William Lutz | Lone Star Report
7/8/2011
The Coalition for Excellence in Higher Education – a group that supports higher education reform ideas offered by the state’s university presidents and chancellors and has expressed concerns with some higher education reform ideas offered from outside academia – fired a rhetorical howitzer at Gov. Rick Perry yesterday. Political observers in Texas are left wondering why the organization chose to attack Perry by name and how this will play out.
The coalition’s main communications consultants used to work for U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and former president George W. Bush, two elected officials whose political interests have not always aligned perfectly with those of Perry. A member of the coalition’s operating committee, former ambassador and Higher Education Coordinating Board Chair Pamela Willeford, said she has supported Perry, and the organization is bipartisan and is about higher education, not partisan politics. She also said that decisions about what statements to issue are made by the organization’s operating committee, not its consultants.
Wednesday, the University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts Dean Randy Diehl issued a report blasting “7 Breakthrough Solutions for Higher Education” proposed by Texas philanthropist Jeff Sandefer and supported by the Texas Public Policy Foundation. The coalition issued a statement supporting the report and calling on elected officials to distance themselves from the 7 Solutions.
Perry’s communications director Mark Miner issued a statement expressing disappointment that University of Texas administrators are so resistant to the governor’s cost control and reform ideas. "University faculty and their allies should join the reform efforts and recommend ways to innovate, improve graduation rates, and enhance accountability and efficiency at Texas colleges and universities,” Miner said. “We all have an obligation to meet the needs of Texas students, employers, taxpayers and our fast-growing economy. Resisting reform and accountability is an unsustainable recipe for mediocrity and stagnation. Texas deserves better."
Some Austin observers thought that finished that story.
But then on Thursday, the Coalition sent out a response to Miner’s statement that has grass-roots conservatives scratching their heads. The statement both attacks Perry by name and also attacks the Texas K-12 education system. This marks one of the first examples of this higher education debate, which previously centered on TPPF and comments made by University of Texas Regent Gene Powell, venturing into K-12 education. The attack on Perry and his K-12 education record comes right as conservatives nationwide are encouraging the governor to throw his hat into the presidential ring.
“It's unfortunate that the same week that the University of Texas at Austin’s President Powers announced a major initiative to improve college graduation rates, Governor Perry's spokesman chose to denigrate Texas universities rather than support their efforts to improve and reform,” read the Coalition’s statement forwarded to the press by Julie Shussler, a public relations official with the firm of Burson-Marsteller.“… If Governor Perry truly wants to reduce costs and improve productivity of higher education in Texas, he should start by focusing on improving the college readiness of Texas students. Unfortunately, Texas ranks a dismal 36th in the nation for high school graduation rates and 50th for percentage of Texans with a high school diploma. Today, Texas taxpayers are being double-charged—first to fund high school, then to fund remedial programs when students are unprepared to succeed in college.”
Willeford said the coalition worked hard to recruit a bipartisan base of support and that the group is focused on higher education. "Volunteers have come forward because they believe the discussion and the process is not what we want it to be," Willeford said. "I think that trying to throw it into a political statement; it's just not true."
When asked about the statement attacking Perry by name and why it was issued, Shussler replied, “The statement was a response from the Coalition, which includes more than 200 leading Texans, including many supporters of Governor Perry, who are concerned about the negative impact of some of his higher education proposals.”
Some grassroots conservatives are troubled. “I know that Perry’s uncompromising commitment to fiscal and social conservatism doesn’t always sit well with some of the more moderate members of the Republican Party,” said State Republican Executive Committee member Jason Moore, a talk radio talk show host on KWEL in Midland. “But I’m surprised that some of the business leaders who have joined this coalition would condone these kinds of cheap shots at Perry.”
Most of the coalition’s press releases are distributed by Jenifer Sarver, who used to work on Hutchison’s staff. Sarver is chief of staff to Karen Hughes, who used to work for Gov. and later President George W. Bush. Both currently work at the Austin office of Burson-Marsteller.
Willeford said that the Burson-Marsteller firm is a paid consultant to the coalition. “As far as what is put out by the coalition and what is posted on our website, all that goes through our operating committee,” she said. Willeford said the operating committee included herself, C. Patrick Oles, Jr., Kenneth Jastrow II, Melinda Hill Perrin, Gordon Appleman, and Charles W. Matthews. Willeford later added that “I have supported the governor [Perry] as long has he’s been running. “
But some Republican activists hope that this coalition will avoid messages that might be perceived as political attacks. “I sure hope that this coalition doesn’t allow former staffers for Hutchison and Bush to use the organization to attack Perry personally by name or harm his presidential chances in any way,” said Toby Marie Walker, a tea party activist in Waco, Texas. “Given the problems President Obama has created for our nation, the stakes are too high for that.”
When asked directly whether Perry’s presidential ambitions had anything to do with the statement the coalition issued attacking Perry by name, Willeford said, “Absolutely not. We are a group that is concerned with the debate about higher education and the direction higher education is going. We want to be sure that it’s a transparent process, as far as ideas that are being brought forward, and that is our focus.”
LSR also asked Willeford about the organization choosing to highlight the shortcomings of Texas’s K-12 education system. After all, when Hughes worked for Bush, she was one of the most passionate defenders of the state’s K-12 education system. (For example, Hughes told The New York Times Oct. 25, 2000: “indisputable independent data all show without a doubt that Texas leads the nation when it comes to improving student performance.”)
“This is a statement by the coalition. This is not a statement by Karen Hughes,” said Willeford when asked about whether a coalition whose communications consultant is Karen Hughes is in a position to highlight the shortcomings of the state’s public schools.
“We talked about K-12, because a lot of the problems that we have in higher education as far as graduation rates [are because] we’re getting kids [who] are not prepared coming into the system, and it’s taking a lot of remedial education,” added that she hoped the governor will focus on improving college preparation.
Later, LSR asked why – given that much of this debate has focused on the University of Texas at Austin – did the coalition choose to talk about the high number of students in developmental education. (State law requires students who do not achieve college-ready test scores to take developmental courses.)
Community colleges have many students in developmental education. But UT accepts only the best from Texas high school students. According to the School of Undergraduate Studies annual report, a mere 83 UT students required assistance in 2010 for failure to meet state college readiness standards.
“We’re talking about all of higher education in the state,” Willeford said, noting that Miner’s statement referenced the statewide four-year graduation rate, not the University of Texas at Austin graduation rate, which is substantially higher.
Many grass-roots conservatives, meanwhile, are praising Perry for taking on the higher education bureaucracy. “Those of us who are attending our state's universities or who have recently graduated know that our current system of higher education is morally bankrupt,” said Tony McDonald, senior vice president of the Young Conservatives of Texas. “The system puts undergraduate education on a back-burner in favor of the mass publication of largely useless scholarly articles. The system consumes large sums of tax revenue, while saddling graduates with massive student-loan debt. It is refreshing to see Governor Perry take the bold step of calling out our universities and demanding that they implement reform and accountability measures which will serve to protect both students and taxpayers.”
Here’s one thing we do know: the Coalition, and its supporters some of whom are prominent members of the Texas business community, has upped the ante by singling out Perry by name and responding to his chief spokesman in that manner.
\When asked about this issue by LSR, the governor’s office replied that the purpose of the statement was merely to underscore the governor’s priorities for Texas public colleges and universities. “[The governor’s plan] for higher education is to improve accountability, affordability, transparency, and accessibility,” said Catherine Frazier with the Governor’s Press Office. “Where we are right now is not cutting it … The governor is simply calling on university leaders to adopt these goals and work towards finding the best way to accomplish them for their respective universities. And he will continue holding those universities accountable to pursuing those goals until progress is made.”
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Parsing the History of Perry's Higher Ed Battles
by Reeve Hamilton | Texas Tribune
July 12, 2011
In 2003, Gov. Rick Perry signed off one of the most significant policy changes in the history of Texas higher education. With both the state and its public universities strapped for cash, the decision was made to grant universities the autonomy to set tuition rates, freeing them from government regulation that had artificially kept Texas public higher education affordable for generations.
As expected, college costs in Texas ticked upward — a trend that looks likely to persist as the state’s contribution continues to decline. Texas Tech University in Lubbock, for example, has seen the state-funded portion of its budget drop from 56 percent in 1990 to 36 percent in 2010. After taking another cut this year, the Texas Tech University System regents — all Perry appointees — just hiked the tuition at their main campus by 5.9 percent and at Angelo State University by 9.9 percent. At the state’s flagship institutions, the numbers are even worse: State contributions make up 24 percent of Texas A&M University’s budget and 14 percent of the University of Texas' budget, down from 52 percent 30 years ago
It’s not the sort of trend that Perry — who often notes in his stump speeches that he is an animal-science graduate from Texas A&M — wants to be associated with. More recently, he has ramped up a public push for lower tuition while shifting blame to the universities by urging them to reduce inefficiencies.
“There are serious improvements that need to be made to our higher education system,” Perry spokeswoman Catherine Frazier says. “We have a great higher education system, but there are steps that need to be taken to improve it, and we can’t ignore what those needs are."
In recent months, the various forces in Perry’s conflicted higher ed history have come to a head. The result: an overwrought public identity crisis in the state’s higher education community, the resolution of which will likely define the governor’s legacy on the topic and could be a factor in any potential bid for higher office.
Among the issues at hand: Can access to higher education be expanded and tuition lowered without sacrificing quality? What role should academic research play at public universities? Who should and shouldn’t be managing the state’s educational institutions — and how are the current leaders doing so far?
Even before taking the helm of the state in late 2000, Perry showed interest in higher education. In 1999, as lieutenant governor, he established a Special Commission on 21st Century Colleges and Universities “to take a long-term look at improving higher education — its mission, its role in the new economy, and its accessibility and its affordability.”
The next year, worried about the quality of Texas’ higher education system and that it was lagging too far behind the country’s leaders, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, which monitors the implementation of the state’s higher ed policy, launched a 15-year initiative to bring the state up to a level of parity. Encouraged by the governor, it has seen success in some areas. But headed into the final four-year homestretch, challenges remain.
“Texas has done a much better job on access,” observes Bill Hammond, president of the Texas Association of Business. “Now we need to turn the directions toward completions.”
While Texas students are heading to college in greater number (and Texas Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes anticipates they will reach the 2015 enrollment goal), they still struggle to come out of the system with a degree or certificate. As Mark Miner, the governor’s spokesman, noted in a recent press release calling on universities to “join the reform efforts,” the statewide four-year graduation rate is about 28.6 percent compared to a national average closer to 40 percent. Degrees conferred in science, technology, engineering and math fields are particularly behind in reaching the state’s goals, as are teacher certifications.
Hammond says the long-term workforce implications of such success rates should be of more concern than rising tuition. “It’s higher than anyone would like it to be, and that’s a hindrance,” he said, “but I don’t think that’s the issue.” For one thing, Hammond points out, before the cuts made in the just-ended legislative session, funds going toward financial aid had been increasing. Also, tuition in Texas remains relatively low — in the case of community colleges, extremely so.
Average tuition at a public two-year institution in Texas is $1,796, which is 45th among all the states. With an average tuition cost of $5,623, Texas’ public four-year institutions rank 28th. According to recently released U.S. Department of Education statistics, South Texas College in McAllen and the University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg are the two most affordable colleges in the country.
And not everyone is troubled by recent trends. Randy Diehl, the dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin, concedes that tuition increases have outpaced inflation, but argues that the average yearly increase in tuition since deregulation is less than average yearly increases in the decade preceding it.
Also, he says, if tuition were lowered, in order to maintain access, the portion of tuition that is currently set aside for financial aid would have to be replaced with increased funding from regressive sales taxes. “So in terms of what’s fair, socially and economically,” he says, “I would trade a higher tuition for a lower state contribution any day.”
In his State of the State address this year and in subsequent public remarks, Perry called for three things for higher education: a funding system that rewards outcomes, a four-year tuition freeze and the creation of a $10,000 bachelor’s degree — books included. But the proposals that have ended up getting the most attention are “seven breakthrough solutions” for higher education that Perry has been promoting behind the scenes for the last three years.
The proposals — which focus on the widely agreed upon goals of emphasizing quality teaching, efficiency and productivity — were written by Jeff Sandefer, a wealthy oil investor and founder of a private business school in Austin. He was one of the initial members of Lt. Gov. Perry’s special commission. After Sandefer’s proposals were unveiled at a summit in 2008, Perry made it clear that regents would be judged by what they did with the suggestions, and his office later emphasized that the initiatives — which have been deeply unpopular in academic circles — should be “regent driven."
The chief source of influence the governor has at a university stems from his power to appoint the members of the boards of regents, who are charged with the oversight of university systems including matters such as tuition increases and the hiring and firing of administrators.
Perry’s appointees haven’t always voted his way, one famous example being the most recent selection of the chancellor for the University of Texas System in 2009. Perry wanted former state Sen. John Montford, but the regents went with Dr. Francisco Cigarroa, who holds the post to this day. Scott Caven, who was the chairman of the UT board at the time, said it was the only issue he ever heard from Perry about while he served in that role. And even then, Caven recalls, Perry only said he was disappointed in the outcome.
“There was never any direct retribution on me,” Caven says, though that may not be true for others. A public dressing-down of UT regent Bob Rowling, the wealthy founder of TRT Holdings, by members of the Senate Finance Committee at a 2009 hearing, ostensibly about bonuses paid to employees of the UT System’s investment management company of which Rowling was serving as chairman, was widely viewed as his comeuppance for either supporting Cigarroa, or U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, in what was then an upcoming run at Perry’s seat, or both.
Perry’s influence has been detected by many in other administrative moves, such as the ousting of Elsa Murano as Texas A&M University president in 2009 and — though the current regent leaders deny it — the recent departure of A&M System Chancellor Mike McKinney, a former chief of staff to Perry who, perhaps ironically, as chancellor played a significant role in pushing Murano out.
McKinney and the A&M board of regents were the most active in implementing Sandefer’s “solutions,” though the few steps they did make did not meet with Sandefer’s approval — or the approval of the academic community. A spreadsheet of all the system’s faculty members that illustrated which ones brought in money and which didn’t drew a rebuke from the American Association of Universities, a prestigious group of research institutions. A program that gave cash awards to professors based solely on evaluations met with disapproval, and its termination was announced earlier this month.
The Texas Tech University System, which has thus far remained largely untouched by the back-and-forth, drafted a report similar to A&M’s in response to the proposals, but it did not delve into the specifics of individual faculty. Under pressure, the UT System published a massive spreadsheet of its faculty “productivity” earlier this year. As the implementation has progressed, especially at UT, so has the controversy.
Other proposals, such as the separation of teaching and research budgets, have been called “anti-research,” though Perry staffers are quick to point out that he has encouraged the commercialization of research. Though academics point out that much research cannot and is not meant to be commercialized. In 2009, Perry signed a landmark bill by House Higher Education Chairman Dan Branch, R-Dallas, that dedicated money to the creation of more public tier-one research universities (of which Texas only has two) throughout the state.
Branch is now a co-chairman, along with Senate Higher Education Chairwoman Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, of a new Joint Oversight Committee on Higher Education Governance, Excellence, and Transparency, which was created by the legislative leadership out of concern for the direction recently appointed regents — which many view to be more proactive than the governor’s previous selections — might take with regard to the “solutions.”
Some former regents, including Caven, who was at the initial rollout of the “seven breakthrough solutions” (at the time, his impression was that they were optional), helped with the creation of a new Texas Coalition for Excellence in Higher Education, a bipartisan group of prominent Texans who oppose Sandefer’s “solutions" (as the group's detractors point out, a number of the members also opposed the governor in during his re-election bid).
How the governor and his appointed regents handle the new legislative committee, which was created against Perry’s will, and the debate between the various outside organizations that are now focusing on the issue remains to be seen. As rising student debt becomes a national issue, the push for belt-tightening and lower tuition may strike a chord, even while the specific steps taken may be questioned.
“I certainly don’t think Rick Perry is the anti-education governor,” Caven says. “I just think that the of the proposals he and some of his appointees are suggesting seem to be overly simplistic solutions to very complex issues.”
Frazier, Perry’s spokeswoman, says that while the governor supports the goals of the “seven solutions,” he believes universities should find approaches to those goals that work best for their respective institutions. “The governor has always worked with lawmakers on all these issues. His focus right now is working with all of these respective parties to promote the goals of accessibility, affordability and transparency to bring tuition down and improve graduation rates.”
July 12, 2011
In 2003, Gov. Rick Perry signed off one of the most significant policy changes in the history of Texas higher education. With both the state and its public universities strapped for cash, the decision was made to grant universities the autonomy to set tuition rates, freeing them from government regulation that had artificially kept Texas public higher education affordable for generations.
As expected, college costs in Texas ticked upward — a trend that looks likely to persist as the state’s contribution continues to decline. Texas Tech University in Lubbock, for example, has seen the state-funded portion of its budget drop from 56 percent in 1990 to 36 percent in 2010. After taking another cut this year, the Texas Tech University System regents — all Perry appointees — just hiked the tuition at their main campus by 5.9 percent and at Angelo State University by 9.9 percent. At the state’s flagship institutions, the numbers are even worse: State contributions make up 24 percent of Texas A&M University’s budget and 14 percent of the University of Texas' budget, down from 52 percent 30 years ago
It’s not the sort of trend that Perry — who often notes in his stump speeches that he is an animal-science graduate from Texas A&M — wants to be associated with. More recently, he has ramped up a public push for lower tuition while shifting blame to the universities by urging them to reduce inefficiencies.
“There are serious improvements that need to be made to our higher education system,” Perry spokeswoman Catherine Frazier says. “We have a great higher education system, but there are steps that need to be taken to improve it, and we can’t ignore what those needs are."
In recent months, the various forces in Perry’s conflicted higher ed history have come to a head. The result: an overwrought public identity crisis in the state’s higher education community, the resolution of which will likely define the governor’s legacy on the topic and could be a factor in any potential bid for higher office.
Among the issues at hand: Can access to higher education be expanded and tuition lowered without sacrificing quality? What role should academic research play at public universities? Who should and shouldn’t be managing the state’s educational institutions — and how are the current leaders doing so far?
