October 2006
Copyright © 2006 • Queue, Inc.

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Education News

For back issues of this newsletter, as well as current and back issues of our other newsletters, U.S. Education News and Education Research Report, please go to: http://www.queuenews.com/

For the latest education research news, please go to: http://queuenews.typepad.com/education_research_report/

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Letter to the Editor

You can see the past Texas Education News e-newsletters by visiting: http://www.queuenews.com/TXnews.html.

I presented the "brag" part of this info to the inter/ms prin mtg Wed. Thanks for sharing.

— Tedna Taylor

To submit letters to the editor for this e-newsletter, please reply to jdk@queueinc.com. Please indicate whether or not we have permission to publish your comments in future newsletters. The editor reserves the right to trim content for length purposes when necessary, but will not edit the tone of the letters.

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Life-changing Illness and Quest to Create a Second Family Inspire Texas Teachers of the Year

Two remarkable teachers have been chosen as the 2007 Texas Teachers of the Year. One suffered a massive stroke as a 20-year-old and was expected to finish her life as a quadriplegic – if she lived at all – but her grit, determination and positive attitude pulled her through this personal tragedy and today she brings these same attributes to her work as an English teacher at Keller’s Fossil Ridge High School. The second honoree treats her students and parents at Ysleta’s Dolphin Terrace Elementary School as her second family and her students have learned that when the chips are down, this teacher will be there for them.

• Dana Kristin Boyd, a second-grade teacher at Dolphin Terrace Elementary School at the Ysleta Independent School District in El Paso, has been chosen as the Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year and will represent the state in the National Teacher of the Year competition. Boyd, a six-year-teaching veteran, becomes the first African-American ever selected as the Texas Teacher of the Year, an award that has been given annually since 1969.
• Nika Maples, an English teacher at Fossil Ridge High School in the Keller Independent School District in Fort Worth, is the Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year. With teaching experience in Texas; Tennessee; Bangkok, Thailand; and Cologne, Germany, Maples sees teachers as “academic physicians” and “the guardians of national character.”

Along with Boyd and Maples, the state finalists were:

• Susan Gowens, a second-grade teacher at Flour Bluff Primary School in Corpus Christi’s Flour Bluff ISD:
• Maureen Haggerty, a special education teacher at South Knoll Elementary School in College Station ISD;
• Victoria Fletcher, a math teacher at Hubbard High School in Hubbard ISD; and  
• Mark LaCroix, a social studies teacher at Midland Freshman High School in Midland ISD.

Dana Boyd
“As a little girl, I can always remember playing school with my sister. My parents provided us with tons of books, a table, desk, and my personal favorite – a chalkboard that I received for Christmas one year. The ball was set in motion, my destiny was to be a teacher,” Boyd recalls.

As an adult, Boyd has taught school at Dolphin Terrace Elementary since 1999. She has taught first, second and third grade. She seeks to create a relaxing, non-threatening environment in her classroom. “I let my students know they are the brightest kids in the grade level. Once they believe they are the smartest students in their hearts and minds, it is up to me to keep those high standards maintained on a daily basis,” she says.

She tries to establish a sense of family in her classroom. Before school starts each year, Boyd calls each student and his or her family. On the first day of school, one of the first things Boyd does is tell her students that “the people they are sitting next to you are like a second family. I let them know that no matter what we encounter, we will be there for one another. My first letter to the parents of my students about classroom policies and procedures is addressed, ‘To My New Family.’ Every three months, her class has a potluck luncheon and students and parents get to know each other better while sharing food. With this caring approach, she has helped her students deal with difficult situations, such as the death of a parent.

She says it is important for every teacher to treat each student as they would want a teacher to treat their own child.

Boyd knows that the path to learning is harder if a child is not in school every day so she began an attendance incentive program. She convinced the local Wal-Mart and Target stores to donate four bicycles each nine-week grading period. At the end of each grading period, a drawing for the bikes is held for all the students who had perfect attendance.

Her students also learn the importance of giving to their community through an annual fundraising drive for the Alzheimer’s Association. For the past three years, her class alone has raised more than $500. Each year, Dolphin Terrace has won a citywide award for the school that has raised the most money for the association.

