We are about to arrive at the tenth anniversary of a document of which I am proud to have been a co-author named “Common Ground: A Declaration of Principles and Strategies for Texas Education Policy”.  This paper was the product of ten months of intensive discussion in periodic sessions held in three cities during 2008 […]

I have just been sent a copy of a brief white paper written by the Center for Public Policy Priorities and the UTeach Institute for the Texas Education Grantmakers Advocacy Consortium that presents the results of Texas 8th grade math scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP, the “nation’s report card”) by income […]

There has been a firestorm in recent months about the alleged “cap” supposedly imposed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) on the percentage of students who are eligible for special education intervention due to disabilities and the related relaxation of accountability measures for students with this classification.  The accusation in a recently released federal report […]

The last three Texas legislative sessions have not been kind to the value of a diploma from a Texas high school.  The gutting of what was just a short time ago one of the highest rated public education accountability systems in the country has undermined the standards and assessments necessary to fulfill the expectations for […]

The Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University has just released its research study of Texas charter school performance and its results are extremely encouraging, as I quote from its introduction: “When compared to the findings of earlier studies of Texas charter school performance, the overall results show improvement in both subjects […]

The Texas Legislature has just completed its 85th regular session, although there is what should be a short special session looming to mop up a few items left pending.  On several levels this was a very confusing session, particularly for public education issues, which are my primary focus.  And as I take the long view, […]

In January, I outlined the legislative priorities of Texas Aspires (www.texasaspires.org), the public education reform organization I serve as Co-Chairman.  These priorities are grounded in our strong belief that postsecondary readiness should be the organizing principle of K-12 education, and include policies that increase educator effectiveness, encourage the creation of many more quality school seats, […]

As we begin the new year, many of us are focused on priorities for the upcoming 85th Texas Legislature, particularly as it pertains to public education.  In case you missed it, I am posting below an op/ed that was co-authored by my colleagues–Susan Combs and Woody Hunt–and me, which ran in the Austin American Statesman […]

Who should go to college?  Obviously, those students who aspire to and those who are seriously prepared or who at least believe they are and are ready for the challenge.  But what do we owe those students who either don’t have those aspirations or are not prepared to be successful?  The truth.  And often, according […]

This has been an eventful week for me with the completion of the combination of the Texas Institute for Education Reform (TIER), which I have chaired for the past 10 years, with Texans for Education Reform (TER), a partner with which we share common objectives for Texas public education, to form Texas Aspires.  We believe […]