Even before taking the helm of the state in late 2000, Perry showed interest in higher education. In 1999, as lieutenant governor, he established a Special Commission on 21st Century Colleges and Universities “to take a long-term look at improving higher education — its mission, its role in the new economy, and its accessibility and its affordability.”
The next year, worried about the quality of Texas’ higher education system and that it was lagging too far behind the country’s leaders, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, which monitors the implementation of the state’s higher ed policy, launched a 15-year initiative to bring the state up to a level of parity. Encouraged by the governor, it has seen success in some areas. But headed into the final four-year homestretch, challenges remain.
“Texas has done a much better job on access,” observes Bill Hammond, president of the Texas Association of Business. “Now we need to turn the directions toward completions.”
While Texas students are heading to college in greater number (and Texas Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes anticipates they will reach the 2015 enrollment goal), they still struggle to come out of the system with a degree or certificate. As Mark Miner, the governor’s spokesman, noted in a recent press release calling on universities to “join the reform efforts,” the statewide four-year graduation rate is about 28.6 percent compared to a national average closer to 40 percent. Degrees conferred in science, technology, engineering and math fields are particularly behind in reaching the state’s goals, as are teacher certifications.
Hammond says the long-term workforce implications of such success rates should be of more concern than rising tuition. “It’s higher than anyone would like it to be, and that’s a hindrance,” he said, “but I don’t think that’s the issue.” For one thing, Hammond points out, before the cuts made in the just-ended legislative session, funds going toward financial aid had been increasing. Also, tuition in Texas remains relatively low — in the case of community colleges, extremely so.
Average tuition at a public two-year institution in Texas is $1,796, which is 45th among all the states. With an average tuition cost of $5,623, Texas’ public four-year institutions rank 28th. According to recently released U.S. Department of Education statistics, South Texas College in McAllen and the University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg are the two most affordable colleges in the country.
And not everyone is troubled by recent trends. Randy Diehl, the dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin, concedes that tuition increases have outpaced inflation, but argues that the average yearly increase in tuition since deregulation is less than average yearly increases in the decade preceding it.
Also, he says, if tuition were lowered, in order to maintain access, the portion of tuition that is currently set aside for financial aid would have to be replaced with increased funding from regressive sales taxes. “So in terms of what’s fair, socially and economically,” he says, “I would trade a higher tuition for a lower state contribution any day.”
In his State of the State address this year and in subsequent public remarks, Perry called for three things for higher education: a funding system that rewards outcomes, a four-year tuition freeze and the creation of a $10,000 bachelor’s degree — books included. But the proposals that have ended up getting the most attention are “seven breakthrough solutions” for higher education that Perry has been promoting behind the scenes for the last three years.
The proposals — which focus on the widely agreed upon goals of emphasizing quality teaching, efficiency and productivity — were written by Jeff Sandefer, a wealthy oil investor and founder of a private business school in Austin. He was one of the initial members of Lt. Gov. Perry’s special commission. After Sandefer’s proposals were unveiled at a summit in 2008, Perry made it clear that regents would be judged by what they did with the suggestions, and his office later emphasized that the initiatives — which have been deeply unpopular in academic circles — should be “regent driven."
The chief source of influence the governor has at a university stems from his power to appoint the members of the boards of regents, who are charged with the oversight of university systems including matters such as tuition increases and the hiring and firing of administrators.
Perry’s appointees haven’t always voted his way, one famous example being the most recent selection of the chancellor for the University of Texas System in 2009. Perry wanted former state Sen. John Montford, but the regents went with Dr. Francisco Cigarroa, who holds the post to this day. Scott Caven, who was the chairman of the UT board at the time, said it was the only issue he ever heard from Perry about while he served in that role. And even then, Caven recalls, Perry only said he was disappointed in the outcome.
“There was never any direct retribution on me,” Caven says, though that may not be true for others. A public dressing-down of UT regent Bob Rowling, the wealthy founder of TRT Holdings, by members of the Senate Finance Committee at a 2009 hearing, ostensibly about bonuses paid to employees of the UT System’s investment management company of which Rowling was serving as chairman, was widely viewed as his comeuppance for either supporting Cigarroa, or U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, in what was then an upcoming run at Perry’s seat, or both.
Perry’s influence has been detected by many in other administrative moves, such as the ousting of Elsa Murano as Texas A&M University president in 2009 and — though the current regent leaders deny it — the recent departure of A&M System Chancellor Mike McKinney, a former chief of staff to Perry who, perhaps ironically, as chancellor played a significant role in pushing Murano out.
McKinney and the A&M board of regents were the most active in implementing Sandefer’s “solutions,” though the few steps they did make did not meet with Sandefer’s approval — or the approval of the academic community. A spreadsheet of all the system’s faculty members that illustrated which ones brought in money and which didn’t drew a rebuke from the American Association of Universities, a prestigious group of research institutions. A program that gave cash awards to professors based solely on evaluations met with disapproval, and its termination was announced earlier this month.
The Texas Tech University System, which has thus far remained largely untouched by the back-and-forth, drafted a report similar to A&M’s in response to the proposals, but it did not delve into the specifics of individual faculty. Under pressure, the UT System published a massive spreadsheet of its faculty “productivity” earlier this year. As the implementation has progressed, especially at UT, so has the controversy.
Other proposals, such as the separation of teaching and research budgets, have been called “anti-research,” though Perry staffers are quick to point out that he has encouraged the commercialization of research. Though academics point out that much research cannot and is not meant to be commercialized. In 2009, Perry signed a landmark bill by House Higher Education Chairman Dan Branch, R-Dallas, that dedicated money to the creation of more public tier-one research universities (of which Texas only has two) throughout the state.
Branch is now a co-chairman, along with Senate Higher Education Chairwoman Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, of a new Joint Oversight Committee on Higher Education Governance, Excellence, and Transparency, which was created by the legislative leadership out of concern for the direction recently appointed regents — which many view to be more proactive than the governor’s previous selections — might take with regard to the “solutions.”
Some former regents, including Caven, who was at the initial rollout of the “seven breakthrough solutions” (at the time, his impression was that they were optional), helped with the creation of a new Texas Coalition for Excellence in Higher Education, a bipartisan group of prominent Texans who oppose Sandefer’s “solutions" (as the group's detractors point out, a number of the members also opposed the governor in during his re-election bid).
How the governor and his appointed regents handle the new legislative committee, which was created against Perry’s will, and the debate between the various outside organizations that are now focusing on the issue remains to be seen. As rising student debt becomes a national issue, the push for belt-tightening and lower tuition may strike a chord, even while the specific steps taken may be questioned.
“I certainly don’t think Rick Perry is the anti-education governor,” Caven says. “I just think that the of the proposals he and some of his appointees are suggesting seem to be overly simplistic solutions to very complex issues.”
Frazier, Perry’s spokeswoman, says that while the governor supports the goals of the “seven solutions,” he believes universities should find approaches to those goals that work best for their respective institutions. “The governor has always worked with lawmakers on all these issues. His focus right now is working with all of these respective parties to promote the goals of accessibility, affordability and transparency to bring tuition down and improve graduation rates.”
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Latino Childhood Obesity Education Summit
Please click the fliers for information on the the Latino Childhood Obesity Education Summit hosted by La Fe Policy Research and Education Center and MALDEF. The event will be on July 14, 2011 at Methodist Healthcare Ministries, 4507 Medical Drive, San Antonio, Texas.
-Patricia
-Patricia
Monday, July 11, 2011
Higher ed critics target elusive 'lazy professor'
Reformers call for more teaching and less research
By MELISSA LUDWIG | STAFF WRITER
July 10, 2011,
Lazy professor, beware.
Your time delivering droning lectures and writing overwrought articles for obscure journals draws nigh. A posse of free-market thinkers led by a conservative Austin think tank wants to hold higher education accountable by weeding out bad teachers and unproductive researchers.
But how do you corner these elusive creatures? Their peers characterize the lazy professor as a rarity, quietly culled from the herd before earning tenure.
Critics, however, believe they are far more commonplace, and can be exposed by crunching numbers on teaching loads, research grants and student evaluations.
Some would like to do away with tenure, reasoning that professors would work harder if their contract came up every few years. Others, including Gov. Rick Perry, have suggested that professors should stick to research that "delivers real dollars."
Yet academics and a new coalition of higher education boosters say critics are on the wrong track if their goal is to improve Texas universities.
Those kinds of remarks about research, coupled with the release of reams of detailed salary and workload data for thousands of professors in the Texas A&M University and University of Texas Systems, have already bruised the national reputation of two well-regarded university systems, said John Curtis, director of research and public policy at the American Association of University Professors.
"People around the country are watching that and would be leery of taking a job at A&M or UT," Curtis said. "If it continues that way, it may be a detriment for all of public higher education."
Return on investment
Those who seek greater productivity insist the scrutiny is long overdue.
"All we've ever wanted to do with this issue is just have an open discussion about 'Are the taxpayers of the state of Texas getting a good return on their investment?' " Perry has said. "To be honest with you, we can't answer that unless we have openness and transparency in higher ed, and there's some that just block that."
In addition to the governor, the roster of change-seekers includes several university regents, some conservative lawmakers and wealthy Austin entrepreneur Jeff Sandefer. Many have ties to the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative Austin think tank that has acted as the movement's brain trust.
David Guenthner, a TPPF spokesman, said the cost of higher education has spiraled out of control, and many students are questioning whether it's a worthy investment.
In his view, tuition and state dollars subsidize the time professors spend writing journal articles of questionable value to society.
The system, he said, is set up to reward research with higher pay, professional kudos and a job for life, while good teaching often goes unrecognized.
As a result, Guenthner declared, students who pay top dollar for a flagship education spend a good deal of their first two years in huge lecture halls being taught by adjuncts rather than by tenured professors.
"The pendulum has probably swung more in the direction of research in recent years, to the detriment of teaching," he said. "We think there needs to be a better balance for the sake of Texas students."
Defining 'research'
Most universities break down the job of a professor as 40 percent teaching, 40 percent research, and 20 percent service.
Service is a broad category, but typically involves sitting on governance committees, which give tenured and tenure-track faculty a voice in hiring and other decision-making at the university.
Most professors will say it's dreary work and there are too many committees. But no one seems to be fighting over the 20 percent of time professors spend on service.
The debate has centered squarely on teaching and research.
The term "research" conjures images of professors in white coats playing with beakers, but for most scholars it means publishing books or articles in academic journals.
Ideally, these writings illuminate new knowledge in the field, whether a theory about the origins of hominids or consumer behavior in modern Latin America.
But in the opinion of the change-seekers — and more quietly, some within the ranks of academia - much of this scholarly output is of questionable worth.
"I would say that 90 percent of it is a waste," said J. Ronald Carey, professor emeritus of marketing at Our Lady of the Lake University. "I am hesitant to call it research."
Carey received his doctorate from UT-Austin and taught at George Washington University, which has high research activity, before taking a job at the Pentagon and later at OLLU in San Antonio. For Carey and his colleagues, "research" was issuing questionnaires to sophomores and spinning their answers into multiple publications.
"We would get the data and say, 'How many line items do you think we can get out of this?' " he said.
Playing the research game has its benefits, Carey said.
"The people producing research have lower class sizes, more favorable schedules and they get teaching assistants," he noted. "And if they are doing really well, they get offers from other schools and can lobby for higher pay. Teachers do not have that leverage."
Few would argue with the premise that research is critical for promotion, but many disagree that most of it is fireplace fodder.
"No one thought the double helix would have any practical value," said William Powers, president of UT-Austin. "The value is not always recognizable at the time. It's a little like your stock portfolio; you don't know what the winners and losers are going to be."
Defending 'soft research'
Research, especially in the sciences, is also a huge enterprise for Texas institutions, generating nearly $1.7 billion annually. A portion goes directly to the university to cover overhead, fund laboratory infrastructure, pay faculty salaries and support fellowships for graduate students.
But few are picking on research that can be measured in dollars. It's the ones that can't be measured that troubles some.
Academics defend so-called "soft research," saying it advances knowledge. The act of getting out in the field, reading new material, attending conferences and exchanging ideas helps professors keep curriculum fresh and up-to-date, to the benefit of students.
"It is very easy to teach the same thing over and over," said Renee Rubin, a professor of education who retired this year from UT- Brownsville. "I would not want to see the research component go."
However, Rubin said she would welcome more flexibility about what counts as research.
UTB is primarily a teaching institution, yet her bosses raised the bar on publications in recent years, expecting two or more a year from professors who teach four classes per semester.
"Personally, I am more of a teacher. That is why I went into it," Rubin said.
In the University of Texas System, regents require an average faculty teaching load of three classes per semester, but that doesn't mean every professor teaches exactly three.
A scientist at a Tier One research institution - especially if backed by a large grant - may not teach at all, while a professor such as Rubin may teach four courses and do a little scholarly work. However, that scientist may supervise a dozen master's degree and doctoral students in a lab, a task that's hard to separate from "teaching."
Averaged across the UT System from 2007 to 2010, faculty members exceeded the minimum, spending from 29 to 39 actual weekly clock hours on instruction, including grading papers and preparing for class, according to the system's records.
Solutions spelled out
Critics still complain, however, that tenured and tenure-track professors prefer small, upper-level seminars, leaving the grunt work of teaching broad introductory classes to instructors, adjuncts and teaching assistants.
Statewide, 65 percent of full-time equivalent faculty were tenured or tenure-track in 2010, yet they taught only 39 percent of lower division credit hours, according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
That isn't how it should be, according to Naomi Schaefer Riley, a former editor at the Wall Street Journal and author of The Faculty Lounges … And Other Reasons Why You Won't Get the College Education You Pay For.
"You want the most experienced teachers in front of the introductory classes because that is where it is hardest to engage students," Riley said.
The ideas are spelled out in Seven Breakthrough Solutions, written by Sandefer, promoted by TPPF and embraced by Perry.
Emails obtained through open records laws show that Perry and Sandefer have been leaning on university regents to implement the solutions since 2008, when they were introduced at an Austin summit.
Bonuses panned, dropped
The Texas A&M University System implemented the teaching bonuses, but they were panned by faculty at the flagship campus as a popularity contest. Research has shown that evaluations correlate closely with the grade students received in the class, and most administrators also rely on peer review when evaluating a professor's teaching skills.
Last week, the new interim A&M chancellor discontinued the teaching awards.
UT-Austin has taken a more targeted approach to the problem.
To give freshmen and sophomores more contact with senior faculty, UT has created seminar classes and research opportunities for those students.
Also, many large introductory courses are being redesigned to promote more active learning and improve success rates.
"These reforms have been going on for the last five years. Our faculty are behind (them)," Powers said.
By MELISSA LUDWIG | STAFF WRITER
July 10, 2011,
Lazy professor, beware.
Your time delivering droning lectures and writing overwrought articles for obscure journals draws nigh. A posse of free-market thinkers led by a conservative Austin think tank wants to hold higher education accountable by weeding out bad teachers and unproductive researchers.
But how do you corner these elusive creatures? Their peers characterize the lazy professor as a rarity, quietly culled from the herd before earning tenure.
Critics, however, believe they are far more commonplace, and can be exposed by crunching numbers on teaching loads, research grants and student evaluations.
Some would like to do away with tenure, reasoning that professors would work harder if their contract came up every few years. Others, including Gov. Rick Perry, have suggested that professors should stick to research that "delivers real dollars."
Yet academics and a new coalition of higher education boosters say critics are on the wrong track if their goal is to improve Texas universities.
Those kinds of remarks about research, coupled with the release of reams of detailed salary and workload data for thousands of professors in the Texas A&M University and University of Texas Systems, have already bruised the national reputation of two well-regarded university systems, said John Curtis, director of research and public policy at the American Association of University Professors.
"People around the country are watching that and would be leery of taking a job at A&M or UT," Curtis said. "If it continues that way, it may be a detriment for all of public higher education."
Return on investment
Those who seek greater productivity insist the scrutiny is long overdue.
"All we've ever wanted to do with this issue is just have an open discussion about 'Are the taxpayers of the state of Texas getting a good return on their investment?' " Perry has said. "To be honest with you, we can't answer that unless we have openness and transparency in higher ed, and there's some that just block that."
In addition to the governor, the roster of change-seekers includes several university regents, some conservative lawmakers and wealthy Austin entrepreneur Jeff Sandefer. Many have ties to the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative Austin think tank that has acted as the movement's brain trust.
David Guenthner, a TPPF spokesman, said the cost of higher education has spiraled out of control, and many students are questioning whether it's a worthy investment.
In his view, tuition and state dollars subsidize the time professors spend writing journal articles of questionable value to society.
The system, he said, is set up to reward research with higher pay, professional kudos and a job for life, while good teaching often goes unrecognized.
As a result, Guenthner declared, students who pay top dollar for a flagship education spend a good deal of their first two years in huge lecture halls being taught by adjuncts rather than by tenured professors.
"The pendulum has probably swung more in the direction of research in recent years, to the detriment of teaching," he said. "We think there needs to be a better balance for the sake of Texas students."
Defining 'research'
Most universities break down the job of a professor as 40 percent teaching, 40 percent research, and 20 percent service.
Service is a broad category, but typically involves sitting on governance committees, which give tenured and tenure-track faculty a voice in hiring and other decision-making at the university.
Most professors will say it's dreary work and there are too many committees. But no one seems to be fighting over the 20 percent of time professors spend on service.
The debate has centered squarely on teaching and research.
The term "research" conjures images of professors in white coats playing with beakers, but for most scholars it means publishing books or articles in academic journals.
Ideally, these writings illuminate new knowledge in the field, whether a theory about the origins of hominids or consumer behavior in modern Latin America.
But in the opinion of the change-seekers — and more quietly, some within the ranks of academia - much of this scholarly output is of questionable worth.
"I would say that 90 percent of it is a waste," said J. Ronald Carey, professor emeritus of marketing at Our Lady of the Lake University. "I am hesitant to call it research."
Carey received his doctorate from UT-Austin and taught at George Washington University, which has high research activity, before taking a job at the Pentagon and later at OLLU in San Antonio. For Carey and his colleagues, "research" was issuing questionnaires to sophomores and spinning their answers into multiple publications.
"We would get the data and say, 'How many line items do you think we can get out of this?' " he said.
Playing the research game has its benefits, Carey said.