Nika Maples
When Maples was 20 years old, she suffered a massive stroke. She couldn’t speak. She couldn’t blink. She couldn’t swallow. She couldn’t move. But she could hear. She heard the doctors say she would be a quadriplegic, if she lived at all. Her friends whispered their good byes to her. Her mother whispered something else: “This is bigger than you.” She encouraged her not to give up. “I wanted to quit,” Maples recalls. “But my life is not only about me. It is bigger than that. Life is about humanity’s learning curve; we inspire one another. Within this new perspective, hope returned. No matter what limitations were to come, my goal would be to live in abundance.”

Her abundance philosophy made her want to help others. While volunteering with a group called NashvilleRead, Maples met adults who were “shackled by the inability to read. It became my intense desire to set them free. Teaching was a mission of liberation for me, and each victory was an unspeakable thrill. Teachers experience this kind of intense dedication every day. We may feel as if we are emptying ourselves when we serve, yet the servant always walks away with a heart overflowing. When my students and I read together, a part of my soul awakens, but when we write together, my soul soars. To encourage reading and writing is my duty as an English teacher. It is my honor as a literate American,” she says.

Fulfilling that duty is sometimes hard. “Sometimes students sit in their desks, lifeless, and fading by the moment. It is then that teaching shines as the profession of heroes. We are ‘academic physicians,’ rendering life-giving aid to those unaware they are dying. If we give up on the indifferent ones, the lethargic ones, the unmotivated ones, if we withhold our best from them, preferring to focus on the students who respond, we are denying vital nutrients to a body in which there is still life. We must not give up. Deep inside the unresponsive student, there is still a human being who hears us. We can never remove educational life-support, because it is never too late.”

Maples clearly brought her own life experiences into the classroom during the four years she has taught. She recalls one incident where about a week before the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills exam was to be given, a student complained that he was tired of reading actively and was ready to give up. Maples says, “I instinctively dropped to one knee . . . I began unstrapping my leg braces with dramatic flare. My students came alive! ‘What are you doing, Ms. Maples? You can’t stop wearing your braces!’ They almost yelled in unison, ‘No, you can’t quit now!’ I smiled and winked, ‘Neither can you.’ Their faces flushed with understanding as they returned to their novels.”

Maples and Boyd were selected as the state Teachers of the Year by an 11-member judging panel made up of: Leo of the State Board of Education; former Texas Teachers of the Year Karen Shepherd and Cindy Lewis, State Board for Educator Certification member Mildred Janie Baszile; Comanche Superintendent Rick Howard, representing the Texas Association of School Administrators; President-elect Pamela Stehle of the Texas Association of School Boards; Sharon Goldblatt of the Texas Congress of Parents and Teachers; Phillys Hill, the 2006 National Distinguished Principal, representing the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association; David Ellis of the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals; President-elect Kari Hutchison of the Texas School Public Relations Association; and Kathrin Brewer of the Texas Association of Partners in Education.

Boyd and Maples will each receive a $5,000 cash award and a technology package valued at $15,000. The remaining 38 regional Teachers of the Year will each receive $500 and a trophy. The cash awards and prizes were presented at the Oct. 28 luncheon in Austin.

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Implementing New Math and Science Requirements Won’t Be Easy

Education officials may approve of the State Board of Education’s new high school graduation requirements, but they say implementing the new curriculum won’t be easy.

A teacher shortage, crunch for space and curriculum logistics will be hurdles for school districts to overcome in the board of education’s most recent graduation requirement vote.

“I think it will mean changes (for our district), and that brings some concerns,” McGregor Independent School District Superintendent Kevin Houchin said.

The decision increases math and science requirements for high school students starting with freshmen in August 2007. Under the new requirements, all freshmen on the “recommended” or “distinguished achievement” programs are required to take four credits, or classes, of math and science, Texas Education Agency spokeswoman DeEtta Culbertson said. The current requirement is three for each subject.

The board requires four math credits in algebra, geometry, algebra II and another higher level math class for the recommended program. For those on the distinguished achievement plan, a student’s fourth math course must have algebra II as a prerequisite.

Similarly, students on the recommended program will be required to take biology, chemistry, physics and another laboratory-based science such as astronomy, engineering or Earth and space science, according to a release from the TEA.

Students on the distinguished program will take the three required sciences and another science class where the three required classes are prerequisites.

Local education officials say that while there is a need for more science and math education, the added requirements will require more teachers and resources.

