By Geraldine Tincy" Miller Texas State Board of Education District 12
Recently the State Board of Education (SBOE) has received negative attention over questions about the Boards members putting partisan politics ahead of what is best for Texas school children. The negativity went so far that a number of bills were filed last session that would have significantly undermined the Boards role in public education. Fortunately none of the legislation passed.In the midst of all this some significant facts have gone unnoticed. Information and statistically backed student performance shows the SBOE has made major strides in improving Texas public schools and living up to its set responsibilities which include adopting policies and setting standards for educational programs to enable schools to prepare todays schoolchildren for a successful future.
The Board has done this by reaching out to leaders of the legislature to keep the lines of communication open between the Senate and House Education Committees and the SBOE.
The most recent issue was the debate over the science TEKS.
Under consideration was the question of whether to insert religious discussion into the curriculum weakening the theory of evolution.
As always this issue was passionately contested debated & discussed but after three days I along with two other SBOE members brokered a compromise that assured academic freedom and critical thinking by ensuring that all sides of scientific evidence are examined.
Whenever any group of individuals comes together opinions of all kinds will be introduced. What is important is that the common goal is upheld in this case putting excellence in public education first and we accomplished that with this negotiation.
Another remarkable achievement by the SBOE occurred in 2003 when 98 percent of all Texas 3rd graders passed the reading TAKS test.
Though changes have been made in recent legislation that has taken much of the emphasis off the TAKS it was the determining factor for whether a student could pass to the next grade level. This achievement followed the SBOEs creation of the first phonics-based reading curriculum which was prompted by former Governor George Bushs initiative to have all children reading by the 3rd grade.
Dr. Louisa Moats author of
Teaching Reading is Rocket Science says Reading is the fundamental skill upon which all formal education depends. Research now shows that a child who doesnt learn the reading basics early is unlikely to learn them at all. The most fundamental responsibility of schools is teaching students to read."
To this end the SBOE and the legislature created Summer Reading Academies and Dyslexia Reading Academies to show teachers how to use phonics for all students.
From 2005-2007 the SBOE continued its efforts by updating and improving the state phonics reading curriculum to reflect then-current scientific research in the field of reading. Since that time the reading passage rate for Texas third graders has remained well above 90 percent.
Likewise the SBOE has the best textbook adoption process in the nation.
To ensure that school children meet the TAKS requirements the states textbooks must be aligned with its curriculum. This is accomplished through public hearings allowing comment on content from Texas citizens guaranteeing the materials match up with the state curriculum and are factual.
The current method of selecting textbooks in Texas is a model for other states and is the envy of the rest of the country. As they say: As Texas goes so goes the Nation."
These and many other actions have illustrated that the SBOE has been tasked with a few very important responsibilities for public education and it has done them well.
As we look toward the future it is imperative now more than ever that the legislature and the board work closely together to make sure that we are all able to accomplish our goals while allowing the other to function in its set roles.
Geraldine Tincy" Miller is the Texas State Board of Education member for District 12 in Dallas.