"The people producing research have lower class sizes, more favorable schedules and they get teaching assistants," he noted. "And if they are doing really well, they get offers from other schools and can lobby for higher pay. Teachers do not have that leverage."
Few would argue with the premise that research is critical for promotion, but many disagree that most of it is fireplace fodder.
"No one thought the double helix would have any practical value," said William Powers, president of UT-Austin. "The value is not always recognizable at the time. It's a little like your stock portfolio; you don't know what the winners and losers are going to be."
Defending 'soft research'
Research, especially in the sciences, is also a huge enterprise for Texas institutions, generating nearly $1.7 billion annually. A portion goes directly to the university to cover overhead, fund laboratory infrastructure, pay faculty salaries and support fellowships for graduate students.
But few are picking on research that can be measured in dollars. It's the ones that can't be measured that troubles some.
Academics defend so-called "soft research," saying it advances knowledge. The act of getting out in the field, reading new material, attending conferences and exchanging ideas helps professors keep curriculum fresh and up-to-date, to the benefit of students.
"It is very easy to teach the same thing over and over," said Renee Rubin, a professor of education who retired this year from UT- Brownsville. "I would not want to see the research component go."
However, Rubin said she would welcome more flexibility about what counts as research.
UTB is primarily a teaching institution, yet her bosses raised the bar on publications in recent years, expecting two or more a year from professors who teach four classes per semester.
"Personally, I am more of a teacher. That is why I went into it," Rubin said.
In the University of Texas System, regents require an average faculty teaching load of three classes per semester, but that doesn't mean every professor teaches exactly three.
A scientist at a Tier One research institution - especially if backed by a large grant - may not teach at all, while a professor such as Rubin may teach four courses and do a little scholarly work. However, that scientist may supervise a dozen master's degree and doctoral students in a lab, a task that's hard to separate from "teaching."
Averaged across the UT System from 2007 to 2010, faculty members exceeded the minimum, spending from 29 to 39 actual weekly clock hours on instruction, including grading papers and preparing for class, according to the system's records.
Solutions spelled out
Critics still complain, however, that tenured and tenure-track professors prefer small, upper-level seminars, leaving the grunt work of teaching broad introductory classes to instructors, adjuncts and teaching assistants.
Statewide, 65 percent of full-time equivalent faculty were tenured or tenure-track in 2010, yet they taught only 39 percent of lower division credit hours, according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
That isn't how it should be, according to Naomi Schaefer Riley, a former editor at the Wall Street Journal and author of The Faculty Lounges … And Other Reasons Why You Won't Get the College Education You Pay For.
"You want the most experienced teachers in front of the introductory classes because that is where it is hardest to engage students," Riley said.
The ideas are spelled out in Seven Breakthrough Solutions, written by Sandefer, promoted by TPPF and embraced by Perry.
Emails obtained through open records laws show that Perry and Sandefer have been leaning on university regents to implement the solutions since 2008, when they were introduced at an Austin summit.
Bonuses panned, dropped
The Texas A&M University System implemented the teaching bonuses, but they were panned by faculty at the flagship campus as a popularity contest. Research has shown that evaluations correlate closely with the grade students received in the class, and most administrators also rely on peer review when evaluating a professor's teaching skills.
Last week, the new interim A&M chancellor discontinued the teaching awards.
UT-Austin has taken a more targeted approach to the problem.
To give freshmen and sophomores more contact with senior faculty, UT has created seminar classes and research opportunities for those students.
Also, many large introductory courses are being redesigned to promote more active learning and improve success rates.
"These reforms have been going on for the last five years. Our faculty are behind (them)," Powers said.
Houston ISD's Teach for America teachers stronger in some test areas, weaker in reading, than counterparts: Study
By Lynn Walsh | Texas Watchdog
Monday, Jul 11, 2011
Teachers from the nonprofit “Teach for America” program leave the Houston Independent School District at higher rates than their non-TFA counterparts, and their students’ performance record is mixed when compared to their counterparts, a district study shows.
While TFA teachers make up twice the share of HISD’s new teachers than they did a few years ago -- nearly 1 in 3 new HISD teachers was a TFA’er in 2009-10, the study says -- the TFA teachers are also leaving at faster rates than their counterparts, the internal study found.
“Forty-four percent of the 2005−2006 non-TFA new hires returned to HISD in 2010−2011 for their sixth year of service in HISD, while only 9 percent of the 2005−2006 TFA new hires returned to the district in October 2010,” the report says.
At the same time, however, for the first time in five years, retention rates for TFA teachers was greater than non-TFA teachers for those beginning their second year of teaching in HISD.
HISD has hired more than 600 teachers from TFA, a national education nonprofit that helps urban and rural school districts meet their teaching needs, in the last five years.
The hiring of TFA teachers by HISD has increased 15% since 2005, while the overall number of new-teacher hires in the district has decreased during that same time period, the March memorandum shows.
Students taught by TFA teachers in 2009 and 2010 performed better on the state Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test in both math and writing than those taught by non-TFA members, the memo says. In 2010, students taught by TFA teachers also scored better on state tests in science and social studies.
The report goes on to say that in 2009, “the difference was not significant … Both groups had comparable passing rates on the reading and science tests.” The report says the difference between the scores of students taught by TFA teachers and non-TFA teachers earned in 2010 was “statistically significant” in math, science and social studies, with students taught by TFA teachers performing better.
However, in reading, students taught by non-TFA teachers performed better, a difference that was “significant,” the report says.
The findings of the study aren't “surprising or alarming” based on what TFA aims to do, HISD spokesman Jason Spencer said in an e-mail. He also said it is “not surprising that TFA teachers outperform non-TFA teachers in some areas and that non-TFA teachers do better in other areas. This is why HISD is committed to staffing schools with a mix of great teachers of various backgrounds and experience levels.”
This month HISD trustees approved $600,000 to be used next school year for the district’s Teach for America program.
The partnership between HISD and TFA began in 1991 and in recent years has expanded to include more teachers, including a push for math teachers to work in the schools in the district’s turnaround program, called Apollo 20.
Local and state leaders have questioned the benefits and cost of the program while others sing the organization’s praises. A recent state study on the Texas investment into the program showed similar results to HISD’s: TFA teachers leave earlier but show better student achievement results in math.
Monday, Jul 11, 2011
Teachers from the nonprofit “Teach for America” program leave the Houston Independent School District at higher rates than their non-TFA counterparts, and their students’ performance record is mixed when compared to their counterparts, a district study shows.
While TFA teachers make up twice the share of HISD’s new teachers than they did a few years ago -- nearly 1 in 3 new HISD teachers was a TFA’er in 2009-10, the study says -- the TFA teachers are also leaving at faster rates than their counterparts, the internal study found.
“Forty-four percent of the 2005−2006 non-TFA new hires returned to HISD in 2010−2011 for their sixth year of service in HISD, while only 9 percent of the 2005−2006 TFA new hires returned to the district in October 2010,” the report says.
At the same time, however, for the first time in five years, retention rates for TFA teachers was greater than non-TFA teachers for those beginning their second year of teaching in HISD.
HISD has hired more than 600 teachers from TFA, a national education nonprofit that helps urban and rural school districts meet their teaching needs, in the last five years.
The hiring of TFA teachers by HISD has increased 15% since 2005, while the overall number of new-teacher hires in the district has decreased during that same time period, the March memorandum shows.
Students taught by TFA teachers in 2009 and 2010 performed better on the state Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills test in both math and writing than those taught by non-TFA members, the memo says. In 2010, students taught by TFA teachers also scored better on state tests in science and social studies.
The report goes on to say that in 2009, “the difference was not significant … Both groups had comparable passing rates on the reading and science tests.” The report says the difference between the scores of students taught by TFA teachers and non-TFA teachers earned in 2010 was “statistically significant” in math, science and social studies, with students taught by TFA teachers performing better.
However, in reading, students taught by non-TFA teachers performed better, a difference that was “significant,” the report says.
The findings of the study aren't “surprising or alarming” based on what TFA aims to do, HISD spokesman Jason Spencer said in an e-mail. He also said it is “not surprising that TFA teachers outperform non-TFA teachers in some areas and that non-TFA teachers do better in other areas. This is why HISD is committed to staffing schools with a mix of great teachers of various backgrounds and experience levels.”
This month HISD trustees approved $600,000 to be used next school year for the district’s Teach for America program.
The partnership between HISD and TFA began in 1991 and in recent years has expanded to include more teachers, including a push for math teachers to work in the schools in the district’s turnaround program, called Apollo 20.
Local and state leaders have questioned the benefits and cost of the program while others sing the organization’s praises. A recent state study on the Texas investment into the program showed similar results to HISD’s: TFA teachers leave earlier but show better student achievement results in math.
STAAR Rollout May Bring More Duties for Counselors
by Morgan Smith | Texas Tribune
July 11, 2011
In the fall, the anticipated consequences of a $4 billion reduction in state financing to school districts will begin to become apparent to Texas students and their parents: fewer teachers, bigger classes and sparse extracurricular programs.
For some, though, the most drastic change will come in the spring, when the state’s approximately 350,000 new ninth graders will be the first to take the end-of-course exams that are part of the new standardized testing system known as STARR, the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness.
The new assessment program, which is so complex that the superintendent of the Perrin-Whitt school district nicknamed it the Franken-STAAR, was established during the 2009 legislative session. Some educators welcome the program, a significant overhaul of the current system, but others view it with trepidation.
Outside the classroom, the burden of rolling out the new exams will fall primarily on counselors, who help students meet graduation requirements, and on curriculum specialists, who make sure what students are being taught matches with what they are being tested on. Some districts also employ testing coordinators, who handle scheduling and the actual administration of the exams.
But predicting reduced state aid, many districts have already eliminated many nonclassroom positions for the coming school year. That means remaining employees will have far more responsibilities, a particular concern for school counselors, who have long worked to define their role as separate from that of testing coordinators.
“With finances like they are, there’s not going to be extra people to help,” said Sherry Sunderman, the coordinator of guidance and counseling at Conroe Independent School District in Montgomery County, north of Houston.
Many counselors worry they will be given more duties on the testing side and that instead of advising students, their jobs will become “more clerical,” said Sylvia Lopez, the director of Dallas ISD’s counseling services. Resources traditionally devoted to counseling students on career and college plans may now be used to explain and administer the new testing system, which includes complicated new graduation requirements.
Counselors “are going to have to be really monitoring students’ graduation programs to make sure they are taking the right courses and passing the right exams,” said Casey McCreary, an assistant executive director at the Texas Association of School Administrators who advises districts on accountability issues.
Students adjusting to the new exams face a “triple jeopardy,” McCreary said. With STAAR, high school students will have to perform better on harder tests and take more of them. Under the current system, standardized tests do not count toward final grades, and students must pass four exit-level exams to graduate. Now, for the first time, students will have to achieve a cumulative score across 12 end-of-course exams to graduate. And their scores on the exams will count toward 15 percent of their final grade, with the option to retake the exam three times if they do not pass. (They are required to retake it if they do not achieve a certain minimum score.)
That could have students playing a game of risk with their scores — opting not to retake one test with the hope of scoring higher on a future one. Setting up a process to guide students through these decisions, one that involves parents and a “team effort” between curriculum specialists and counselors, is crucial in preparing for the new tests, said Sara McAndrew, the executive director of curriculum and instruction at Northside ISD, the state’s fourth-largest district, in San Antonio.
As the new school year draws closer, McAndrew said, schools are still missing details about how the rollout will work. Though the Texas Education Agency will unveil sample questions in August, it will not publicly release full-length primary test forms until 2014. “We are still a little in the dark about exactly what these tests are going to look like,” she said.
Lopez said she also has questions about the new system, like “who is going to keep track of the kids and where they are and how many exams they’ve taken.”
But she said that she expected growing pains. “Anytime there is a change like this, there is going to be a struggle,” Lopez said. “There is always a transitional period. STAAR is going to be a lot more rigorous, but hopefully this will help our kids.”
Monday, July 04, 2011
Attacking the Cost of College, From the Outside
In response to this article, check out this March 2011 article from the Daily Texan, "Program to redesign entry-level courses" that shows some of the teaching and curricular efforts UT is making. It parallels with what Dr. Ritter mentions below.
-Patricia
by Reeve Hamilton | Texas Tribune
July 4, 2011
If there was a theme to the just-concluded 82nd legislative session it was do more with less, and Rep. Dan Branch, Dallas Republican and chairman of the House Higher Education Committee, embraced it by attacking the cost of college from multiple angles. He pushed through legislation to try to lower what students spend on textbooks and to encourage that undergraduate students file — and stick to — degree plans.
Four miles away, on the second floor of a South Austin office building, Michael Crosno is working on the same issues by applying pressure from the outside. He is not a policy wonk. He is a businessman who has built and sold a string of successful software companies.
Not long ago, Crosno, 59, thought he would make the move into the education arena as a college instructor in business. But he did not have the influence he had hoped he would have.
“What I learned through teaching and being associated with educational institutions,” he said, “is you need more. A bunch of good teachers is wonderful, but it’s not going to solve the problems in higher ed.”
Crosno’s newest venture could make him a national player in efforts to reduce the time it takes a student to graduate — perhaps the most effective cost-savings method there is. Slightly more than half of all college students nationally graduate — if they graduate at all — in six years, not four.
“That’s one statistic that just drove me bozo,” Crosno said. “My goal is very simple: get more kids to go to college.”
In 2008, Crosno teamed with Chris Chilek and John Cunningham, two Texas A&M University graduates running Pick- a-Prof, a Web site best known for allowing students to rate their professors. The following year, the company was rebranded MyEdu, and its mission became more comprehensive.
“Just rating a professor is meaningless to me,” Crosno said. “It’s not going to help my daughter graduate. At the end of the day, what’s really important is how do you balance semester by semester, course by course, the workload over four or five years.”
The company’s revamped site still allows for professor ratings, but students can also customize a degree plan that matches their desired workload in each semester and, if they choose, can help them devise the quickest path to graduation. The company, which was recently featured in a United States Chamber of Commerce re- port on the future of higher education, claims that 70 percent of users graduate on time, nearly double the national average.
MyEdu now includes 775 colleges and universities, up from about 60 when Crosno joined. In the first five months of this year, he said, the site logged about 2.5 million users.
MyEdu also lets students compare textbook costs. Part of the money from sales made through the site comes back to the company, one revenue stream alongside contextual advertising and sponsored content. Crosno said early efforts to charge for MyEdu services fell flat.
But he is not convinced that shaving textbook costs will create the most meaningful savings for a student. For example, he said, more savings can be gained by taking advanced placement classes to reduce the courses that need to be taken on a degree plan.
The Austin office includes dozens of computer-science-minded 20-somethings engaged in constant, widespread data collection. Crosno said that of about 60 staff members, half focused on data collection — by scraping in- formation from public Web sites, submitting open-records re- quests, perusing course catalogs and gathering student comments — and the other half focused on turning that data into user- friendly applications.
“It’s a gold mine of data,” said Margaret Spellings, a former United States secretary of education, who is considering a formal business relationship with MyEdu.
“I don’t think Michael even knows what a powerful policy tool that thing can be, not only for consumers but for policy makers and for institutions themselves.” Spellings said.
About a year ago, Gretchen Ritter, a vice provost at the University of Texas at Austin, suggested to the registrar’s office that it pay attention to MyEdu with the hope of imitating some of its services. The university is currently revising its degree audit system, and Ritter hopes to include degree-planning features in the final product.
MyEdu “tells us where there is a felt need by our students for help or services,” she said.
She would not rule out using outside vendors, but said, “Most large universities tend to have a culture of ‘grow your own,’ when it comes to technology tools.”
Ritter said such technology could let advisers, swamped with students as enrollments increase and funding decreases, devote less time to paperwork and more to working with students on a developmental level.
Crosno said he anticipated that with resources likely to re- main scarce, public universities would be looking for more out- side partners. He also said he believes that the pressure from out- side private technology companies will have a more vivid impact on cost reduction than will legislation.
“Show me an industry where technology has not disrupted or made it more efficient,” he said, “and I’ll show you an archaic industry.”
-Patricia
by Reeve Hamilton | Texas Tribune
July 4, 2011
If there was a theme to the just-concluded 82nd legislative session it was do more with less, and Rep. Dan Branch, Dallas Republican and chairman of the House Higher Education Committee, embraced it by attacking the cost of college from multiple angles. He pushed through legislation to try to lower what students spend on textbooks and to encourage that undergraduate students file — and stick to — degree plans.
Four miles away, on the second floor of a South Austin office building, Michael Crosno is working on the same issues by applying pressure from the outside. He is not a policy wonk. He is a businessman who has built and sold a string of successful software companies.
Not long ago, Crosno, 59, thought he would make the move into the education arena as a college instructor in business. But he did not have the influence he had hoped he would have.
“What I learned through teaching and being associated with educational institutions,” he said, “is you need more. A bunch of good teachers is wonderful, but it’s not going to solve the problems in higher ed.”
Crosno’s newest venture could make him a national player in efforts to reduce the time it takes a student to graduate — perhaps the most effective cost-savings method there is. Slightly more than half of all college students nationally graduate — if they graduate at all — in six years, not four.
“That’s one statistic that just drove me bozo,” Crosno said. “My goal is very simple: get more kids to go to college.”
In 2008, Crosno teamed with Chris Chilek and John Cunningham, two Texas A&M University graduates running Pick- a-Prof, a Web site best known for allowing students to rate their professors. The following year, the company was rebranded MyEdu, and its mission became more comprehensive.
“Just rating a professor is meaningless to me,” Crosno said. “It’s not going to help my daughter graduate. At the end of the day, what’s really important is how do you balance semester by semester, course by course, the workload over four or five years.”
The company’s revamped site still allows for professor ratings, but students can also customize a degree plan that matches their desired workload in each semester and, if they choose, can help them devise the quickest path to graduation. The company, which was recently featured in a United States Chamber of Commerce re- port on the future of higher education, claims that 70 percent of users graduate on time, nearly double the national average.
MyEdu now includes 775 colleges and universities, up from about 60 when Crosno joined. In the first five months of this year, he said, the site logged about 2.5 million users.
MyEdu also lets students compare textbook costs. Part of the money from sales made through the site comes back to the company, one revenue stream alongside contextual advertising and sponsored content. Crosno said early efforts to charge for MyEdu services fell flat.