“This stone into the pond is going to have quite a ripple effect,” said Cindy Barrier, Midway Independent School District assistant superintendent for curriculum. “I’m not saying it’s not good for students, that it’s not good for teachers, but it’s going to take a lot of work to get there.”

Barrier estimates her district will need to hire an additional three to four teachers in each of the math and science departments to teach the added courses. With the statewide scarcity of certified teachers in math and science fields, Barrier and other officials said finding enough teachers for the new courses will be tough.

“It’s not a malicious thing,” La Vega ISD Superintendent Monte Geren said. “It’s survival of the fittest. There is a clear shortage of certified (math and science) teachers. Every district in the state is likely to be looking to hire, and that means we’ll all be competing for a small pool of applicants…”

To read the rest of this article, please go to: http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/news/stories/2006/09/16/09162006wacmathsciencereax.html

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High School Graduation in Texas

Independent Research to Understand and Combat the Graduation Crisis

Analyses from the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center estimate that over 120,000 public high school students in the state of Texas failed to graduate with a regular diploma last school year. To put this crisis in perspective, the number of non-graduates is about double the combined number of students entering 9th grade in the state’s seven largest school districts.

Seventy percent of all non-graduates were members of minority racial and ethnic groups, indicating that minority students are disproportionately affected by this graduation crisis.

Texas falls below the national graduation rate of 69.6 percent and ranks 35th among the states. Analyses reveal large disparities in high school completion across different student groups. Fewer than 60 percent of black and Hispanic students graduate with a diploma, compared to over three quarters of whites and Asians. Statistics were calculated by the EPE Research Center using a method known as the Cumulative Promotion Index (CPI). Male students are also consistently less likely to graduate, with female students enjoying a graduation advantage of over 8 percentage points. Gender gaps exist for all racial and ethnic categories, with the largest difference (13 percentage points) found among black students. Hispanic males are the lowest-performing group, graduating at a rate of less than 53 percent.  

To see the full report: http://www.edweek.org/media/texas_eperc.pdf

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U.S. Department of Education Names 2006 No Child Left Behind—Blue Ribbon Schools

The U.S. Department of Education will honor 26 Texas public schools with the esteemed 2006 No Child Left Behind—Blue Ribbon Schools Award.

The No Child Left Behind—Blue Ribbon Schools Program (NCLB—BRS) recognizes outstanding public and private schools that are either academically superior in their states or that demonstrate dramatic and consistent gains in student achievement.

Nominated NCLB—BRS schools must meet one of two criteria:

1. Schools with at least 40 percent of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds that show dramatic improvement in student performance on state tests over the past three years in reading or English language arts and mathematics; or
2. Schools whose students, regardless of demographics, achieve in the top 10 percent on state tests in reading or English language arts and mathematics.

In addition, Blue Ribbon Schools must also meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in reading or English language arts and mathematics, must not be identified as a “Persistently Dangerous” school within the last two years, and be in compliance with other USDE requirements.

The Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes schools that make significant progress in closing the achievement gap or whose students achieve at very high levels.

2006 USDE No Child Left Behind—Blue Ribbon Schools

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Texans Can! Launches Web Site Celebrating the Success of Students and Graduates

Texans Can!, the parent organization of public charter schools serving at-risk youth, has revamped their Web site – texanscan.org – to focus on the success of its students and graduates.

“The results we achieve are very personal,” said Cheryl Rios, Vice President of Communications and Car Program. “When a student goes from wanting to drop out of school to being unwavering in their determination to get an education, that shows that what we are doing, what are donors are helping us do, is working. We wanted our Web site to reflect our students’ successes.”

Texans Can! schools aim to stop the cycle of poverty and dependence on public assistance by helping at-risk youth earn their high school diplomas through relationship-based education.

“So many students come to us facing major social, cultural and economic issues,” said Grant East, founder of Texans Can! “Now, after 20 years of serving at-risk students, it’s inspiring to see the accomplishments many have them have earned... and that Texans Can! helped changed their lives in a positive way.”

Ana-Maria Narro, featured on the Web site, considers the time she spent at Dallas Can! Academy as “the hand up I needed to keep moving.”

When Ana-Maria turned to Dallas Can! over 10 years ago, she was 18, had completed only the 9th grade and was the mother to a two-year old daughter. With her second chance at an education, Ana-Maria received her General Equivalency Degree at Dallas Can! and went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Texas-Arlington. She is currently the Executive Director of Jubilee Park and will walk across the stage this December, earning her MBA.

