education programs and Mexican culture.
‘They are not naive about the reality’: New Texas teachers enter a field in crisis
According to the Texas Education Agency, the 2021-2022 school year saw nearly 43,000 teachers throughout the state leave the field, or about 12% of teachers. The year before, almost 34,000, or about 9% of Texas teachers, left the field.

Charles Martinez asked himself: “What’s worse than a crisis?”

The dean of the College of Education at UT Austin, Martinez says the teacher shortage that Texas and the U.S. are facing is a chronic crisis that has only grown worse during the COVID-19 pandemic. So, he tried to find a term to describe it.
College-bound Uvalde students grapple with leaving a hometown in mourning
The students worry how the tragedy will define them in their new environments and struggle with guilt about the people they’re leaving behind.

When Ariana Diaz’s top college pick notified her she had been accepted into the class of 2026, she quickly imagined having to explain to her New York University classmates what corner of smalltown Texas she came from.

But that was before her former Uvalde High School classmate shot and killed 19 children and two adults inside Robb Elementary School. Before her tiny town of 16,000 was thrust into the national spotlight for months and was forced to endure what she calls “the worst few months ever.”
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TALAS EL Paso is a diverse collection of education leaders from across El Paso and Region 19. Our unique individual experiences have led us to a moment in our careers where we can no longer wait on the sidelines for change. United, we have found a new voice, eager to empower those around us, and carve a brighter future for the learners of our communities.
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National News
Despite challenges in education, opinions of public schools reach a new high
For the first time since 1974, 54% of U.S. adults reported high ratings for their community’s public schools, according to the latest PDK Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools.

Since the pandemic, parents have gotten increasingly involved in their child’s education. Furthermore, they say they’d prefer their kids to avoid pursuing teaching as a career, according to the 54th annual PDK Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools released this week.
‘Summer melt’ was bad during the pandemic, and experts fear it could get even worse
In one city, 43 percent of kids who said they’d go to college didn’t show up in the fall. Counselors are working to reverse the trend

When J. P. McCaskey High School held its graduation ceremony in June, students were all smiles. A sea of black and red robes, the event was the finale of an adolescence marred for many by the pandemic and its attendant solitude, financial insecurity and stress. 
Academic progress rebounds — but more recovery needed
State assessment data and multiple studies about testing performance show year-over-year progress that still falls below pre-pandemic results.

Students have begun to narrow pandemic-era learning gaps, but the delays in learning are significant and in many cases, the recorded progress is disproportionate, several data points from the 2021-22 school year show.
The Culture War Is Chasing Teachers Away, Leaving Kids Shortchanged
About 300,000 teachers have left their jobs since 2020. Conservatives targeting those who support racial justice and LGBTQ students are making the shortage even worse.

When James Whitfield, the Black principal at Colleyville Heritage High School in Texas, wrote a letter to the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District in the days after the murder of George Floyd in 2020, he received only positive feedback. “Education is the key to stomping out ignorance, hate, and systemic racism,” he wrote.

One year later, he would be out of a job.
10 innovative programs that are making a positive impact on the success of Latino students
Learn about the programs in higher education that were recognized by Excelencia in Education

Excelencia in Education is recognized by accelerates Latino student success in higher education by promoting Latino student achievement, conducting analysis to inform educational policies, and advancing institutional practices.

This year, Excelencia in Education recognizes 10 “Programs to Watch” from 4 states that are close to being finalists, or are up-and-coming programs that have already positively impacted the success of their Latino students and are growing their evidence of effectiveness.
Las Tienditas
This Week’s Featured Sponsor
TALAS sponsors make this newsletter and other TALAS activities possible. Please support them. Click on the logo to learn more!
ParentSquare is a unified, equitable communication platform combining district notifications, school/classroom two-way dialogue, and services including health screening, eSignatures, sign-ups, surveys, attendance, volunteering, and much more. Partners enjoy detailed oversights and an immediate, measurable spike in engagement scoring due to ease of use and state-of-the-art language translations.