But he is not convinced that shaving textbook costs will create the most meaningful savings for a student. For example, he said, more savings can be gained by taking advanced placement classes to reduce the courses that need to be taken on a degree plan.
The Austin office includes dozens of computer-science-minded 20-somethings engaged in constant, widespread data collection. Crosno said that of about 60 staff members, half focused on data collection — by scraping in- formation from public Web sites, submitting open-records re- quests, perusing course catalogs and gathering student comments — and the other half focused on turning that data into user- friendly applications.
“It’s a gold mine of data,” said Margaret Spellings, a former United States secretary of education, who is considering a formal business relationship with MyEdu.
“I don’t think Michael even knows what a powerful policy tool that thing can be, not only for consumers but for policy makers and for institutions themselves.” Spellings said.
About a year ago, Gretchen Ritter, a vice provost at the University of Texas at Austin, suggested to the registrar’s office that it pay attention to MyEdu with the hope of imitating some of its services. The university is currently revising its degree audit system, and Ritter hopes to include degree-planning features in the final product.
MyEdu “tells us where there is a felt need by our students for help or services,” she said.
She would not rule out using outside vendors, but said, “Most large universities tend to have a culture of ‘grow your own,’ when it comes to technology tools.”
Ritter said such technology could let advisers, swamped with students as enrollments increase and funding decreases, devote less time to paperwork and more to working with students on a developmental level.
Crosno said he anticipated that with resources likely to re- main scarce, public universities would be looking for more out- side partners. He also said he believes that the pressure from out- side private technology companies will have a more vivid impact on cost reduction than will legislation.
“Show me an industry where technology has not disrupted or made it more efficient,” he said, “and I’ll show you an archaic industry.”
Friday, June 24, 2011
The Spanish/Tejano Contribution to the American Revolution
The Spanish/Tejano Contribution to the American Revolution
The 4th of July and why we should celebrate
by
Dan Arellano
Author/Historian
In all of the wars that this great country has been involved in Americans of Mexican/Spanish descent have always been amongst the first to fight, the most to die, the last to leave but unfortunately the ones least appreciated. With all of the anti-Hispanic hate legislation being passed across the country it is more important now than ever to remind others of the contributions of our ancestors to the development of this country. After WWII it was Senator Dennis Chavez from New Mexico that describes our plight best of all “When we march off to war we are Americans, but upon our return we are merely Mexicans.”
In 1779 General George Washington sends a courier with a letter to the then Governor of Spanish Louisiana, Bernardo de Galvez requesting aid and assistance in fighting the British. A voluntary contribution was collected from the Tejano citizens of Texas which we believe to have been approximately 10,000 pesos. Galvez also orders that cattle be rounded up and driven north to feed the armies of George Washington. 100 years before the famous Goodnight and Chisholm Trails Tejano Vaqueros, Tejano Rancheros and Mission Indians were driving cattle up El Camino Real all the way to Louisiana and continuing further north. Many of these vaqueros were to remain and fight against the British in the army of Don Bernardo de Galvez. Galvez, of which Galveston Texas and Galveston Bay are named after, was successful in defeating the British in key battles including the Battle of New Orleans, Pensacola and Mobile Alabama. Don Bernardo was successful in preventing access to the Mississippi River thus preventing the British the use of the river to supply their troops
Many Americans believe that they alone were responsible for the defeat of the British during the War of Independence, but that is not so. While Bernardo de Galvez was planning his assault on Pensacola word is received on April 18, 1781 that his father Don Matias de Galvez Captain General of Guatemala had received the surrender of all British forces in Honduras. These forces were prevented from joining the British armies already in America. Don Jose de Galvez Field Marshal of the Spanish Army and later Visitor General of New Spain had commissioned his brother Don Matias to engage and defeat all British forces from the area of the Gulf of Honduras, which he executed with a splendid military victory. Although he did not participate in the war against the British, Antonio Miguel Joaquin de Galvez rose to the rank of Military Commander to the port of Cadiz and oversaw the shipment of supplies and aid to the American colonists
There were other Spaniards that contributed to the American Revolution but I believe there was no other family that contributed more than the Galvez family, especially Don Bernardo de Galvez.
Ref: Bernardo de Galvez Spanish Hero of the American Revolution by G. Roland Vela Muzquiz
Acacia Press 2006
The 4th of July and why we should celebrate
by
Dan Arellano
Author/Historian
In all of the wars that this great country has been involved in Americans of Mexican/Spanish descent have always been amongst the first to fight, the most to die, the last to leave but unfortunately the ones least appreciated. With all of the anti-Hispanic hate legislation being passed across the country it is more important now than ever to remind others of the contributions of our ancestors to the development of this country. After WWII it was Senator Dennis Chavez from New Mexico that describes our plight best of all “When we march off to war we are Americans, but upon our return we are merely Mexicans.”
In 1779 General George Washington sends a courier with a letter to the then Governor of Spanish Louisiana, Bernardo de Galvez requesting aid and assistance in fighting the British. A voluntary contribution was collected from the Tejano citizens of Texas which we believe to have been approximately 10,000 pesos. Galvez also orders that cattle be rounded up and driven north to feed the armies of George Washington. 100 years before the famous Goodnight and Chisholm Trails Tejano Vaqueros, Tejano Rancheros and Mission Indians were driving cattle up El Camino Real all the way to Louisiana and continuing further north. Many of these vaqueros were to remain and fight against the British in the army of Don Bernardo de Galvez. Galvez, of which Galveston Texas and Galveston Bay are named after, was successful in defeating the British in key battles including the Battle of New Orleans, Pensacola and Mobile Alabama. Don Bernardo was successful in preventing access to the Mississippi River thus preventing the British the use of the river to supply their troops
Many Americans believe that they alone were responsible for the defeat of the British during the War of Independence, but that is not so. While Bernardo de Galvez was planning his assault on Pensacola word is received on April 18, 1781 that his father Don Matias de Galvez Captain General of Guatemala had received the surrender of all British forces in Honduras. These forces were prevented from joining the British armies already in America. Don Jose de Galvez Field Marshal of the Spanish Army and later Visitor General of New Spain had commissioned his brother Don Matias to engage and defeat all British forces from the area of the Gulf of Honduras, which he executed with a splendid military victory. Although he did not participate in the war against the British, Antonio Miguel Joaquin de Galvez rose to the rank of Military Commander to the port of Cadiz and oversaw the shipment of supplies and aid to the American colonists
There were other Spaniards that contributed to the American Revolution but I believe there was no other family that contributed more than the Galvez family, especially Don Bernardo de Galvez.
Ref: Bernardo de Galvez Spanish Hero of the American Revolution by G. Roland Vela Muzquiz
Acacia Press 2006
SPANISH COLONIALS LOST AGAIN IN CENSUS REPORT
Fascinating re-counting of the racial categorization system that the Spanish brought to our continent by Dr. Richard Santos.
Angela
SPANISH COLONIALS LOST AGAIN IN CENSUS REPORT
BY
Richard G. Santos
richardgsantos@yahoo.com
The U. S. Census bureau report of the self-reported Latinos in the nation is most interesting. The state with the highest number is California with over three million accounted for. Texas is second with over 2.7 million registered. Florida came in third with over 1.5 million Latinos. Combative Arizona where it is not safe to be a Latino reported more than 599,500. New York State has the fifth largest Latino population at more than 549,300. Illinois reported at sixth place with more than 497,300. Small New Jersey surprisingly came in at seventh place with more than 437,900. Eight place went to anti-immigrant Georgia with more than 418,400. Colorado reported over 303,100 and tenth state as New Mexico with over 188,100.
As impressive as the numbers may seem, there are problems with the report. First, not all Latinos, whether legal or not, self registered by not filling out and returning the Census form. No matter how much they were assured that they would not be reported to La Migra, most illegal immigrants refused self register. Second, how many Black Latinos (first to fourth generation) did not identify themselves as Latinos? Due to stereotyping and racism, countless third and fourth Black Latinos are identified, or identify themselves, as Black and not Latino. Third, how many Latinos with non-Hispanic surnames identified themselves or are identified as Latinos? In this regard please consider the descendants of the Spanish colonial families of Louisiana, Georgia and Florida. Some have preserved the Hispanic surname but not the cultural/ethnic identity. The same applies to the descendants of the Spanish Colonial families of Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and
California.
In this regard it is best to first clarify who were the Spanish Colonial families who settled Texas pre 1836 and the Southwest pre 1848. The Spanish Catholic Church and Spanish Colonial government identified and classified people at baptism within 28 castas (genealogical background). Due to the worldwide nature of the Spanish Empire, Spanish citizens in the New World were mainly European born, or born on the American Continent. The top five socially and politically identified castas were (1) European born (2) Europeans born on the American Continent, (3) Native American, (4) Black and (5) Asian. The children and descendants of the mixture of the first five categories composed the remaining 23 castas.
The European born, if native to Spain or Portugal were called peninsular . If born in Spanish states outside the peninsular such as Italy, Greece, Sicily, Genoa, Rhodes or the Netherlands, they were commonly called Gachupin . Moreover, if a Spanish citizen did not speak Spanish he/she was called a gringo/gringa. If of French background he/she was called a bolillo/bolilla or gabacho/gabacha . A person of European stock born in the New World without Native American, Black or Asian mix was called an espanol or criollo. The European born Spanish citizens held all top political, military and religious positions from Viceroy to Governors, Generals and Archbishops. The American Continent born espanoles/criollos held the secondary positions including Lieutenant Governors, Colonels, mayors, council members, clerks, majordomos and priests.
Socially, the third class was composed of the mestizos and castizos who were the product of the union of European and Native American parents. Originally, a mestizo had a European father and a Native American mother. The castizo was the product of a European mother and Native American father. In time the term castizo was dropped and mestizo was universally used to identify a person of European and Native American parentage.
Ironically, the Native Americans composed the fourth social class. They fell into three categories. First the “ gente de razon ” (people of reason) who had been culturally assimilated into the Spanish American culture. They were Spanish speaking Roman Catholics who dressed like the Spaniards and were relied upon as colonists, militiamen, and management level labor. The second Native American social category were the mission or converted Native Americans. One step removed from becoming gente de razon , they were the farmers, cowboys, sheep herders, masons, carpenters, and usually the Spanish-Native American Language bilingual manual labor class. It is interesting to note based on the actas de fundacion of the villages of New Mexico, that many of the Native American slaves bought or traded by the Manitos from the Plains Indians were able to socially move upward and called jenizaros as the equivalent of being gente de razon . Hence by the end of the
Spanish Colonial period the jenizaros of New Mexico were settlers of townships, farmers, ranchers, sheep herders and holders of Spanish land grants.
The fourth social category were the Blacks. They also fell into three sub-groups. The African slaves were bought, sold, bartered and traded in the lucrative slave industry. Black slaves could gain their freedom when the “owner” set them free or when the slave was able to pay his purchase and maintenance cost (very rarely). The third level closely associated with the second just mentioned were the mulattoes. Like the children of Thomas Jefferson and Sally, they were the product of a European father and Black mother.
The Asians composed the fifth social class and unfortunately, they have not been properly studied. Associated with the Manila Galleons trade that sailed from Acapulco to the Philippine Islands, China, Japan, and South America they are mentioned in passing as wives, domestics and maritime labor. However, the chinas and chinitas are mentioned in folklore, music, literature and the unknown Chinese lady of Puebla, Mexico is renowned as La China Poblana. Moreover, in Southern Mexico chinita is a term of endearment as is “mi negra” in La Provincia and El Bajio of north central Mexico.
The afore described top five social, political, religious and military categories of the Spanish North American Colonial period existed in the areas now called Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona California and Puerto Rico. They were the original settlers, colonists absorbed through political treaties into the United States. Many still reside in the land of their ancestors but are lost in the generic Latino – Hispanic census identification label. Que pena.
End ……………………………. End …………………………… end
Zavala County Sentinel ,,,,,,,, 22 – 23 June 2011
Angela
SPANISH COLONIALS LOST AGAIN IN CENSUS REPORT
BY
Richard G. Santos
richardgsantos@yahoo.com
The U. S. Census bureau report of the self-reported Latinos in the nation is most interesting. The state with the highest number is California with over three million accounted for. Texas is second with over 2.7 million registered. Florida came in third with over 1.5 million Latinos. Combative Arizona where it is not safe to be a Latino reported more than 599,500. New York State has the fifth largest Latino population at more than 549,300. Illinois reported at sixth place with more than 497,300. Small New Jersey surprisingly came in at seventh place with more than 437,900. Eight place went to anti-immigrant Georgia with more than 418,400. Colorado reported over 303,100 and tenth state as New Mexico with over 188,100.
As impressive as the numbers may seem, there are problems with the report. First, not all Latinos, whether legal or not, self registered by not filling out and returning the Census form. No matter how much they were assured that they would not be reported to La Migra, most illegal immigrants refused self register. Second, how many Black Latinos (first to fourth generation) did not identify themselves as Latinos? Due to stereotyping and racism, countless third and fourth Black Latinos are identified, or identify themselves, as Black and not Latino. Third, how many Latinos with non-Hispanic surnames identified themselves or are identified as Latinos? In this regard please consider the descendants of the Spanish colonial families of Louisiana, Georgia and Florida. Some have preserved the Hispanic surname but not the cultural/ethnic identity. The same applies to the descendants of the Spanish Colonial families of Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and
California.
In this regard it is best to first clarify who were the Spanish Colonial families who settled Texas pre 1836 and the Southwest pre 1848. The Spanish Catholic Church and Spanish Colonial government identified and classified people at baptism within 28 castas (genealogical background). Due to the worldwide nature of the Spanish Empire, Spanish citizens in the New World were mainly European born, or born on the American Continent. The top five socially and politically identified castas were (1) European born (2) Europeans born on the American Continent, (3) Native American, (4) Black and (5) Asian. The children and descendants of the mixture of the first five categories composed the remaining 23 castas.
The European born, if native to Spain or Portugal were called peninsular . If born in Spanish states outside the peninsular such as Italy, Greece, Sicily, Genoa, Rhodes or the Netherlands, they were commonly called Gachupin . Moreover, if a Spanish citizen did not speak Spanish he/she was called a gringo/gringa. If of French background he/she was called a bolillo/bolilla or gabacho/gabacha . A person of European stock born in the New World without Native American, Black or Asian mix was called an espanol or criollo. The European born Spanish citizens held all top political, military and religious positions from Viceroy to Governors, Generals and Archbishops. The American Continent born espanoles/criollos held the secondary positions including Lieutenant Governors, Colonels, mayors, council members, clerks, majordomos and priests.
Socially, the third class was composed of the mestizos and castizos who were the product of the union of European and Native American parents. Originally, a mestizo had a European father and a Native American mother. The castizo was the product of a European mother and Native American father. In time the term castizo was dropped and mestizo was universally used to identify a person of European and Native American parentage.
Ironically, the Native Americans composed the fourth social class. They fell into three categories. First the “ gente de razon ” (people of reason) who had been culturally assimilated into the Spanish American culture. They were Spanish speaking Roman Catholics who dressed like the Spaniards and were relied upon as colonists, militiamen, and management level labor. The second Native American social category were the mission or converted Native Americans. One step removed from becoming gente de razon , they were the farmers, cowboys, sheep herders, masons, carpenters, and usually the Spanish-Native American Language bilingual manual labor class. It is interesting to note based on the actas de fundacion of the villages of New Mexico, that many of the Native American slaves bought or traded by the Manitos from the Plains Indians were able to socially move upward and called jenizaros as the equivalent of being gente de razon . Hence by the end of the
Spanish Colonial period the jenizaros of New Mexico were settlers of townships, farmers, ranchers, sheep herders and holders of Spanish land grants.
The fourth social category were the Blacks. They also fell into three sub-groups. The African slaves were bought, sold, bartered and traded in the lucrative slave industry. Black slaves could gain their freedom when the “owner” set them free or when the slave was able to pay his purchase and maintenance cost (very rarely). The third level closely associated with the second just mentioned were the mulattoes. Like the children of Thomas Jefferson and Sally, they were the product of a European father and Black mother.
The Asians composed the fifth social class and unfortunately, they have not been properly studied. Associated with the Manila Galleons trade that sailed from Acapulco to the Philippine Islands, China, Japan, and South America they are mentioned in passing as wives, domestics and maritime labor. However, the chinas and chinitas are mentioned in folklore, music, literature and the unknown Chinese lady of Puebla, Mexico is renowned as La China Poblana. Moreover, in Southern Mexico chinita is a term of endearment as is “mi negra” in La Provincia and El Bajio of north central Mexico.
The afore described top five social, political, religious and military categories of the Spanish North American Colonial period existed in the areas now called Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona California and Puerto Rico. They were the original settlers, colonists absorbed through political treaties into the United States. Many still reside in the land of their ancestors but are lost in the generic Latino – Hispanic census identification label. Que pena.
End ……………………………. End …………………………… end
Zavala County Sentinel ,,,,,,,, 22 – 23 June 2011
U.S. Education Secretary Duncan Challenges Nation to Work Together to Make Hispanic Educational Excellence a Priority
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2011
CONTACTS: Toby Chaudhuri at toby.chaudhuri@ed.gov or Ida Kelley at Ida. Kelley@ed.gov
U.S. EDUCATION SECRETARY DUNCAN CHALLENGES NATION TO WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE HISPANIC EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE A PRIORITY
New Report on Comprehensive National and State Performance Data Shows Hispanic-White Achievement Gap Unchanged Over Last Two Decades
WASHINGTON – U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan today urged parents, educators and school leaders at every level of government to make Hispanic educational excellence a national priority. Secretary Duncan’s challenge follows the release of a sobering new report on the Hispanic achievement gap by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the U.S. Department of Education’s statistical center.
Mathematics and reading scores for Hispanic students have increased over time, but the gap between Hispanic students and their white counterparts on the National Assessment of Educational Progress has not changed since the 1990s, according to the comprehensive report by NCES. Over the same period, the gap between non-limited English proficient Hispanic students and their white peers narrowed.
In the knowledge economy, Secretary Duncan said it is more vital than ever that every child in America be able to go as far as his or her potential, talent and energy will allow.
