Texas Legislator Says Earn School Grades
State Senator Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) is stepping up do something about the persistent low performance of many Texas urban school districts. The Dallas Morning News reports that a growing number of Texas school districts have been blocking teachers from giving low grades or even failing grades to students. The reform sponsored by Nelson and backed by influential Senate Education Committee Chairman Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, in SB 2033 would stop the practice of social promotion by giving students passing grades who actually failed. Hard to believe that in Texas up to now there was no law that said that a teacher had to give a grade to a student that reflected that student’s mastery of subject.
The Dallas Morning News reports that a growing number of Texas school districts have been blocking teachers from giving low grades or even failing grades to students. Senator Nelson says she has actually discovered cases of students who figured out all they had to do was show up to class and refused to any work because the school policy prevented them from making below a 70. Apparently a majority of teachers surveyed like the new proposal although an alliance of urban teachers says the new measure might increase dropout rates.
The national report card for Hispanics in public schools has not significantly improved over the past several decades. In some communities of the United States barely half of Hispanics are graduating from high school. Yet survey’s of Hispanic families indicate that the education of their children is now their major concern well above others like immigration reform.
President Obama spoke before the national meeting of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce where he advocated that there should be national standards for assessing the progress of students instead of local standards. For too long Hispanics have been attending “separate but unequal schools” stated the President.
In November we profiled the work of the Intercultural Development Research Association under the direction of Dr. Maria Robledo Montecel who said that state schools have become so used to failure in Hispanic students that they accept it as the standard. Her organization has demonstrated success in poor Hispanic inner city schools by valuing students and involving the community.
For Texas to improve upon the scholastic achievement of its students and high drop out rates there must be accountability of the school administration, teachers, students and their parents. This is a necessary and important step in the right direction. Hearing are scheduled for the bill before it will be decided if it will go further. South Texas and Rio Grande Valley legislators who really value the education of the children of Texas should support this measure.
Thanks for reading Contempo Magazine blog which discusses issues for McAllen, the Rio Grande Valley, and America from a conservative Hispanic point of view. Tony Magaña grew up in McAllen Texas, attended Texas A&M University, served as an officer in Army Reserve, and holds a doctorate from Harvard University. The co-founder of Contempo Magazine has participated in Valley business for over 20 years. He is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and also writes for the American Daily Review
