The Texas GED Problem Is Getting Worse by Chandra Villanueva

View in browser The Texas GED Problem Is Getting Worse Chandra Villanueva Senior Policy Analyst Read Report I know first-hand how important it is to get a high school diploma or its equivalent because the GED test helped me get where I am today. For Texas to remain a prosperous state, our leaders must address the fact that we are worst in the nation for the percentage of adults without a high school diploma or the equivalent. While our population continues to grow, the number of people taking the GED test is still declining. Texas has adopted a good strategic plan to ensure 60 percent of 25-34 year olds receive a college credential or certification by 2030. But the plan does not address the more than 3 million adults that did not complete high school or obtain their high school credentials. Our new report, The Texas GED Problem Is Getting Worse, explores what's wrong with high school equivalency efforts in Texas and how we can improve them. Center for Public Policy Priorities You are currently signed up to receive updates from CPPP Unsubscribe from this list To contact the Center for Public Priorities, email updates@cppp.org. 7020 Easy Wind Drive | Suite 200 | Austin, TX 78752

The National Dream Act is Vital to Texas: It will INCREASE State and Local Revenue by $54 Million Per Year

View in browser The National Dream Act is Vital to Texas In September, the Trump Administration announced that it would end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that protects immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. The President then “challenged” Congress to provide a fix to the problem he created by ending DACA — and that fix is the national Dream Act. The Dream Act offers a pathway to citizenship for immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. Ending DACA is contrary to core Texas values and bad for the Texas economy. DACA students pay tuition at state colleges and universities, work for Texas businesses, and contribute to their communities. They long to give back to Texas and our country, which for most is the only home they have ever known. The independent Congressional Budget Office recently issued an analysis of the Dream Act. At CPPP, we analyzed what’s at stake for the Texas economy with these federal proposals. Passing the national Dream Act would result in an annual increase of state and local revenue in Texas of $54 million. Texas Dreamers push our economy forward with their skills and ideas. We need to adjust our policies to embrace their energy. The national Dream Act would make it possible for these young immigrants to continue with what they’ve learned in our schools, work to realize their full potential, and contribute fully to Texas communities and to the local economy. Read our full report on the national Dream Act here. Center for Public Policy Priorities You are currently signed up to receive updates from CPPP Unsubscribe from this list To contact the Center for Public Priorities, email updates@cppp.org. 7020 Easy Wind Drive | Suite 200 | Austin, TX 78752

Texas Senate Education Committee to Consider Dangerous Voucher Bill

From the Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP)...

Texas Senate Education Committee to Consider Dangerous Voucher Bill next Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Contact your state senator, and urge them to stand up for public schools


On Tuesday March 21, the Texas Senate Education Committee will discuss Senate Bill 3, a dangerous proposal that would use taxpayer dollars to subsidize private school education without accountability.

According to our recent policy analysis, SB 3 vouchers would cut public school funding in our state by more than $2 billion per year if five percent of Texas children opted into the program.

Contact your Texas State Senator and members of the Senate Education Committee today, and tell them to oppose SB 3. Click here to see how many dollars would be siphoned from public schools in Senate Education Committee members' districts.

Instead of diverting tax dollars to subsidize private school tuition for wealthier families, the Texas Legislature should remodel Texas’ outdated school finance system to ensure that there is sufficient financial support for all kids to get a quality public education, no matter where they live or what their background. 



Ann Beeson
CPPP Executive Director

Center for Public Policy Priorities



7020 Easy Wind Dr, Suite 200, Austin, TX 78752\

STATE OF TEXAS CHILDREN 2016: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The disparities noted in this report by the Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP) in Austin, Texas, should concern us deeply.  For endnotes and more information, visit cppp.org/kidscount. Access U.S., Texas and county-level data on child well-being  at datacenter.kidscount.org Texas Kids Count is a project of the Center for Public Policy Priorities.  Here's the related news report by By Melissa B. Taboada from the Austin American-Statesman:  Study: Black, Latino children in Austin more likely to live in poverty.

Here's the newspaper report on this study in Spanish from the Ahora Sí segment in the Austin American-Statesman:  Niños latinos y afroamericanos de Austin propensos a vivir en pobreza.

There is a lot to grasp herein, including that high rates of teacher turnover, particularly for African American and Latino children who, as a whole, are also likely to attend high-poverty schools.  Equitable school finance and school integration are obvious implications.  

School districts should also consider growing their own teachers through partnerships with community-based organizations and universities as a way to both grow and retain local talent.  No need at all under this framework to outsource teaching to Teach for America (a.k.a. "Teach for Awhile" or to visa-recruited teachers from Mexico, Spain, or any other country).  Por favor!

Growing our own teachers what I and others are advocating for locally, as part of a nascent, national movement coupled with ethnic studies—both of which are drawing increasing attention and public support.

I was in fact in Phoenix, Arizona, this weekend in the Isaac School District No. 15, meeting with a large group of teachers, administrators, parents, advocates, and ASU faculty because of their desire to grow their own teachers from their own communities in a curriculum that honors their identities by tapping into local history, resources, and opportunities.  They see how centering their reform efforts in their community can help provide stability to an agenda that's less vulnerable to administrative shifts, while of course, simultaneously lifting community voices and local institutions.

We need not only to create pathways into the teaching profession, but also to grow critically consciousness teachers.  Attending to teachers should be so obviously vital to us all, by the way.  After all, the teaching profession is the gateway to ALL of the professions.

Feeling deeply satisfied and inspired this morning as I reflect on the caring and compassionate community in the Isaac School District that I encountered this weekend that seeks a better way.  

Sí se puede!  Yes we can!

Angela Valenzuela