“Race and ethnicity shouldn’t be factors in the success of any child in America,” said Secretary Duncan. “Hispanic students are the largest minority group in our nation’s schools. But they face grave educational challenges that are hindering their ability to pursue the American dream. We must expand their educational opportunities at every level of the P–12 system to compete with the rest of the world.”
Expanding opportunities is crucial to reaching the Obama Administration’s goal of having the world’s highest share of college graduates by 2020. “We cannot achieve the 2020 goal without challenging every level of government to make the educational success of Latinos a top priority,” said Secretary Duncan. “America’s future depends on it.”
Juan Sepúlveda, the director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, noted that the Obama Administration is working in partnership with communities across the country.
“Low Hispanic educational attainment levels aren’t just a problem for the Latino community. Every American has a stake in this,” said Sepúlveda. “We’ve brought major organizations and key people from inside and outside the education system together to tackle this challenge. We’re focused on advancing and accelerating achievement, access and attainment for Hispanic students so they’re ready for college and a career and to compete globally.”
At the national level, the achievement gaps between Hispanic and white students at grades 4 and 8 in mathematics and reading are about 20 points on the NAEP scale, according to the NCES report. California and Connecticut each had a Hispanic-white gap larger than that of the nation for grades 4 and 8 in mathematics and for grade 4 in reading, while Department of Defense Education Activity schools, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri and Wyoming had smaller gaps than those of the nation for both reading and mathematics at grades 4 and 8.
# # #
**NOTE: An electronic copy of the full NCES achievement gap report is available at http://go.usa.gov/W6E.**
STATE-BY-STATE ACHIEVEMENT GAPS
Hispanic-white achievement score gap in mathematics and reading for public school students, by state (2009), from the National Center for Education Statistics’ June 2011 report
[STATE, NAEP gap in Mathematics Grade 4, Mathematics Grade 8, Reading Grade 4, Reading Grade 8]
--NATIONAL PUBLIC, 21, 26, 25, 24
--ALABAMA, 17, 20, 25, 19
--ALASKA, 17, 18*, 11*, 9*
--ARIZONA, 23, 26, 27, 24
--ARKANSAS, 12, 15*, 22, 17
--CALIFORNIA, 28*, 33*, 31*, 28
--COLORADO, 23, 32*, 32*, 24
--CONNECTICUT, 26*, 34*, 33*, 27
--DELAWARE, 18, 16*, 18*, 16
--DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, 43*, n/a, 49*, n/a
--DOD EDU ACTIVITY, 10*, 13*, 11*, 9*
--FLORIDA, 12*, 15*, 10*, 11*
--GEORGIA, 15*, 19*, 21, 14
--HAWAII, 17, 6*, 12*, 15
--IDAHO, 19, 28, 24, 28
--ILLINOIS, 21, 25, 28, 21
--INDIANA, 16, 18*, 24, 18
--IOWA, 22, 21, 16*, 18
--KANSAS, 18, 20, 19, 22
--KENTUCKY, 14*, 10*, 13*, 3*
--LOUISIANA, 10*, n/a, 13*, n/a
--MARYLAND, 17, 28, 15*, 20
--MASSACHUSETTS, 26*, 34, 30, 28
--MICHIGAN, 16, 17*, 19, 15
--MINNESOTA, 23, 31, 36*, 28
--MISSISSIPPI, n/a, n/a, 12, n/a
--MISSOURI, 8*, 6*, 12*, 10*
--MONTANA, 6*, 17, 9*, n/a
--NEBRASKA, 21, 29, 21, 19
--NEVADA, 19, 25, 23, 22
--NEW HAMPSHIRE, 18, 23, 13, 14
--NEW JERSEY, 24, 30, 24, 25
--NEW MEXICO, 21, 26, 22, 24
--NEW YORK, 17*, 32*, 22, 27
--NORTH CAROLINA, 18, 23, 26, 22
--OHIO, 16, 24, 15, 22
--OKLAHOMA, 12*, 19*, 16, 18
--OREGON, 21, 26, 27, 22
--PENNSYLVANIA, 22, 28, 31, 28
--RHODE ISLAND, 28*, 31*, 31, 26
--SOUTH CAROLINA, 13, 23, 22, 8*
--SOUTH DAKOTA, 13, 27, 11*, n/a
--TENNESSEE, 14, 12*, 22, 16
--TEXAS, 20, 24, 22, 22
--UTAH, 27*, 30, 31*, 24
--VIRGINIA, 17, 19*, 20, 16
--WASHINGTON, 20, 32*, 28, 24
--WISCONSIN, 22, 26, 25, 21
--WYOMING, 13*, 20*, 13*, 11*
* Difference (p<.05) is statistically significant from the national public schools scores when comparing the results of one state at a time to the national score.
**NOTE: Figures for Maine, North Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia and selected categories in other states (n/a) were not included because reporting standards were not met due to Hispanic student population size or because unrounded average scores were insufficient for comparison.**
THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2011
CONTACTS: Toby Chaudhuri at toby.chaudhuri@ed.gov or Ida Kelley at Ida. Kelley@ed.gov
U.S. EDUCATION SECRETARY DUNCAN CHALLENGES NATION TO WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE HISPANIC EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE A PRIORITY
New Report on Comprehensive National and State Performance Data Shows Hispanic-White Achievement Gap Unchanged Over Last Two Decades
WASHINGTON – U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan today urged parents, educators and school leaders at every level of government to make Hispanic educational excellence a national priority. Secretary Duncan’s challenge follows the release of a sobering new report on the Hispanic achievement gap by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the U.S. Department of Education’s statistical center.
Mathematics and reading scores for Hispanic students have increased over time, but the gap between Hispanic students and their white counterparts on the National Assessment of Educational Progress has not changed since the 1990s, according to the comprehensive report by NCES. Over the same period, the gap between non-limited English proficient Hispanic students and their white peers narrowed.
In the knowledge economy, Secretary Duncan said it is more vital than ever that every child in America be able to go as far as his or her potential, talent and energy will allow.
“Race and ethnicity shouldn’t be factors in the success of any child in America,” said Secretary Duncan. “Hispanic students are the largest minority group in our nation’s schools. But they face grave educational challenges that are hindering their ability to pursue the American dream. We must expand their educational opportunities at every level of the P–12 system to compete with the rest of the world.”
Expanding opportunities is crucial to reaching the Obama Administration’s goal of having the world’s highest share of college graduates by 2020. “We cannot achieve the 2020 goal without challenging every level of government to make the educational success of Latinos a top priority,” said Secretary Duncan. “America’s future depends on it.”
Juan Sepúlveda, the director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, noted that the Obama Administration is working in partnership with communities across the country.
“Low Hispanic educational attainment levels aren’t just a problem for the Latino community. Every American has a stake in this,” said Sepúlveda. “We’ve brought major organizations and key people from inside and outside the education system together to tackle this challenge. We’re focused on advancing and accelerating achievement, access and attainment for Hispanic students so they’re ready for college and a career and to compete globally.”
At the national level, the achievement gaps between Hispanic and white students at grades 4 and 8 in mathematics and reading are about 20 points on the NAEP scale, according to the NCES report. California and Connecticut each had a Hispanic-white gap larger than that of the nation for grades 4 and 8 in mathematics and for grade 4 in reading, while Department of Defense Education Activity schools, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri and Wyoming had smaller gaps than those of the nation for both reading and mathematics at grades 4 and 8.
# # #
**NOTE: An electronic copy of the full NCES achievement gap report is available at http://go.usa.gov/W6E.**
STATE-BY-STATE ACHIEVEMENT GAPS
Hispanic-white achievement score gap in mathematics and reading for public school students, by state (2009), from the National Center for Education Statistics’ June 2011 report
[STATE, NAEP gap in Mathematics Grade 4, Mathematics Grade 8, Reading Grade 4, Reading Grade 8]
--NATIONAL PUBLIC, 21, 26, 25, 24
--ALABAMA, 17, 20, 25, 19
--ALASKA, 17, 18*, 11*, 9*
--ARIZONA, 23, 26, 27, 24
--ARKANSAS, 12, 15*, 22, 17
--CALIFORNIA, 28*, 33*, 31*, 28
--COLORADO, 23, 32*, 32*, 24
--CONNECTICUT, 26*, 34*, 33*, 27
--DELAWARE, 18, 16*, 18*, 16
--DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, 43*, n/a, 49*, n/a
--DOD EDU ACTIVITY, 10*, 13*, 11*, 9*
--FLORIDA, 12*, 15*, 10*, 11*
--GEORGIA, 15*, 19*, 21, 14
--HAWAII, 17, 6*, 12*, 15
--IDAHO, 19, 28, 24, 28
--ILLINOIS, 21, 25, 28, 21
--INDIANA, 16, 18*, 24, 18
--IOWA, 22, 21, 16*, 18
--KANSAS, 18, 20, 19, 22
--KENTUCKY, 14*, 10*, 13*, 3*
--LOUISIANA, 10*, n/a, 13*, n/a
--MARYLAND, 17, 28, 15*, 20
--MASSACHUSETTS, 26*, 34, 30, 28
--MICHIGAN, 16, 17*, 19, 15
--MINNESOTA, 23, 31, 36*, 28
--MISSISSIPPI, n/a, n/a, 12, n/a
--MISSOURI, 8*, 6*, 12*, 10*
--MONTANA, 6*, 17, 9*, n/a
--NEBRASKA, 21, 29, 21, 19
--NEVADA, 19, 25, 23, 22
--NEW HAMPSHIRE, 18, 23, 13, 14
--NEW JERSEY, 24, 30, 24, 25
--NEW MEXICO, 21, 26, 22, 24
--NEW YORK, 17*, 32*, 22, 27
--NORTH CAROLINA, 18, 23, 26, 22
--OHIO, 16, 24, 15, 22
--OKLAHOMA, 12*, 19*, 16, 18
--OREGON, 21, 26, 27, 22
--PENNSYLVANIA, 22, 28, 31, 28
--RHODE ISLAND, 28*, 31*, 31, 26
--SOUTH CAROLINA, 13, 23, 22, 8*
--SOUTH DAKOTA, 13, 27, 11*, n/a
--TENNESSEE, 14, 12*, 22, 16
--TEXAS, 20, 24, 22, 22
--UTAH, 27*, 30, 31*, 24
--VIRGINIA, 17, 19*, 20, 16
--WASHINGTON, 20, 32*, 28, 24
--WISCONSIN, 22, 26, 25, 21
--WYOMING, 13*, 20*, 13*, 11*
* Difference (p<.05) is statistically significant from the national public schools scores when comparing the results of one state at a time to the national score.
**NOTE: Figures for Maine, North Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia and selected categories in other states (n/a) were not included because reporting standards were not met due to Hispanic student population size or because unrounded average scores were insufficient for comparison.**
Monday, June 20, 2011
IDRA Guiding Principles on Texas Bilingual Education
These recommendations are timeless and they underscore just how far off our current de-funding policies are headed--to the tune of $4Billion! That is, if school funding is jeopardizing the status of public education, generally, how much more severe will this impact our growing population of English language learners and truly, Texas' historically progressive goal of at least waging the political battles that align to these principles laid out by San Antonio's tried and true Intercultural Development Research Association headed by my dear friend and colleague Dr. Cuca Robledo Montecel.
-Angela
IDRA Guiding Principles on Texas Bilingual Education
Texas enrolls more than 800,000 students whose first language is not English and who, therefore, require specialized instruction to address their unique needs. Though there is some policy infrastructure to support the education of limited-English-proficient (LEP) elementary school students in Texas, additional improvements are needed, particularly as it relates to funding and requirements for services provided to secondary level English language learner (ELL) students. Texas must address the following.
Principle 1: All children should be provided all the resources needed to be successful in school, particularly ensuring access to equitable and excellent public schools accountable to their communities.
Principle 2: Federal courts (Lau vs. Nichols) and civil rights authorities (May 25th Office for Civil Rights) have ruled that providing the same (all-English) instruction to students with specialized needs is insufficient and thus is an inappropriate response for meeting the needs of ELL students, and that doing so violates equal protection requirements. Any new efforts must comply with the Lau provisions.
Principle 3: Research, including national analyses of best practices and state-level successful school studies, has established that LEP students require specialized instructional programs in order to have equal access to instruction and that bilingual education is the best means to ensure that equitable access to instruction is available for LEP students. Bilingual programs must be required at the state level and should never left as a local district option.
Principle 4: Texas bilingual education and English as a second language (ESL) policies for serving LEP students, though not perfect, provide the framework for delivering appropriate instruction to the state’s LEP students. ELL student performance levels at the secondary level, however, indicate that improvements to Texas’ secondary level ELL programs are critically needed. These secondary-level ELL program reforms include improved monitoring of ELL student identification and placement procedures and comprehensive staff development for all content area teachers who serve ELL students in their classrooms.
Principle 5: Lack of state education monitoring and oversight serves to undermine required implementation of bilingual education and ESL programs and supports inappropriate and/or total non-compliance with state and federal laws. Areas of concern include lack of compliance with LEP identification and placement procedures and lack of monitoring of program effectiveness, specifically at the school level.
Principle 6: Current Texas funding formulae for bilingual education and ESL program service delivery do not reflect actual costs for providing instructional services. In Texas and many other states, funding for LEP students is less than half of what research studies have indicated is needed to provide appropriate instructional programs; funding of LEP programs should be based on actual costs rather than arbitrary allocations.
Principle 7: Using funding weights as the mechanisms to deliver supplemental funding for LEP instruction is preferable to a fixed dollar amount approach. This mechanism provides automatic adjustments tied to any increases in regular program funding and eliminates the need to wage individual battles for increased funding for LEP instructional programs.
Principle 8: Other variations of bilingual instruction including late exit and dual language variations of bilingual education are permissible, as local option programs under existing state bilingual education and related dual language laws. However, existing programs required under state and federal mandates must be funded first, and any excess funding should be available to encourage second language proficiency among native English speaking students.
IDRA is an independent, private non-profit organization, directed by María Robledo Montecel, Ph.D., dedicated to strengthening public schools to work for all children. As a vanguard leadership development and research team for more than three decades, IDRA has worked with people to create self-renewing schools that value and empower all children, families and communities. IDRA conducts research and development activities, creates, implements and administers innovative education programs and provides teacher, administrator, and parent training and technical assistance.
-Angela
IDRA Guiding Principles on Texas Bilingual Education
Texas enrolls more than 800,000 students whose first language is not English and who, therefore, require specialized instruction to address their unique needs. Though there is some policy infrastructure to support the education of limited-English-proficient (LEP) elementary school students in Texas, additional improvements are needed, particularly as it relates to funding and requirements for services provided to secondary level English language learner (ELL) students. Texas must address the following.
Principle 1: All children should be provided all the resources needed to be successful in school, particularly ensuring access to equitable and excellent public schools accountable to their communities.
Principle 2: Federal courts (Lau vs. Nichols) and civil rights authorities (May 25th Office for Civil Rights) have ruled that providing the same (all-English) instruction to students with specialized needs is insufficient and thus is an inappropriate response for meeting the needs of ELL students, and that doing so violates equal protection requirements. Any new efforts must comply with the Lau provisions.
Principle 3: Research, including national analyses of best practices and state-level successful school studies, has established that LEP students require specialized instructional programs in order to have equal access to instruction and that bilingual education is the best means to ensure that equitable access to instruction is available for LEP students. Bilingual programs must be required at the state level and should never left as a local district option.
Principle 4: Texas bilingual education and English as a second language (ESL) policies for serving LEP students, though not perfect, provide the framework for delivering appropriate instruction to the state’s LEP students. ELL student performance levels at the secondary level, however, indicate that improvements to Texas’ secondary level ELL programs are critically needed. These secondary-level ELL program reforms include improved monitoring of ELL student identification and placement procedures and comprehensive staff development for all content area teachers who serve ELL students in their classrooms.
Principle 5: Lack of state education monitoring and oversight serves to undermine required implementation of bilingual education and ESL programs and supports inappropriate and/or total non-compliance with state and federal laws. Areas of concern include lack of compliance with LEP identification and placement procedures and lack of monitoring of program effectiveness, specifically at the school level.
Principle 6: Current Texas funding formulae for bilingual education and ESL program service delivery do not reflect actual costs for providing instructional services. In Texas and many other states, funding for LEP students is less than half of what research studies have indicated is needed to provide appropriate instructional programs; funding of LEP programs should be based on actual costs rather than arbitrary allocations.
Principle 7: Using funding weights as the mechanisms to deliver supplemental funding for LEP instruction is preferable to a fixed dollar amount approach. This mechanism provides automatic adjustments tied to any increases in regular program funding and eliminates the need to wage individual battles for increased funding for LEP instructional programs.
Principle 8: Other variations of bilingual instruction including late exit and dual language variations of bilingual education are permissible, as local option programs under existing state bilingual education and related dual language laws. However, existing programs required under state and federal mandates must be funded first, and any excess funding should be available to encourage second language proficiency among native English speaking students.
IDRA is an independent, private non-profit organization, directed by María Robledo Montecel, Ph.D., dedicated to strengthening public schools to work for all children. As a vanguard leadership development and research team for more than three decades, IDRA has worked with people to create self-renewing schools that value and empower all children, families and communities. IDRA conducts research and development activities, creates, implements and administers innovative education programs and provides teacher, administrator, and parent training and technical assistance.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Dallas ISD News: SUPERINTENDENT MICHAEL HINOJOSA RESIGNS FROM DALLAS ISD Kimberly Reeves Jun 06 03:02PM -0700 ^
Breaking news. -Angela
From: Sandra Guerrero
To: Sandra Guerrero
Sent: Mon, June 6, 2011 5:00:31 PM
Subject: Dallas ISD News: SUPERINTENDENT MICHAEL HINOJOSA RESIGNS FROM DALLAS
ISD
Contact Sandra Guerrero or Libby Daniels at (972) 925-3900
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: June 6, 2011
SUPERINTENDENT MICHAEL HINOJOSA RESIGNS FROM DALLAS ISD
Accepts Superintendent Position in Cobb County, Georgia
DALLAS–Superintendent of Schools Michael Hinojosa submitted his letter of
resignation from the Dallas Independent School District today to accept a
similar position in Cobb County, Georgia.
Dr. Hinojosa has served as the superintendent for the state’s
second-largest school district for six years—the longest term since Linus Wright
held the position in the 1980s. His last day with Dallas ISD will be Thursday,
June 30, 2011.
