High-poverty schools struggle to earn Texas’ top rating. Some in Rio Grande Valley buck that trend.
Students learn about suffixes in an English language arts class at Perez Elementary School in Brownsville in December 2020.For years, critics of the state’s school rankings have complained that the system is rigged — that it favors schools in richer Texas neighborhoods where students may not suffer from the effects of housing and income instability.
“This region punches above its weight when you look at student demographics,” said Daniel King, executive director of the Region One Education Service Center. “School districts [here] — pretty much across the board — have a ‘no excuses’ attitude.”its first school ratings since 2019, which showed some improvement despite the pandemic that forced schools to close.
Superintendents, teachers and public education experts have a hard time pointing to one reason for the higher rankings in some regions, especially since all Texas schools are required to teach the same curriculum and administer the same standardized tests. J.A. Gonzalez, superintendent of the McAllen Independent School District, which received an A and is 73 percent economically disadvantaged and 93 percent Hispanic, said he believes success doesn’t come only from being able to teach reading, math, social studies and science at a high level. Children must be taught to be self-aware, build strong relationships and manage difficult situations appropriately, he said.
René Gutiérrez, superintendent of Brownsville ISD, said his district paid close attention to students’ well-being as they returned to school after pandemic closures.
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High-poverty schools struggle to earn Texas’ highest rating. Some in the Rio Grande Valley break that trend.The Texas Education Agency has dismissed the notion that the accountability ratings are a poverty rating. As evidence, they point to districts like those in the Rio Grande Valley, which have achieved high marks while serving a high number of economically disadvantaged students.
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High-poverty schools struggle to earn Texas’ highest rating. Some in the Rio Grande Valley break that trend.The Texas Education Agency has dismissed the notion that the accountability ratings are a poverty rating. As evidence, they point to districts like those in the Rio Grande Valley, which have achieved high marks while serving a high number of economically disadvantaged students.
Read more »
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