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Six months on the job, Fort Worth ISD superintendent addresses major issues in public education and offers solutions |
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Angélica Ramsey knows that at any moment she is 72 hours from getting fired. For Ramsey, that’s the life of a superintendent.
Before that were to happen, she knows she has unapologetically fought to make sure all students in Fort Worth ISD received access to the education they deserve. She realizes that approach might ruffle some feathers.
Ramsey spoke March 8 at the Women’s Policy Forum luncheon about the challenges the school district faces — from reading to teacher support to vouchers — and how the community can come together for the children of Fort Worth.
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TASB Legislative Report – March 16, 2023 |
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Senate committee passes ISD lobbying ban: The Senate State Affairs Committee, during a hearing on other bills on Thursday, voted to pass SB 175 (Middleton) that would prohibit political subdivisions, including school districts but not charter schools, from spending public funds to hire a lobbyist or to pay nonprofit associations that primarily represent political subdivisions and hire lobbyists. The committee substitute, which is not available, passed on a vote of 7-3. The bill now goes to the full Senate.
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US education secretary touts ‘multilingualism’ emphasis in Austin visit |
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There’s a tug of war going on with billions of dollars in education funding at stake. Some Texas lawmakers want parents to have a bigger say in the focus of their child’s education, but the U.S. Secretary of Education wants all public school kids to get a broader education advancing what he calls “educational equity and excellence.”
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona came to Webb Middle School in the St. John’s Neighborhood of North Central Austin to push his plan to show the value of multilingualism. And to drive the point home he hosted a bilingual roundtable on the topic.
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Engaging Latino Parents: One District’s Success Story |
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If school districts want a broader, more diverse group of parents to attend meetings, ask questions, and participate in school-based activities, they can’t just invite families to show up—they need to set up systems that make them feel welcome and heard.
That was one of the takeaways from a panel on Latino parent engagement March 8 at SXSW EDU, the annual education conference hosted in Austin.
On the panel, “Elevating Latino Parents in Education,” parents, advocates, and educators discussed efforts in the Houston area to make home-school communication smoother, and equip families with the knowledge and skills to advocate for their kids.
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Texas’ Houston takeover isn’t about fixing schools — it’s about “racism and political power” |
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By the state’s own standards, the Houston school system is not failing
When the state of Texas took over Houston’s public school district on March 15, 2023, it made the district one of more than 100 school districts in the nation that have experienced similar state takeovers during the past 30 years.
The list includes New York City, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit, New Orleans, Baltimore, Oakland and Newark. Houston is the largest school district in Texas and the eighth largest in the U.S.
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TALAS will be hosting its Summer Leadership Conference in Round Rock, TX on June 12-14, 2023. |
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RGVTALAS, TALAS’ Rio Grande Valley affiliate, commits to continue TALAS’ mission to improve learning outcomes for Latino learners by providing leadership development, collective impact, advocacy, and a proactive voice for Latino and non-Latino leaders who have a passion for serving the fastest growing student population in the state. |
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Looking for a new opportunity? |
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Leadership opportunities available: |
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Take a look at who’s hiring: |
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Building the Superintendent Pipeline: Advice From 3 District Leaders |
Superintendent turnover has increased over the past few years, according to recent analyses—especially in big urban districts. With all of this movement, what happens when spots for the top job in districts open up? And who steps in?
At SXSW EDU in Austin earlier this month, superintendents talked about how their districts had prepared to fill those openings from within, by creating a leadership pipeline.
Recruiting from within can give school boards more of a guarantee on a candidate than they might have with an external applicant, said Alicia Noyola, the superintendent of the Harlingen school district in Texas. Before she took the role, she was the district’s chief academic officer.
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How Federal COVID Aid Is Uplifting English Learners in This Small Rhode Island City |
Central Falls, where nearly half of students are English learners, offers 2 extra hours of language instruction daily. That adds up to roughly 50 days
It’s 3:45 p.m., an hour since the final bell rang at Ella Risk Elementary School, but Patricia Montalvo’s classroom is still full.
She points to the white board, prompting the class of third and fourth graders — many of whom immigrated to the country within the last year — to read a word that’s broken down by syllable: ex | er | cise.
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Reading reality in America’s classrooms |
The nation’s schools are facing a long overdue conversation about “deeply flawed” reading curricula that don’t serve students, three superintendents write.
America is finally acknowledging a harsh truth: The way many schools teach children to read doesn’t work. Educators, and indeed families, are having a long overdue conversation about how one of the nation’s most widely used curricula, “Units of Study,” is deeply flawed — and where to go from here.
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Racial equity news coverage of Latinos is lacking, a new study finds |
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The study by the Berkeley Media Studies Group and UnidosUS found that only about 6% of news regarding racial equity and racism referred to Latinos.
Latinos are barely part of the conversation in newspapers and online media outlets covering the issue of racial equity and racism, a new study has found.
Only about 6% of such news referred to Latinos, who make up nearly 20% of the American population and over 40% of all people of color, according to a report published Wednesday by the Berkeley Media Studies Group and UnidosUS.
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Here are 7 education changes lawmakers promise for 2023 |
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“With the promise of prosperity on the horizon, there is nothing more crucial to our individual success than education,” said Virgin Islands Gov. Albert Bryan.
“Every child deserves a quality education that fits their unique needs, regardless of economic status or background.” This statement from Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt during his 2023 State of the State Address is one that echoes the thoughts and feelings of lawmakers, district leaders and administrators across the country.
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This Week’s Featured Sponsor |
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TALAS sponsors make this newsletter and other TALAS activities possible. Please support them. Click on the logo to learn more! |
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As a global leader in assessment, reading, and math solutions for pre-K–12 schools and districts, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. Renaissance solutions reach more than 40 percent of US schools and more than half a million students in other regions across the world. The Renaissance portfolio includes Star Assessments, for reliable, accurate insights into K–12 student learning; myIGDIs, for accurate assessment of early learning; myON, to increase students’ access to high-quality reading materials; Accelerated Reader, to support independent reading practice; Freckle, for teacher-led differentiated instruction; Schoolzilla, to give educators actionable insights into trends in student attendance and achievement; Lalilo, to develop critical foundational skills; and Nearpod, for teacher-facilitated instructional delivery. For more information, visit Renaissance.com. |
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