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Texas News
Robstown ISD Superintendent named 2022 Superintendent of the Year
Jose Moreno accepted the award at the Education Service Center, where he shared his feelings about the achievement and what it means to the community.

Jose Moreno was recognized, Friday, as 2022 Superintendent of the Year for Region 2.

Moreno accepted the award at the Education Service Center, where he shared his feelings about the achievement and what it means to the community.
Tomball ISD students score higher than state and 2021 numbers in STAAR results
Tomball ISD students consistently scored higher than the state average in reading, mathematics, science and social studies in the spring administration of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, according to results released July 1.

“I am a very proud superintendent for many reasons, but to consider the challenges we have faced in education since 2019, our 2022 STAAR results (Grades 3-8) are exceptionally strong. Not only do we lead all surrounding districts across the board in all performance levels and in all subjects, we also remain extremely competitive in comparison to similar districts across the state. These results demonstrate positive growth as well as validate the hard work put forth by our dedicated teachers and students this past year,” TISD Superintendent Martha Salazar-Zamora said in an email.
‘Texas children are suffering’: Calallen ISD board asks TEA to prioritize mental health over standardized testing
“The fact that their child passed the STAAR means very little to a parent that has lost their child to suicide or a school shooting,” board members said in a letter.

“How many more students must die for TEA to prioritize student mental health?”

That is a question the Calallen ISD Board of Trustees asked the Commissioner of Education, Mike Morath, in a letter to Texas Education Agency (TEA) legislators. The letter, dated June 13 and released by the district on July 19, was written in the wake of the Uvalde massacre where 19 students and 2 teachers were killed by a gunman.
Rural Texas districts struggling to attract teachers are switching to four-day school weeks
The switch to four-day school weeks is popular among smaller school districts that don’t always have the finances to attract or retain teachers with pay increases.

At the end of April, the Mineral Wells Independent School District, located about 50 miles west of Fort Worth, lost one of its most treasured educators. After teaching there for decades, the teacher was a longstanding community member.

Then in early May, the district lost six more teachers over a 10-day period. It was a worrisome trend for the small district, which has about 3,000 students and employs about 500 staff members, including some 230 teachers.
Many local bilingual special ed kids are cheated by schools. Here’s how it happens
In the backdrop of Liz Piñón’s living room are a whiteboard, educational posters, a bookshelf and many more items labeled in English and Spanish. A dining table behind the couch comfortably seats Piñón’s 9-year-old triplets and their school teacher.

Piñón’s home has been converted into a classroom for two years, since the triplets’ pulmonologist gave the order to avoid unnecessary risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Santiago, Frida and Felícita each have cerebral palsy and ADHD. Felícita uses a wheelchair, Frida has sensory issues, and Santiago is on the autism spectrum and has a feeding tube. A Crowley school district teacher visits them four hours a week to provide special education services. The teacher guides them through an online program to help get them on grade level.
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National News
The pandemic set back big Latino gains in education. How to get them back on track?
The coronavirus fallout interrupted Latino education success that took decades to achieve amid many pre-pandemic inequities.

Latino students were making significant gains in education before the pandemic hit. Now, a top national Latino organization is calling for investments and policy changes to get the students back on track.
What efforts are being made to keep Latinos enrolled in college?
UNESCO considers that the provision of higher education an activity designed to promote equity and the equitable distribution of opportunities for all. 

Times have changed. It requires a new perspective and approach that’s rooted in intentional coordination and collaboration to better impart educational changes. These advances should focus on individualized skill-building coursework that a person is able to utilize in the workplace.

As a result, many efforts are being made, like The Commonwealth Education Continuum. It was created to address the moral imperative for students to have access and opportunity, especially underrepresented populations, to earn degrees and credentials that can lead to competitive-wage careers.
Court Documents: Racial Preferences Massively Boost Black, Hispanic Applicants
As Supreme Court weighs the fate of affirmative action, new research suggests stark repercussions would follow reversal of Harvard and UNC policies

With the Supreme Court poised to reduce or even eliminate affirmative action in college admissions, a recent study has offered a unique window into the magnitude of racial preferences in America’s elite colleges.
Backlash, Hostility, and Safety Fears: What It’s Like to Be a Chief Equity Officer in the Anti-CRT Era
An Inherently Tough Job Is Even Harder Now

When Dena Keeling started her job as chief equity officer at Orange County Schools in North Carolina in 2019, she felt like there was a wave of enthusiasm for addressing inequities in schools.

Even with the disruptions brought on by COVID-19, Keeling was able to offer diversity training for staff and partner with organizations focused on racial equity work. But in spring 2021, when the national outrage against “critical race theory” surfaced in her district, she felt like her work started unraveling.
These 7 colleges keep track of Latino students’ success after they graduate
New findings show how Hispanic-serving institutions recognize that graduating isn’t the end of the college journey.

A new report highlights the strategies used by seven colleges to make sure their Latino students succeed after graduating. 

The analysis released this month from Excelencia in Education, a nonprofit group focused on boosting Latino college completion, describes how Hispanic-serving institutions are helping to redefine the role colleges and universities play in the lives of students even after they leave campus. HSIs are defined by the Department of Education as having a student population that is at least a quarter Hispanic.
Las Tienditas
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Day in and day out, we work hand-in-hand with school administrators, staff, and communities to meet the goals of their bond programs by creating quality learning environments that best prepare their students for the 21st century workforce. Our program and project managers bring decades of experience managing and planning K-12 bond programs of all sizes using technical processes and procedures designed for every project phase — from project conception to completion. Complete, turn-key program management services put you in good hands and free you to concentrate on what you do best — educating your students.

JP Grom – Vice President – 979.492.1650