Supporting Schools
You’ve heard about it: the golden age of public education. It was a time when students achieved, schools and teachers were recognized for quality instruction, and all students had the opportunity to succeed, and the means to reach their dreams.
These are not images from a hazy past. In Texas, the golden age is today.
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Students are performing academically at unprecedented levels.
Texas students are outperforming their older brothers and sisters, and they’re more than holding their own against other states. Nine out of 10 seniors passed the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills in 2005, a challenging test required for graduation.
In 2005, Texas students in all major ethnic groups outpaced students in the same group across the country on the National Assessment of Educational Progress exams, the only exams given to students at all academic levels in every state.
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Public schools are fiscally accountable.
A 2004 study by Texas A&M showed that Texas districts are, on average, 93 percent efficient. The remaining 7 percent may include areas of instruction not included in the study, such as social studies and art, or other operations costs such as transportation or repairs. The study concluded that some “Texas school districts are remarkably efficient in transforming resources into measured educational outcomes that reflect the core educational goals of the state.”
A Cost Analysis for Texas Public Schools, a study covering the 2003-04 school year, found that 76 percent of Texas school spending was for instruction or instruction-related staff and services. Non-instruction spending also was critical to the school day, paying for transporting students to school, cafeteria lunches, and building maintenance. Overall, per-student spending over the past three years has grown slower than the inflation rate.
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Students are reaching higher, in the classroom and for their futures, and they’re succeeding.
Participation in Advanced Placement (AP) courses and successful AP exam results are on the rise. The number of Texas students taking AP courses has increased 61 percent since 2001. While 28,331 students earned a passing score of 3 or higher (on a scale of 1 to 5) in 1996, a whopping 99,429 students earned the same score in the 2004-05 school year.
In addition, more students are taking the SAT and ACT college admissions exams. SAT math and verbal section scores rose in 2005 from 2004. And the number of Texas graduating seniors taking the SAT (54 percent) was above the national average of 49 percent.
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Texas schools offer all students a path to achievement.
Seven district special-education programs were recognized in the 2005 Showcase of Promising Practices, a collaborative project among statewide special-education programs, education service centers, and the Texas Education Agency.
Nine Texas districts have received grants as part of the Texas High School Project, a $261 million public-private initiative geared toward increasing high school and college graduation rates statewide.
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Schools and teachers are recognized for excellence, statewide and nationally.
Twenty-five schools received the US Department of Education’s No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Schools Award in 2005. Texarkana ISD’s Professonal Development School was honored by the American School Board Journal with a Magna Award in 2006. And three Texas teachers were awarded the 2005 National Educator Award by the Milken Family Foundation.
This is just the beginning. Read on to meet the proud products of our schools, recognize the achievements, and help dispel the myths so we all can recognize how good Texas schools truly are, today.
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