“It has been an honor to serve as superintendent for the school
district I attended as a child and where I started my teaching career,” said
Hinojosa. “I am enormously proud of our shared accomplishments—the biggest of
which is that the number of students graduating from Dallas ISD schools is at
its highest since 1983.”
This school year, Dallas ISD expects to graduate a total of 7,200
students, up from 5,800 four years ago. The number has steadily risen each of
the last four years.
Under Dr. Hinojosa’s leadership, the school district implemented a
systemwide curriculum that was developed by teachers. In addition, principals
for schools that had vacancies during the last six years were selected through a
collaborative process that allowed staff and the community to provide input.
A $1.37 billion bond program to build and improve school facilities
that was approved by voters in 2002 was implemented on schedule and under
budget. Another $1.35 billion bond program that was approved by voters in 2008
will build 14 more schools, 13 additions and provide renovations to more than
200 district facilities.
Dallas ISD also became known throughout the country for its
leadership in arts education. The Wallace Foundation provided an $8 million
grant for the district to partner with Big Thought and the City of Dallas to
provide more arts opportunities for students both during and after school.
Under Dr. Hinojosa’s leadership, schools in the southern sector
received a significant boost. Two early college high schools are now operating,
an all-boys school will open this fall, as will a New Tech High School and three
renovated/new schools will open in Wilmer-Hutchins signaling a rebirth of
education in that community.
Grants from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation and Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation enabled the Dallas Independent School District to
become a pioneer in the world of student data. The grants gave principals and
teachers access to data dashboards, as well as established a Parent Portal for
parents to monitor the progress of their students.
During his six-year tenure, Dr. Hinojosa responded to several
crises, including the dissolution of neighboring Wilmer-Hutchins ISD and
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, all of which caused an unexpected influx of
additional students into Dallas ISD. The biggest crisis was a budget
miscalculation that eventually forced the layoff of hundreds of staff during the
2008-09 school year.
Since then, the district has put in place a number of financial
controls and rebuilt its fund balance to safer levels. The district now faces a
significant cut in state funding because of a statewide budget shortfall.
“It certainly isn’t easy to be an urban school superintendent in
today’s environment, but I am proud of what this community has accomplished
during the last six years,” said Hinojosa. “More students are graduating, more
students are scoring at college-ready levels and our teachers and principals are
better-trained. I hope whoever the board chooses as its next superintendent is
provided the same opportunities to make improvements to continue the momentum on
behalf of the students of this community. I am thankful to trustees, our staff
and so many other leaders and stakeholders in Dallas who have been part of this
experience.”
One of Dr. Hinojosa’s hallmarks was to make unannounced visits to
the district’s 225 schools each Wednesday morning. He said the experiences kept
him grounded on what was most important in the life of a large, urban school
district.
“Every school has individuals who are devoted to helping our
students succeed,” said Hinojosa. “I couldn’t help but be moved by the
dedication of so many people—from custodians to food service workers, librarians
to counselors, aides to front office staff and of course, principals and
teachers. The Dallas Independent School District will continue to shine because
of each of them. My address may soon be in Georgia, but a part of me will always
be in Dallas. It has been a privilege.”
Dr. Hinojosa said he is moving to Georgia in part to be closer to
his son whose wife is pregnant with their first child. He has two sons who have
recently graduated from Hillcrest High School in Dallas who will be attending
Ivy League colleges in the fall.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A timeline of Dr. Hinojosa’s tenure as superintendent is included:
Dallas Independent School District
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa
Timeline, 2005-11
May 12, 2005
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa’s first day on the job; initiates Entry Plan—a series of interviews with individual board members, community leaders, selected principals, executive staff and teacher organizations to discuss expectations of the position.
July 2005
Wilmer-Hutchins ISD dissolves; is consolidated into Dallas ISD.
August 2005
School uniform policy for students in grades pre-K-8 implemented throughout district. (Policy approved in early 2005.)
August 2005
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa blocks off Wednesday mornings on his calendar to make unannounced visits to school campuses throughout the district; completes Entry Plan and reports to Trustees.
September 2005
After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastate parts of the gulf coast, Dallas ISD absorbs thousands of displaced students.
October 2005
Dr. Hinojosa contracts the National Center for Educational Achievement (NCEA) to conduct a best practices audit of the district’s curriculum and instructional programs.
November 29, 2005
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa and the Board of Trustees announce Dallas Achieves!, a new plan that establishes aggressive five-year performance targets to make the Dallas ISD the top urban school district by 2010.
December 2005
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa implements new “RFP” process for replacing principals who leave district campuses, due to retirement, resignation or reassignment. The “RFP” process stands for Request for Principals and calls for school staff, community members and parents from schools to be part of the interview team for selecting new principals.
December 2005
The National Center for Educational Accountability provides a report regarding Dallas ISD’s curriculum and instructional programs and proposes significant changes for improvement.
April 4, 2006
Dallas Achieves! Commission, comprising more than 60 community leaders, issues a report to trustees urging more resources devoted to classroom instruction.
May 2006
The School for the Talented and Gifted at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center is named the top public high school in the country by Newsweek. The School for Science and Engineering is ranked #8.
June 2006
The district rolls out a newly designed and rigorous “vertically aligned” curriculum, developed in conjunction with the National Center for Educational Accountability and Institute for Learning. The district adopts a common set of instructional best practices, the “Principles of Learning”, from the Institute for Learning.
June 5, 2006
Dallas ISD begins offering courses in its new, tiered teacher training program. Based on tenure with district and their performance, teachers are divided into levels and remain in the same level for three years. The training for each year builds on training from the previous year and provides skills teachers need to be successful in the classroom.
June 22, 2006
Board of Trustees approve performance incentive bonuses for Dallas ISD principals whose schools and students perform at a high academic level. The district identifies “Master Teachers” who, as a result of high student achievement results, take on district instructional leadership roles: providing professional development for other teachers, developing curriculum, etc.
July 13, 2006
The Texas Education Agency announces that the Dallas ISD has been awarded a Texas Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics grant to create a T-STEM Academy. The academies are designed to improve instruction and academic performance in science- and math-related subjects in secondary schools. The academy will be created at Emmett J. Conrad High School.
August 9, 2006
The Dallas Education Foundation is launched to raise funds to supplement programs and initiatives that enhance the education of Dallas ISD students. The foundation’s board is comprised of Dallas’ corporate and civic giants. To kick off the school year, the district invites all employees to the Dallas ISD Back-to-School Kickoff at the American Airlines Center. Superintendent Michael Hinojosa introduces staff to the district’s singularity of purpose: “to educate and graduate students ready for college.”
August 14, 2006
The district opens 11 new campuses with new attendance zones, returning students to their neighborhood schools. Most sixth-graders begin attending middle schools rather than elementary schools.
August 29, 2006
After a series of articles in The Dallas Morning News regarding lax accountability of the district’s purchasing procedures (use of P-cards), Superintendent Michael Hinojosa announces a five-point initiative to address a need for greater accountability, which includes the creation of the Office of District Integrity (later re-named the Office of Professional Responsibility) and an internal affairs task force, a fraud hotline, and the use of EthicsPoint resources.
October 2006
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa creates a district-wide principals’ leadership team. The group, which meets regularly to discuss strategies and initiatives, is made up of principals who have demonstrated sustained academic success at every school to which they have been assigned.
The superintendent also convenes the first-ever Teacher Advisory Committee, made up of the previous year’s Teacher of the Year finalists. Committee members are briefed on district issues and are given opportunities to share concerns and ask questions.
October 2006
To give his Executive Leadership team more input from campus-level staff, Superintendent Michael Hinojosa names an area superintendent and a principal to the team on a rotating basis.
November 2006
Dallas ISD is awarded a $22 million Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) grant from the U.S. Department of Education to implement performance pay in 59 schools.
January 2007
The National Center for Education Accountability presents its one-year review to Board of Trustees, noting that overall, Dallas ISD has made tremendous progress in only 10 months and that there is a positive shift in the district culture.
January 11, 2007
District presents recommendations to redesign the way high school is taught. The goal of the recommendations is to increase rigor, relevance and relationships in high school so that all students graduate ready for college.
February 2007
The Wallace Foundation awards $8 million during the next three years to Big Thought, a Dallas-based nonprofit arts group, to help start the Dallas Arts Learning Initiative. The initiative seeks to increase the amount and quality of arts education in Dallas ISD elementary schools.
February 24, 2007
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa and the Board of Trustees host the first of several community forums to gain input on matters dealing with governance, academics, and support of the district and to increase public awareness and participation in issues facing the district.
April 30, 2007
The Dallas Independent School District is one of six districts nationwide selected by the Center for Reform of School Systems to participate in Reform Governance in Action, a comprehensive two-year training program for school boards and superintendents.
May 2007
District schools are grouped into learning communities—geographically by grade level—allowing for better collaboration among schools that share the same characteristics and making it easier for instructional leaders and teachers to focus on learning rather than administrative matters. Secondary schools are grouped by east and west, so as to remove long-standing barriers between north and south. In addition, 14 middle and high schools are grouped together based on their shared needs and challenges to more effectively concentrate resources and strategies to help these schools overcome obstacles that have stood in the way of their success.
May 2007
In its May 28 issue, Newsweek magazine ranks the School for the Talented and Gifted and the School of Science and Engineering first and second on its annual list of "America's Best High Schools." It is the second year in a row the magazine has ranked the Talented and Gifted magnet the top public high school in the country. W.T. White High School ranked 138 and Hillcrest High School ranked 635. According to Newsweek, the top high schools do the best job in preparing their students for college.
June 2007
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa begins the process of de-layering and restructuring central administration. The “service-oriented restructuring” is intended to make central administration more efficient, effective and responsive to campus and student needs. More than 160 positions are eliminated.
August 27, 2007
The district begins a new school year, opening three new campuses and adjusting attendance zones to add six more middle schools offering 6th grade.
September 2007
The district further enhances its parent outreach by implementing an automated call system that broadcasts recorded messages to parents and guardians and to its staff by telephone. Messages are sent to alert parents of testing dates, parent conferences, PTA meetings, school activities, and to verify their child’s attendance at school.
October 9, 2007
The Texas Instruments Foundation, Harold Simmons Foundation, and the W.W. Caruth Jr. Foundation of Communities Foundation of Texas each donate $1 million to support the district’s initiative to become the top urban school district in the country. The funds will be used on a range of needs, such as providing more tailored professional development and coaching for teachers and principals.
October 25, 2007
The Board of Trustees approves opening a second early college high school, which will open for the 2008-2009 school year. The Early College High School at Mountain View, which opened the previous year, was the first such school in the district. At early colleges, students can simultaneously earn a high school and associate degree or up to two years of credit toward a bachelor’s degree, tuition free, in a college environment.
November 2007
Monthly school board meetings are streamed live for the first time on the district’s web site, beginning a new era of digital transparency. In addition, board agenda items with corresponding documents are made available. Citizens can now access video of previous discussions on agenda items on demand.
November 2007
For a second year, the Dallas ISD shows improvement in implementing the National Center for Educational Accountability’s recommendations to enhance teaching and learning. In a report released by the NCEA the district received improved grades in 12 of the 17 recommendations based on work performed during the 2006-2007 school year. The district was commended for being involved in work that addresses fundamental changes needed in the district’s classrooms.
November 29, 2007
Performance bonuses of up to $10,000 are awarded to 56 Dallas ISD principals for their success in leading their schools and students to a high level of academic performance for the 2006-2007 school year. The awards are based on the schools having met the Federal Adequate Yearly Progress standard and the district’s five performance indicators.
February 26, 2008
A $5 million donation from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation enables Dallas ISD to have instant access to student academic backgrounds from preschool to graduation. The grant will be used to create a database of student academic information that will allow educators to keep track of the district’s students and their learning patterns.
May 10, 2008
Dallas voters pass a $1.35 billion bond proposal. The 2008 bond program will pay for the construction of 15 new schools, including eight elementary schools, four middle schools and three high schools. Twelve existing schools will receive additions to provide 177 new classrooms, and more than 200 schools will be renovated. In addition, science labs, kitchen renovations, lunchroom expansions, and updated classroom and lab computers are included.
June 12, 2008
For the second year in a row, cuts are made in the district’s central administration. The cuts, estimated to save $2.5 million, were made necessary because of increases in utility and fuel costs, as well as a decrease in local and state revenue. The cuts become effective Sept. 1.
Aug. 1, 2008
The Texas Education Agency names 103 Dallas ISD schools exemplary or recognized for 2008—a sharp increase from the previous year’s total of 47 schools. Twenty-six schools earned the top rating of exemplary, an increase from 14 in 2007. The number of recognized schools jumped from 33 in 2007 to 77 in 2008. Moreover, Dallas students improved their scores in every grade and subject except seventh-grade writing.
August 20, 2008
Superintendent of Schools Michael Hinojosa invites school-based employees to kick off the 2008-2009 school year at the American Airlines Center with a celebration of past accomplishments and a discussion of future goals. Student Dalton Sherman delivers “Do You Believe in Me?” speech.
August 25, 2008
The 2008-09 school year begins with two new schools, Francisco F. “Pancho” Medrano Middle School and Early College High School with Cedar Valley College. Six high schools begin offering students additional opportunities to explore their future through career pathways, including health sciences, architecture and construction, communications, law, information technology, business, or hospitality and tourism. Students attending the redesigned high schools are expected to meet high academic standards and take dual credit or Advanced Placement courses.
September 6, 2008
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa and City of Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert participate in Operation Comeback, a statewide initiative uniting mayors and school district officials to reach students who are potential dropouts. The mayor and superintendent walk from home to home to visit the homes of students who have not returned to school yet and may become potential dropouts.
September 10, 2008
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa announces that the Dallas ISD had an estimated $64 million shortfall for the 2007-2008 fiscal year. The district uses part of its $120 million fund balance to cover the deficit. The shortfall is the result of a major budgeting error, caused by hiring additional campus staff but not properly reflecting it in the budget. The superintendent announces a major reorganization of the district’s finance and business services departments.
September 29, 2008
As a first step to address the district’s budget shortfall, roughly 160 central staff positions are eliminated, 63 of which had been filled by employees. The elimination of the positions saves the district up to $3.6 million for the 2008-2009 school year. Because central staff employees are considered at-will employees, their release does not need board approval.
September 2008
The Dallas ISD is awarded a grant from the Meadows Foundation to implement a coaching program for high school principals. The goal of the program is to improve student achievement; increase school effectiveness; and increase the campus-level, consumer confidence for participating schools. The program will also work to ensure that these campuses maintain or earn the rating of Academically Acceptable or better during the coming school year.
Oct. 16, 2008
The Dallas Independent School District implements a reduction in force by releasing employees from their positions. All totaled, approximately 375 teachers are released from their positions, almost 200 less than originally estimated. About 40 assistant principals and counselors are also released. In addition, approximately 460 teachers are transferred to other district schools.
October 2008
A task force forms to begin the development of the district’s first all-male academy. The B.F. Darrell Male Leadership Academy (later named Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy) is projected to open for the 2011-2012 school year at what is now B.F. Darrell Math, Science, and Technology Vanguard.
November 6, 2008
The Dallas ISD is given high marks for "impressive" improvement by the National Center for Educational Achievement. NCEA presents its annual audit on the district's academic systems to the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees. The audit shows improvement in nine of 17 areas, with decreases in only two of the areas. NCEA officials tell the board, "You are pointing your system in the right direction and we cannot urge you enough to stay the course."
November 20, 2008
New Executive CFO Larry Throm is hired from Austin ISD to oversee a reorganized financial structure in Dallas ISD. Throm is asked to provide leadership to the district’s financial operations and correct weaknesses identified in previous external audits.
January 12, 2009
The Dallas ISD holds the first of 22 community meetings during the months of January and February. Meetings are held in each high school feeder pattern to inform and engage parents and the community about efforts to improve district schools under the Dallas Achieves! initiative.
In addition, the district announces that scorecards have been developed for 218 of the district’s schools and are available in English and Spanish on the district’s Web site. The performance measures used to create the scorecards go beyond test scores to include outcomes such as graduation rates, college readiness, attendance, and other key measures of success.
January 22, 2009
The Texas Education Agency announces its nominations for the 2009 No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools Award, including four Dallas ISD schools: George Bannerman Dealey International Academy, Victor H. Hexter Elementary School, George Peabody Elementary School, and the School of Health Professions at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center.
January 23, 2009
The Dallas ISD receives a $3.77 million data performance grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to strengthen the district’s efforts to track student performance and improve college readiness, the key to the district’s Dallas Achieves initiative. The district has been a pioneer in the field of data by piloting real-time scorecard and dashboards thanks to a $5 million initial investment from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. The Gates grant builds on this work to establish Dallas ISD as a national exemplar in data-driven decision making.
January 2009
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa begins after school “Dialogue with the Superintendent” sessions with staff throughout the district organized by high school feeder patterns. The informal sessions allow staff members to ask questions on all topics. The superintendent also begins weekly coffee meetings with small groups of parents at schools throughout the city.
February 2009
A study released by The Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., states that from 2000 to 2007: "Dallas ISD has improved more than any other urban district in Texas and more than all but one urban district in the country in narrowing the achievement gap."
March 16, 2009
James B. Bonham Elementary School is among only 12 schools nationwide to receive the National Center for Urban Transformation's National Excellence in Urban Education Award. William L. Cabell Elementary School is among 18 other schools named to the NCUST 2009 Honor Roll.
March 2009
The National Center for Educational Achievement announces that five Dallas ISD schools have been named to its Just for the Kids list of highest performing schools in all subject areas. Forty-two other Dallas ISD schools received the highest performing rating in at least one subject area.
June 24, 2009
“Dallas ISD is now viewed as one of the nation’s top-performing urban school districts,” according to a report by the Council of the Great City Schools. In addition, the Council finds that Dallas ISD is well within the range of comparison districts in terms of overall administrative staff compared to students, as well as administrative staff to total number of teachers and staff.
July 27, 2009
A two-week program for rising ninth-graders, the High School Early Start Academy, will help rising ninth-graders polish their math, science and language arts skills as they prepare to enter high school. The program is supported by funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The academy is offered at all 22 comprehensive Dallas ISD high school campuses.