Over the next 10 years, current student Anthony Graham believes he can earn a doctorate in Chemical Engineering and be on his way to owning a chemical plant. The oldest of six children, Anthony refused to give up on himself when he missed too many days of school due to an illness. Instead of repeating a grade, Anthony chose Fort Worth Can! Academy at Campus Drive. Since arriving there, he’s made the “A” honor roll and been named Student of the Week.

Students interested in attending a Texans Can! charter school can go to texanscan.org and find in-depth information on each of the 10 school locations, enrollment requirements and the relationship-based education model upon which the school is structured.

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Destination Math® Implemented at Richardson Independent School District in Texas

Richardson Independent School District (RISD) has purchased Riverdeep’s Destination Math courseware.

Destination Math was selected by RISD after the district spent months investigating and comparing numerous math software products. “We looked carefully at a lot of different materials for math instruction that were not only developmentally appropriate and taught concepts, but also robust and interactive,” said Kay Frantz, elementary mathematics director for Richardson.  “We felt Destination Math truly taught concepts and didn’t just provide a lot of math problems. We are excited about the courseware and look forward to implementing it this year.”

RISD, located in northern Dallas County, encompasses most of the city of Richardson, as well as portions of Dallas and Garland.  “Because of a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students – now at approximately 50 percent – RISD also needed programs that could help at-risk children get up to speed quickly,” added Frantz.

The Destination Math courseware, both English and Spanish versions, will be used district-wide in all 41 elementary schools to help make math more engaging and improve comprehension. The district has approximately 18,000 students in grades K-6.

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Strategic Energy Named the Electric Service Provider of Choice by the Pearsall Independent School District

Pearsall Independent School District (ISD), based on recommendations from its advisor Texas Energy Consultants, recently named Strategic Energy to serve as its retail electric service provider of choice. The Pearsall Independent School District is located in Frio County, approximately 60 miles southwest of San Antonio, Texas, and operates five facilities with an annual electricity consumption of approximately 5.5 million kWhs.

“At Pearsall ISD, we understand the benefits of the deregulated Texas energy marketplace,” says Mario Sotelo, Pearsall ISD Superintendent. “We know that purchasing our electricity from retail rather than from the utility can significantly reduce our electricity expenditures. In awarding Strategic Energy our contract, we believe we have selected an experienced and highly qualified partner that is truly committed to assisting our educational institution attain our electricity goals of reducing costs while receiving a firm power supply.”

In issuing its request for proposal (RFP), Pearsall ISD and its energy advisor, Texas Energy Consultants, sought a retail electric provider that could provide competitive, flexible pricing to reduce the district’s electricity expenditures, as well as reduce exposure to market volatility to achieve budget certainty. After a rigorous two-phased RFP review process, Texas Energy Consultants determined that Strategic Energy best demonstrated its ability to assist Pearsall ISD in achieving its energy objectives with its Fixed Price offering with no bandwidth provisions.

“Within the education sector in the state of Texas, Strategic Energy has a proven track record in assisting school districts gain control of their electricity budgets and is clearly the ideal partner for Pearsall ISD,” says Tom Ratza, Texas Energy Consultants. “Strategic Energy’s approach to helping Pearsall ISD achieve its goal of reducing its electricity costs met, and in some instances, exceeded our client’s selection criteria of potential partners.”

About the Pearsall Independent School District (ISD)
The Pearsall Independent School District is located in Frio County, approximately 60 miles southwest of San Antonio, Texas. Pearsall ISD is committed to achieving excellence, efficiency and equity in its learning environment that ensures success for more than 2,200 students in grades PK-12. For more information, visit www.pearsall.k12.tx.us.

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San Antonio Assistant Principal in Lawsuit about Site on MySpace.com

Attorney Murphy Klasing, partner at the Texas-based law firm McGinnis, Lochridge & Kilgore, L.L.P., is representing a San Antonio assistant principal in her lawsuit against two students and their parents, claiming defamation, libel, negligence and “negligent supervision.” As reported Friday by the San Antonio Express-News and the Associated Press, the lawsuit is the result of a defamatory Web site allegedly created by two students at Clark High School. The lawsuit Anna Draker v. Benjamin Schreiber, a minor, Lisa Schreiber, Ryan Todd, a minor, Lisa Todd and Steve Todd. was filed in Medina County, Texas.

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