August 2009
TEA Accountability Ratings indicate 46 Dallas ISD schools are rated exemplary and 82 are rated recognized – the most ever in the school district’s history. TAKS scores climbed for the fifth consecutive year, as did the percentage of students passing at college-ready levels.
August 6, 2009
The Texas Education Agency releases Adequate Yearly Progress results indicating both gains and challenges for the Dallas ISD. While the number of district schools that did not meet the AYP standards dropped from 50 to 24, the district’s rating is listed as “Missing AYP-Stage 1.” The rating is the result of testing more than 3 percent of its special education students with alternative tests, exceeding the 1 percent and 2 percent caps.
August 27, 2009
Dallas ISD trustees approve a salary schedule that includes pay raises for all employees during the 2009-2010 school year. This marks the first pay raise for support staff in three years. Beginning teachers on the Bachelor Pay schedule receive $45,350.
September 12, 2009
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa and Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, other elected officials and community volunteers visit the homes of students who had not reported to school. The second annual Operation: Comeback initiative is designed to motivate the 1,700 students listed as no-shows to return and enroll in school. As part of the first initiative in 2008, 85 Dallas ISD students returned to school.
September 15, 2009
Four Dallas ISD schools are named Blue Ribbon Schools for 2009 by the U.S. Department of Education. The award honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools that are either academically superior, or have made dramatic gains in student achievement and helped close gaps in achievement among minority and disadvantaged students. The four Dallas ISD schools awarded are: George Bannerman Dealey International Academy, George Peabody Elementary School, School of Health Professions at the Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center and Victor H. Hexter Elementary School.
October 7, 2009
Eleven Dallas ISD schools are among only 254 schools in Texas named to the 2009 Texas Business and Education Coalition Honor Roll. The Honor Roll represents less than 4 percent of all public schools in Texas. The schools improved their commended performance — the state’s highest standard for academic achievement — from 2008, and every school was required to have a minimum of 20 percent of students tested performing at the commended level on all tests.
November 17, 2009
The Dallas ISD Audit Committee is presented a preliminary report of the district’s 2008-09 audit from independent auditors Deloitte and Touche, which shows significant improvement from the previous two audits conducted by the firm.
The 2008-09 audit notes three material weaknesses, down from eight the year before. In addition, the total number of material weaknesses and various deficiencies decreased from 36 in 2007-08 to 22 in 2008-09. The audit also notes that the district’s fund balance, of June 30, 2009, was $37.6 million, up from a projected fund balance to end the fiscal year of $30 million.
December 10, 2009
The School for the Talented and Gifted and the School of Science and Engineering, both at the Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center, are named two of the top public high schools in the country by U.S. News & World Report. The School for the Talented and Gifted ranked fifth while the School of Science and Engineering was eighth.
January 8, 2010
The Dallas ISD, in cooperation with Alliance-AFT, is selected to participate in a two-year national research project designed to develop the new Measures of Effective Teaching project. Underwritten by a $1.3 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Dallas is one of only six districts in the country to be selected for the project, to be implemented in middle schools.
January 21, 2010
Fifty-five Dallas ISD schools are named to the National Center for Educational Achievement’s 2009 Just for the Kids Higher Performing Schools list. All of the schools on the list received a higher-performing rating in at least one subject area: math, science, social studies, reading and writing. In 2008, the district had 47 schools on the list.
January 26, 2010
In an effort to provide parents with a choice when it comes to selecting their child’s secondary school, Dallas ISD sponsors the 2010-2011 High School Redesign Showcase for current eighth-grade students and their families. The program offers career pathways available to entering ninth-grade students, with limited space to focus on instruction that teaches in areas such as technology and communications, marketing, business skills and many others.
February 8, 2010
The Texas Education Agency’s Division of NCLB Program Coordination recognizes 24 Dallas ISD elementary schools as distinguished campuses for outstanding performance over the last three years. Schools making the list are Title 1, Part A campuses rated exemplary for 2009-2010, met AYP for 2008 & 2009, and have a student population of 40 percent or more low-income students.
February 11, 2010
Dallas ISD breaks ground on Ebby Halliday Elementary School, the first of 14 new schools being built as part of the 2008 bond program. The school is scheduled to open in August 2011.
March 10, 2010
Dallas ISD’s Nathan Adams Elementary School is among only 13 schools nationwide to receive the National Center for Urban School Transformation's 2010 National Excellence in Urban Education Award. To be eligible, schools are required to meet 11 rigorous criteria in the areas of proficiency rates, high attendance and graduation rates, attainment of No Child Left Behind adequate yearly progress, and other indicators. Nathan Adams Elementary is the second school in Dallas ISD to receive the National Excellence in Urban Education Award. James Bonham Elementary School was the recipient of the award in 2009.
March 11, 2010
Dallas ISD receives a $1.45 million federal grant from NASA, secured by the Foundation for Community Empowerment, to implement a Math, Science, and Technology Initiative in the district and in a number of pre-school programs in Dallas.
April 1, 2010
Dallas ISD announces that parents will have online access to key information about their child’s academic progress, attendance, homework, class schedule, and more through a parent portal initially launched in three Dallas ISD schools. The portal will eventually be expanded to all district campuses.
April 23, 2010
Dallas ISD breaks ground on Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy, a $21.5 million facility to house the district’s second Early College High School, to be built as part of the 2008 bond program. The school is scheduled to open in August 2011.
June 3, 2010
Results of 2010 TAKS tests show continued improvement of students both passing and passing at college-ready levels. Gains are made in every grade and every subject with the exception of 6th and 8th grade reading.
June 6, 2010
First class from Trini Garza Early College High School graduates. 76 students graduate, all of whom have earned multiple college credits.
June 14, 2010
TAG Magnet listed as Best High School in the Country by Newsweek; Science and Engineering Magnet listed as #4. The four other magnet schools at Townview, as well as Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, W.T. White and Woodrow Wilson also make list of top high schools in the country.
July 29, 2010
The Texas Education Agency releases school ratings. 66 Dallas ISD schools are rated Exemplary; 59 are rated Recognized.
August 23, 2010
2010-11 school year begins with the opening of John Leslie Patton Academic Center, a school for students on a different grade level than their peers of the same age because they lack high school credits. The school offers flexible schedules, small class-sizes and individualized tutoring.
September 10, 2010
H.S. Thompson and James Bonham Elementary Schools are named 2010 Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education.
September 20, 2010
$1.5 million grant announcement from TI Foundation extends AP Incentive program to all high schools. In 2010, 1,760 Dallas ISD students passed AP exams in math, science and English, up from 157 in 1995.
October 11, 2010
Ground is broken for the new W.H. Adamson High School as part of the 2008 bond program.
November 15, 2010
Audit by Deloitte and Touche from 2009-10 school year completed on time shows no material weaknesses for first time in four years. District posts surplus of $62.4 million, showing fund balance at the end of the school year of $100 million.
February 10, 2011
Budget Reduction Plan 1.0 presented to Board of Trustees indicates the possibility of having to cut $252 million from district budget because of state shortfall.
February 24, 2011
Board approves early resignation incentive for contract employees. Employees will receive 15% of their salary up to $10,000 by notifying the school district by March 8 of plans to resign at the end of the school year. More than 700 employees accept the school district’s offer, saving an estimated $45 million.
March 10, 2011
Budget Reduction Plan 2.0 presented to trustees envisions a $150 million cut to district services. Board begins discussion of offering early resignation incentive for at-will employees.
March 31, 2011
Board approves early resignation incentive for at-will employees. 321 employees accept offer saving more than $12 million.
April 14, 2011
Budget Reduction Plan 3.0 presented to trustees predicts a $110 million cut to district services.
April 29, 2011
Approximately 450 central staff positions eliminated. The figure includes hundreds of central staff employees released, vacancies eliminated and the number of individuals who accepted the district’s resignation offer. The elimination of positions saves approximately $25 million.
May 12, 2011
Budget Reduction Plan 4.0 presented to trustees envisions a $120 million cut to district services.
May 16, 2011
Dallas ISD selected as one of five school districts in the country to share a $3 million Breakfast in the Classroom grant from the Walmart Foundation.
May 19, 2011
Superintendent of Schools Michael Hinojosa named lone finalist for superintendent position in Cobb County, Georgia.
May 20, 2011
School of Science and Engineering named top high school in the country by The Washington Post. TAG Magnet rated #2. Other Dallas ISD schools to make the list: Law Magnet, School of Business and Management, School of Health Professions, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, W.T. White, Woodrow Wilson and Hillcrest.
May 26, 2011
Budget Reduction Plan 5.0 presented to trustees envisions a $100 million cut to district services.
June 3, 2011
District expects 7,200 graduates during the 2010-11 school year, up from 5,800 in 2006-07. It is the largest number of Dallas ISD graduates since the 1982-83 school year.
From: Sandra Guerrero
To: Sandra Guerrero
Sent: Mon, June 6, 2011 5:00:31 PM
Subject: Dallas ISD News: SUPERINTENDENT MICHAEL HINOJOSA RESIGNS FROM DALLAS
ISD
Contact Sandra Guerrero or Libby Daniels at (972) 925-3900
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: June 6, 2011
SUPERINTENDENT MICHAEL HINOJOSA RESIGNS FROM DALLAS ISD
Accepts Superintendent Position in Cobb County, Georgia
DALLAS–Superintendent of Schools Michael Hinojosa submitted his letter of
resignation from the Dallas Independent School District today to accept a
similar position in Cobb County, Georgia.
Dr. Hinojosa has served as the superintendent for the state’s
second-largest school district for six years—the longest term since Linus Wright
held the position in the 1980s. His last day with Dallas ISD will be Thursday,
June 30, 2011.
“It has been an honor to serve as superintendent for the school
district I attended as a child and where I started my teaching career,” said
Hinojosa. “I am enormously proud of our shared accomplishments—the biggest of
which is that the number of students graduating from Dallas ISD schools is at
its highest since 1983.”
This school year, Dallas ISD expects to graduate a total of 7,200
students, up from 5,800 four years ago. The number has steadily risen each of
the last four years.
Under Dr. Hinojosa’s leadership, the school district implemented a
systemwide curriculum that was developed by teachers. In addition, principals
for schools that had vacancies during the last six years were selected through a
collaborative process that allowed staff and the community to provide input.
A $1.37 billion bond program to build and improve school facilities
that was approved by voters in 2002 was implemented on schedule and under
budget. Another $1.35 billion bond program that was approved by voters in 2008
will build 14 more schools, 13 additions and provide renovations to more than
200 district facilities.
Dallas ISD also became known throughout the country for its
leadership in arts education. The Wallace Foundation provided an $8 million
grant for the district to partner with Big Thought and the City of Dallas to
provide more arts opportunities for students both during and after school.
Under Dr. Hinojosa’s leadership, schools in the southern sector
received a significant boost. Two early college high schools are now operating,
an all-boys school will open this fall, as will a New Tech High School and three
renovated/new schools will open in Wilmer-Hutchins signaling a rebirth of
education in that community.
Grants from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation and Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation enabled the Dallas Independent School District to
become a pioneer in the world of student data. The grants gave principals and
teachers access to data dashboards, as well as established a Parent Portal for
parents to monitor the progress of their students.
During his six-year tenure, Dr. Hinojosa responded to several
crises, including the dissolution of neighboring Wilmer-Hutchins ISD and
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, all of which caused an unexpected influx of
additional students into Dallas ISD. The biggest crisis was a budget
miscalculation that eventually forced the layoff of hundreds of staff during the
2008-09 school year.
Since then, the district has put in place a number of financial
controls and rebuilt its fund balance to safer levels. The district now faces a
significant cut in state funding because of a statewide budget shortfall.
“It certainly isn’t easy to be an urban school superintendent in
today’s environment, but I am proud of what this community has accomplished
during the last six years,” said Hinojosa. “More students are graduating, more
students are scoring at college-ready levels and our teachers and principals are
better-trained. I hope whoever the board chooses as its next superintendent is
provided the same opportunities to make improvements to continue the momentum on
behalf of the students of this community. I am thankful to trustees, our staff
and so many other leaders and stakeholders in Dallas who have been part of this
experience.”
One of Dr. Hinojosa’s hallmarks was to make unannounced visits to
the district’s 225 schools each Wednesday morning. He said the experiences kept
him grounded on what was most important in the life of a large, urban school
district.
“Every school has individuals who are devoted to helping our
students succeed,” said Hinojosa. “I couldn’t help but be moved by the
dedication of so many people—from custodians to food service workers, librarians
to counselors, aides to front office staff and of course, principals and
teachers. The Dallas Independent School District will continue to shine because
of each of them. My address may soon be in Georgia, but a part of me will always
be in Dallas. It has been a privilege.”
Dr. Hinojosa said he is moving to Georgia in part to be closer to
his son whose wife is pregnant with their first child. He has two sons who have
recently graduated from Hillcrest High School in Dallas who will be attending
Ivy League colleges in the fall.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A timeline of Dr. Hinojosa’s tenure as superintendent is included:
Dallas Independent School District
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa
Timeline, 2005-11
May 12, 2005
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa’s first day on the job; initiates Entry Plan—a series of interviews with individual board members, community leaders, selected principals, executive staff and teacher organizations to discuss expectations of the position.
July 2005
Wilmer-Hutchins ISD dissolves; is consolidated into Dallas ISD.
August 2005
School uniform policy for students in grades pre-K-8 implemented throughout district. (Policy approved in early 2005.)
August 2005
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa blocks off Wednesday mornings on his calendar to make unannounced visits to school campuses throughout the district; completes Entry Plan and reports to Trustees.
September 2005
After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastate parts of the gulf coast, Dallas ISD absorbs thousands of displaced students.
October 2005
Dr. Hinojosa contracts the National Center for Educational Achievement (NCEA) to conduct a best practices audit of the district’s curriculum and instructional programs.
November 29, 2005
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa and the Board of Trustees announce Dallas Achieves!, a new plan that establishes aggressive five-year performance targets to make the Dallas ISD the top urban school district by 2010.
December 2005
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa implements new “RFP” process for replacing principals who leave district campuses, due to retirement, resignation or reassignment. The “RFP” process stands for Request for Principals and calls for school staff, community members and parents from schools to be part of the interview team for selecting new principals.
December 2005
The National Center for Educational Accountability provides a report regarding Dallas ISD’s curriculum and instructional programs and proposes significant changes for improvement.
April 4, 2006
Dallas Achieves! Commission, comprising more than 60 community leaders, issues a report to trustees urging more resources devoted to classroom instruction.
May 2006
The School for the Talented and Gifted at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center is named the top public high school in the country by Newsweek. The School for Science and Engineering is ranked #8.
June 2006
The district rolls out a newly designed and rigorous “vertically aligned” curriculum, developed in conjunction with the National Center for Educational Accountability and Institute for Learning. The district adopts a common set of instructional best practices, the “Principles of Learning”, from the Institute for Learning.
June 5, 2006
Dallas ISD begins offering courses in its new, tiered teacher training program. Based on tenure with district and their performance, teachers are divided into levels and remain in the same level for three years. The training for each year builds on training from the previous year and provides skills teachers need to be successful in the classroom.
June 22, 2006
Board of Trustees approve performance incentive bonuses for Dallas ISD principals whose schools and students perform at a high academic level. The district identifies “Master Teachers” who, as a result of high student achievement results, take on district instructional leadership roles: providing professional development for other teachers, developing curriculum, etc.
July 13, 2006
The Texas Education Agency announces that the Dallas ISD has been awarded a Texas Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics grant to create a T-STEM Academy. The academies are designed to improve instruction and academic performance in science- and math-related subjects in secondary schools. The academy will be created at Emmett J. Conrad High School.
August 9, 2006
The Dallas Education Foundation is launched to raise funds to supplement programs and initiatives that enhance the education of Dallas ISD students. The foundation’s board is comprised of Dallas’ corporate and civic giants. To kick off the school year, the district invites all employees to the Dallas ISD Back-to-School Kickoff at the American Airlines Center. Superintendent Michael Hinojosa introduces staff to the district’s singularity of purpose: “to educate and graduate students ready for college.”
August 14, 2006
The district opens 11 new campuses with new attendance zones, returning students to their neighborhood schools. Most sixth-graders begin attending middle schools rather than elementary schools.
August 29, 2006
After a series of articles in The Dallas Morning News regarding lax accountability of the district’s purchasing procedures (use of P-cards), Superintendent Michael Hinojosa announces a five-point initiative to address a need for greater accountability, which includes the creation of the Office of District Integrity (later re-named the Office of Professional Responsibility) and an internal affairs task force, a fraud hotline, and the use of EthicsPoint resources.
October 2006
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa creates a district-wide principals’ leadership team. The group, which meets regularly to discuss strategies and initiatives, is made up of principals who have demonstrated sustained academic success at every school to which they have been assigned.
The superintendent also convenes the first-ever Teacher Advisory Committee, made up of the previous year’s Teacher of the Year finalists. Committee members are briefed on district issues and are given opportunities to share concerns and ask questions.
October 2006
To give his Executive Leadership team more input from campus-level staff, Superintendent Michael Hinojosa names an area superintendent and a principal to the team on a rotating basis.
November 2006
Dallas ISD is awarded a $22 million Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) grant from the U.S. Department of Education to implement performance pay in 59 schools.
January 2007
The National Center for Education Accountability presents its one-year review to Board of Trustees, noting that overall, Dallas ISD has made tremendous progress in only 10 months and that there is a positive shift in the district culture.
January 11, 2007
District presents recommendations to redesign the way high school is taught. The goal of the recommendations is to increase rigor, relevance and relationships in high school so that all students graduate ready for college.
February 2007
The Wallace Foundation awards $8 million during the next three years to Big Thought, a Dallas-based nonprofit arts group, to help start the Dallas Arts Learning Initiative. The initiative seeks to increase the amount and quality of arts education in Dallas ISD elementary schools.
February 24, 2007
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa and the Board of Trustees host the first of several community forums to gain input on matters dealing with governance, academics, and support of the district and to increase public awareness and participation in issues facing the district.
April 30, 2007
The Dallas Independent School District is one of six districts nationwide selected by the Center for Reform of School Systems to participate in Reform Governance in Action, a comprehensive two-year training program for school boards and superintendents.
May 2007
District schools are grouped into learning communities—geographically by grade level—allowing for better collaboration among schools that share the same characteristics and making it easier for instructional leaders and teachers to focus on learning rather than administrative matters. Secondary schools are grouped by east and west, so as to remove long-standing barriers between north and south. In addition, 14 middle and high schools are grouped together based on their shared needs and challenges to more effectively concentrate resources and strategies to help these schools overcome obstacles that have stood in the way of their success.
May 2007
In its May 28 issue, Newsweek magazine ranks the School for the Talented and Gifted and the School of Science and Engineering first and second on its annual list of "America's Best High Schools." It is the second year in a row the magazine has ranked the Talented and Gifted magnet the top public high school in the country. W.T. White High School ranked 138 and Hillcrest High School ranked 635. According to Newsweek, the top high schools do the best job in preparing their students for college.
June 2007
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa begins the process of de-layering and restructuring central administration. The “service-oriented restructuring” is intended to make central administration more efficient, effective and responsive to campus and student needs. More than 160 positions are eliminated.
August 27, 2007
The district begins a new school year, opening three new campuses and adjusting attendance zones to add six more middle schools offering 6th grade.
September 2007
The district further enhances its parent outreach by implementing an automated call system that broadcasts recorded messages to parents and guardians and to its staff by telephone. Messages are sent to alert parents of testing dates, parent conferences, PTA meetings, school activities, and to verify their child’s attendance at school.
October 9, 2007
The Texas Instruments Foundation, Harold Simmons Foundation, and the W.W. Caruth Jr. Foundation of Communities Foundation of Texas each donate $1 million to support the district’s initiative to become the top urban school district in the country. The funds will be used on a range of needs, such as providing more tailored professional development and coaching for teachers and principals.
October 25, 2007
The Board of Trustees approves opening a second early college high school, which will open for the 2008-2009 school year. The Early College High School at Mountain View, which opened the previous year, was the first such school in the district. At early colleges, students can simultaneously earn a high school and associate degree or up to two years of credit toward a bachelor’s degree, tuition free, in a college environment.
November 2007
Monthly school board meetings are streamed live for the first time on the district’s web site, beginning a new era of digital transparency. In addition, board agenda items with corresponding documents are made available. Citizens can now access video of previous discussions on agenda items on demand.
November 2007
For a second year, the Dallas ISD shows improvement in implementing the National Center for Educational Accountability’s recommendations to enhance teaching and learning. In a report released by the NCEA the district received improved grades in 12 of the 17 recommendations based on work performed during the 2006-2007 school year. The district was commended for being involved in work that addresses fundamental changes needed in the district’s classrooms.
November 29, 2007
Performance bonuses of up to $10,000 are awarded to 56 Dallas ISD principals for their success in leading their schools and students to a high level of academic performance for the 2006-2007 school year. The awards are based on the schools having met the Federal Adequate Yearly Progress standard and the district’s five performance indicators.
February 26, 2008
A $5 million donation from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation enables Dallas ISD to have instant access to student academic backgrounds from preschool to graduation. The grant will be used to create a database of student academic information that will allow educators to keep track of the district’s students and their learning patterns.
May 10, 2008
Dallas voters pass a $1.35 billion bond proposal. The 2008 bond program will pay for the construction of 15 new schools, including eight elementary schools, four middle schools and three high schools. Twelve existing schools will receive additions to provide 177 new classrooms, and more than 200 schools will be renovated. In addition, science labs, kitchen renovations, lunchroom expansions, and updated classroom and lab computers are included.
June 12, 2008
For the second year in a row, cuts are made in the district’s central administration. The cuts, estimated to save $2.5 million, were made necessary because of increases in utility and fuel costs, as well as a decrease in local and state revenue. The cuts become effective Sept. 1.
Aug. 1, 2008
The Texas Education Agency names 103 Dallas ISD schools exemplary or recognized for 2008—a sharp increase from the previous year’s total of 47 schools. Twenty-six schools earned the top rating of exemplary, an increase from 14 in 2007. The number of recognized schools jumped from 33 in 2007 to 77 in 2008. Moreover, Dallas students improved their scores in every grade and subject except seventh-grade writing.
August 20, 2008
Superintendent of Schools Michael Hinojosa invites school-based employees to kick off the 2008-2009 school year at the American Airlines Center with a celebration of past accomplishments and a discussion of future goals. Student Dalton Sherman delivers “Do You Believe in Me?” speech.
August 25, 2008
The 2008-09 school year begins with two new schools, Francisco F. “Pancho” Medrano Middle School and Early College High School with Cedar Valley College. Six high schools begin offering students additional opportunities to explore their future through career pathways, including health sciences, architecture and construction, communications, law, information technology, business, or hospitality and tourism. Students attending the redesigned high schools are expected to meet high academic standards and take dual credit or Advanced Placement courses.
September 6, 2008
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa and City of Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert participate in Operation Comeback, a statewide initiative uniting mayors and school district officials to reach students who are potential dropouts. The mayor and superintendent walk from home to home to visit the homes of students who have not returned to school yet and may become potential dropouts.
September 10, 2008
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa announces that the Dallas ISD had an estimated $64 million shortfall for the 2007-2008 fiscal year. The district uses part of its $120 million fund balance to cover the deficit. The shortfall is the result of a major budgeting error, caused by hiring additional campus staff but not properly reflecting it in the budget. The superintendent announces a major reorganization of the district’s finance and business services departments.
September 29, 2008
As a first step to address the district’s budget shortfall, roughly 160 central staff positions are eliminated, 63 of which had been filled by employees. The elimination of the positions saves the district up to $3.6 million for the 2008-2009 school year. Because central staff employees are considered at-will employees, their release does not need board approval.
September 2008
The Dallas ISD is awarded a grant from the Meadows Foundation to implement a coaching program for high school principals. The goal of the program is to improve student achievement; increase school effectiveness; and increase the campus-level, consumer confidence for participating schools. The program will also work to ensure that these campuses maintain or earn the rating of Academically Acceptable or better during the coming school year.
Oct. 16, 2008
The Dallas Independent School District implements a reduction in force by releasing employees from their positions. All totaled, approximately 375 teachers are released from their positions, almost 200 less than originally estimated. About 40 assistant principals and counselors are also released. In addition, approximately 460 teachers are transferred to other district schools.
October 2008
A task force forms to begin the development of the district’s first all-male academy. The B.F. Darrell Male Leadership Academy (later named Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy) is projected to open for the 2011-2012 school year at what is now B.F. Darrell Math, Science, and Technology Vanguard.
November 6, 2008
The Dallas ISD is given high marks for "impressive" improvement by the National Center for Educational Achievement. NCEA presents its annual audit on the district's academic systems to the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees. The audit shows improvement in nine of 17 areas, with decreases in only two of the areas. NCEA officials tell the board, "You are pointing your system in the right direction and we cannot urge you enough to stay the course."
November 20, 2008
New Executive CFO Larry Throm is hired from Austin ISD to oversee a reorganized financial structure in Dallas ISD. Throm is asked to provide leadership to the district’s financial operations and correct weaknesses identified in previous external audits.
January 12, 2009
The Dallas ISD holds the first of 22 community meetings during the months of January and February. Meetings are held in each high school feeder pattern to inform and engage parents and the community about efforts to improve district schools under the Dallas Achieves! initiative.
In addition, the district announces that scorecards have been developed for 218 of the district’s schools and are available in English and Spanish on the district’s Web site. The performance measures used to create the scorecards go beyond test scores to include outcomes such as graduation rates, college readiness, attendance, and other key measures of success.
January 22, 2009
The Texas Education Agency announces its nominations for the 2009 No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools Award, including four Dallas ISD schools: George Bannerman Dealey International Academy, Victor H. Hexter Elementary School, George Peabody Elementary School, and the School of Health Professions at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center.
January 23, 2009
The Dallas ISD receives a $3.77 million data performance grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to strengthen the district’s efforts to track student performance and improve college readiness, the key to the district’s Dallas Achieves initiative. The district has been a pioneer in the field of data by piloting real-time scorecard and dashboards thanks to a $5 million initial investment from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. The Gates grant builds on this work to establish Dallas ISD as a national exemplar in data-driven decision making.
January 2009
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa begins after school “Dialogue with the Superintendent” sessions with staff throughout the district organized by high school feeder patterns. The informal sessions allow staff members to ask questions on all topics. The superintendent also begins weekly coffee meetings with small groups of parents at schools throughout the city.
February 2009
A study released by The Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., states that from 2000 to 2007: "Dallas ISD has improved more than any other urban district in Texas and more than all but one urban district in the country in narrowing the achievement gap."
March 16, 2009
James B. Bonham Elementary School is among only 12 schools nationwide to receive the National Center for Urban Transformation's National Excellence in Urban Education Award. William L. Cabell Elementary School is among 18 other schools named to the NCUST 2009 Honor Roll.
March 2009
The National Center for Educational Achievement announces that five Dallas ISD schools have been named to its Just for the Kids list of highest performing schools in all subject areas. Forty-two other Dallas ISD schools received the highest performing rating in at least one subject area.
June 24, 2009
“Dallas ISD is now viewed as one of the nation’s top-performing urban school districts,” according to a report by the Council of the Great City Schools. In addition, the Council finds that Dallas ISD is well within the range of comparison districts in terms of overall administrative staff compared to students, as well as administrative staff to total number of teachers and staff.
July 27, 2009
A two-week program for rising ninth-graders, the High School Early Start Academy, will help rising ninth-graders polish their math, science and language arts skills as they prepare to enter high school. The program is supported by funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The academy is offered at all 22 comprehensive Dallas ISD high school campuses.
August 2009
TEA Accountability Ratings indicate 46 Dallas ISD schools are rated exemplary and 82 are rated recognized – the most ever in the school district’s history. TAKS scores climbed for the fifth consecutive year, as did the percentage of students passing at college-ready levels.
August 6, 2009
The Texas Education Agency releases Adequate Yearly Progress results indicating both gains and challenges for the Dallas ISD. While the number of district schools that did not meet the AYP standards dropped from 50 to 24, the district’s rating is listed as “Missing AYP-Stage 1.” The rating is the result of testing more than 3 percent of its special education students with alternative tests, exceeding the 1 percent and 2 percent caps.
August 27, 2009
Dallas ISD trustees approve a salary schedule that includes pay raises for all employees during the 2009-2010 school year. This marks the first pay raise for support staff in three years. Beginning teachers on the Bachelor Pay schedule receive $45,350.
September 12, 2009
Superintendent Michael Hinojosa and Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, other elected officials and community volunteers visit the homes of students who had not reported to school. The second annual Operation: Comeback initiative is designed to motivate the 1,700 students listed as no-shows to return and enroll in school. As part of the first initiative in 2008, 85 Dallas ISD students returned to school.
September 15, 2009
Four Dallas ISD schools are named Blue Ribbon Schools for 2009 by the U.S. Department of Education. The award honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools that are either academically superior, or have made dramatic gains in student achievement and helped close gaps in achievement among minority and disadvantaged students. The four Dallas ISD schools awarded are: George Bannerman Dealey International Academy, George Peabody Elementary School, School of Health Professions at the Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center and Victor H. Hexter Elementary School.
October 7, 2009
Eleven Dallas ISD schools are among only 254 schools in Texas named to the 2009 Texas Business and Education Coalition Honor Roll. The Honor Roll represents less than 4 percent of all public schools in Texas. The schools improved their commended performance — the state’s highest standard for academic achievement — from 2008, and every school was required to have a minimum of 20 percent of students tested performing at the commended level on all tests.
November 17, 2009
The Dallas ISD Audit Committee is presented a preliminary report of the district’s 2008-09 audit from independent auditors Deloitte and Touche, which shows significant improvement from the previous two audits conducted by the firm.
The 2008-09 audit notes three material weaknesses, down from eight the year before. In addition, the total number of material weaknesses and various deficiencies decreased from 36 in 2007-08 to 22 in 2008-09. The audit also notes that the district’s fund balance, of June 30, 2009, was $37.6 million, up from a projected fund balance to end the fiscal year of $30 million.
December 10, 2009
The School for the Talented and Gifted and the School of Science and Engineering, both at the Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center, are named two of the top public high schools in the country by U.S. News & World Report. The School for the Talented and Gifted ranked fifth while the School of Science and Engineering was eighth.
January 8, 2010
The Dallas ISD, in cooperation with Alliance-AFT, is selected to participate in a two-year national research project designed to develop the new Measures of Effective Teaching project. Underwritten by a $1.3 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Dallas is one of only six districts in the country to be selected for the project, to be implemented in middle schools.
January 21, 2010
Fifty-five Dallas ISD schools are named to the National Center for Educational Achievement’s 2009 Just for the Kids Higher Performing Schools list. All of the schools on the list received a higher-performing rating in at least one subject area: math, science, social studies, reading and writing. In 2008, the district had 47 schools on the list.
January 26, 2010
In an effort to provide parents with a choice when it comes to selecting their child’s secondary school, Dallas ISD sponsors the 2010-2011 High School Redesign Showcase for current eighth-grade students and their families. The program offers career pathways available to entering ninth-grade students, with limited space to focus on instruction that teaches in areas such as technology and communications, marketing, business skills and many others.
February 8, 2010
The Texas Education Agency’s Division of NCLB Program Coordination recognizes 24 Dallas ISD elementary schools as distinguished campuses for outstanding performance over the last three years. Schools making the list are Title 1, Part A campuses rated exemplary for 2009-2010, met AYP for 2008 & 2009, and have a student population of 40 percent or more low-income students.
February 11, 2010
Dallas ISD breaks ground on Ebby Halliday Elementary School, the first of 14 new schools being built as part of the 2008 bond program. The school is scheduled to open in August 2011.
March 10, 2010
Dallas ISD’s Nathan Adams Elementary School is among only 13 schools nationwide to receive the National Center for Urban School Transformation's 2010 National Excellence in Urban Education Award. To be eligible, schools are required to meet 11 rigorous criteria in the areas of proficiency rates, high attendance and graduation rates, attainment of No Child Left Behind adequate yearly progress, and other indicators. Nathan Adams Elementary is the second school in Dallas ISD to receive the National Excellence in Urban Education Award. James Bonham Elementary School was the recipient of the award in 2009.
March 11, 2010
Dallas ISD receives a $1.45 million federal grant from NASA, secured by the Foundation for Community Empowerment, to implement a Math, Science, and Technology Initiative in the district and in a number of pre-school programs in Dallas.
April 1, 2010
Dallas ISD announces that parents will have online access to key information about their child’s academic progress, attendance, homework, class schedule, and more through a parent portal initially launched in three Dallas ISD schools. The portal will eventually be expanded to all district campuses.
April 23, 2010
Dallas ISD breaks ground on Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy, a $21.5 million facility to house the district’s second Early College High School, to be built as part of the 2008 bond program. The school is scheduled to open in August 2011.
June 3, 2010
Results of 2010 TAKS tests show continued improvement of students both passing and passing at college-ready levels. Gains are made in every grade and every subject with the exception of 6th and 8th grade reading.
June 6, 2010
First class from Trini Garza Early College High School graduates. 76 students graduate, all of whom have earned multiple college credits.
June 14, 2010
TAG Magnet listed as Best High School in the Country by Newsweek; Science and Engineering Magnet listed as #4. The four other magnet schools at Townview, as well as Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, W.T. White and Woodrow Wilson also make list of top high schools in the country.
July 29, 2010
The Texas Education Agency releases school ratings. 66 Dallas ISD schools are rated Exemplary; 59 are rated Recognized.
August 23, 2010
2010-11 school year begins with the opening of John Leslie Patton Academic Center, a school for students on a different grade level than their peers of the same age because they lack high school credits. The school offers flexible schedules, small class-sizes and individualized tutoring.
September 10, 2010
H.S. Thompson and James Bonham Elementary Schools are named 2010 Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education.
September 20, 2010
$1.5 million grant announcement from TI Foundation extends AP Incentive program to all high schools. In 2010, 1,760 Dallas ISD students passed AP exams in math, science and English, up from 157 in 1995.
October 11, 2010
Ground is broken for the new W.H. Adamson High School as part of the 2008 bond program.
November 15, 2010
Audit by Deloitte and Touche from 2009-10 school year completed on time shows no material weaknesses for first time in four years. District posts surplus of $62.4 million, showing fund balance at the end of the school year of $100 million.
February 10, 2011
Budget Reduction Plan 1.0 presented to Board of Trustees indicates the possibility of having to cut $252 million from district budget because of state shortfall.
February 24, 2011
Board approves early resignation incentive for contract employees. Employees will receive 15% of their salary up to $10,000 by notifying the school district by March 8 of plans to resign at the end of the school year. More than 700 employees accept the school district’s offer, saving an estimated $45 million.
March 10, 2011
Budget Reduction Plan 2.0 presented to trustees envisions a $150 million cut to district services. Board begins discussion of offering early resignation incentive for at-will employees.
March 31, 2011
Board approves early resignation incentive for at-will employees. 321 employees accept offer saving more than $12 million.
April 14, 2011
Budget Reduction Plan 3.0 presented to trustees predicts a $110 million cut to district services.
April 29, 2011
Approximately 450 central staff positions eliminated. The figure includes hundreds of central staff employees released, vacancies eliminated and the number of individuals who accepted the district’s resignation offer. The elimination of positions saves approximately $25 million.
May 12, 2011
Budget Reduction Plan 4.0 presented to trustees envisions a $120 million cut to district services.
May 16, 2011
Dallas ISD selected as one of five school districts in the country to share a $3 million Breakfast in the Classroom grant from the Walmart Foundation.
May 19, 2011
Superintendent of Schools Michael Hinojosa named lone finalist for superintendent position in Cobb County, Georgia.
May 20, 2011
School of Science and Engineering named top high school in the country by The Washington Post. TAG Magnet rated #2. Other Dallas ISD schools to make the list: Law Magnet, School of Business and Management, School of Health Professions, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, W.T. White, Woodrow Wilson and Hillcrest.
May 26, 2011
Budget Reduction Plan 5.0 presented to trustees envisions a $100 million cut to district services.
June 3, 2011
District expects 7,200 graduates during the 2010-11 school year, up from 5,800 in 2006-07. It is the largest number of Dallas ISD graduates since the 1982-83 school year.
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