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A bill banning all products with THC is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk. Is this the end of the state's hemp industry? Lawmakers are also revisiting efforts to reform or replace the STAAR test. An investigation finds that some people in Central Texas are stuck behind bars beyond the 90-day limit without being indicted […] The post New institute aims to immortalize the sounds of Texas music appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.
In hour three, Mark & Melynda talk about the new Army fitness test, new SNP rules, and possibly ending the STAAR test.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It's Friday so host Raheel Ramzanali is breaking down the big stories of the week with some of our brightest journalists in the city. Joining Raheel today is Houston Chronicle's Texas government reporter Isaac Yu to explain why state lawmakers might scrap the STAAR testing — and what would come next — and the latest with the state takeover of HISD. Plus, we get an update on how Galveston officials plan to keep Bolivar's wild Jeep Weekend under control. Stories we talked about on today's show: Texas lawmakers propose scrapping the STAAR test in favor of three much shorter exams State intervention: Morath reflects on academic progress and future changes at HISD Parents slam cosmetic clean-up ahead of Texas Education chief's visit to HISD Texas lawmakers agree on $8B school funding package with teacher raises ‘Jeep Weekend' beach restrictions for 2025 approved by Galveston County commissioners Galveston may be the Houston region's biggest buyer's market as a wave of Airbnbs floods listings Local Democrats eyeing to end 'Cruz Curse' with banning of senator Learn more about the sponsors of this May 16th episode: Downtown Houston+ Stages Prolonlife.com/city - Use this link for 15% off Buffalo Bayou Partnership Visit Port Aransas Looking for more Houston news? Then sign up for our morning newsletter Hey Houston Follow us on Instagram @CityCastHouston Don't have social media? Then leave us a voicemail or text us at +1 713-489-6972 with your thoughts! Have feedback or a show idea? Let us know! Interested in advertising with City Cast? Let's Talk! Photo: Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: Illegal use of foreign drivers is killing small Texas trucking companies, others are using the drivers illegal to underpay for labor, and we've had two decades of national emergency on the border importing 10 to 20 million illegal aliens into the country. Yet with all of that, Dumb, Deaf, and Blind – Drew Darby, Stan Lambert, and Ken King – voted for a Democrat's bill that has the State of Texas creating a guest worker program if the feds give permission. See: Texas House Rejects Mexican Guest Worker Program; 9 Republicans joined Democrats in an attempt to create the guest worker program.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Items from the 89th Legislature mentioned: Detransition Coverage Bill Clears Texas House, Heads to Governor's Desk Texas moves to restrict protests on college campuses Texas bill could eliminate Dallas' equity and inclusion office 1st Major Voter Integrity Bill Clears Legislature House OKs bill to expand medical marijuana provisions Texas Lottery critic is now providing the embattled agency a lifeline Senators Approve Measure Strengthening Right to Self-Defense What Do Bar Signs Have to Do with Gun Safety? House votes to scrap STAAR exam in favor of shorter tests U.S. Inflation Stays Cooler Than Expected, Prices Up 2.3%, Smallest Annual Increase Since February 2021. Oh, and: It Turns Out That Even More of Joe Biden's Jobs Creation Numbers Were Fake.Qatari 747 jumbo-jet Trump wants as Air Force One is in San Antonio.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com
The trio is out today, but we have Kenny Rahmeyer and Brad Swail for today's show. The duo discuss President Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia, AISD's horrible school performances, the Texas House passing a bill to eliminate STAAR testing, and much more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Recent public comments from Governor Greg Abbott, House Public Education Committee Chairman Dr. Brad Buckley, and State Representative Gina Hinojosa signal growing bipartisan support for ending the use of the STAAR test, a long-criticized component of Texas public education. However, simply rebranding STAAR or replacing it with another one-size-fits-all test misses the point. Texas students need a more effective, adaptive assessment system, one that tracks learning growth throughout the school year and helps educators identify and close gaps in real time, rather than relying on a high-stakes, end-of-year exam with no sustainable plan for remediation. During House debate on SB2,...Article Link
Elise White Diaz is well-versed in the challenges facing diverse students from difficult backgrounds. Prior to her work in public education, Elise's passion for trauma-informed pedagogy began when she moved to Tegucigalpa, Honduras to serve at a school for child laborers in the garbage dump. There she taught bilingual and ESL education at the secondary level, and learned so much from her students who overcame obstacles and went on to college. Upon returning to the United States, Elise brought her experiences to a diverse district in North Texas. She wove together principles from culturally-relevant, trauma-informed education and language acquisition in innovative ways, bringing dramatic gains in standardized test (STAAR) scores. Soon after, she began to mentor and coach teachers in how to recreate these routines. Elise has served in various roles in Emergent Bilingual education, including co-teaching, instructional coaching, writing curriculum, and offering professional development to Texas schools. As a consultant for Seidlitz Education, Elise enjoys supporting teachers in their important work of building language and connection across cultures and obstacles. She holds a Master's degree from Fuller Seminary in Intercultural Studies and lives in the Dallas area with her husband and two children. She is a member of the National Association for Bilingual Education and Women-for-Orphans-Worldwide, and returns to Central America wherever she can.
Melynda's back! Mark, Melynda, and Ed discuss a judge's move to block Trump's use of the Alien Enemies Act, the Texas House making motions to end STAAR exams, the Ukraine minerals deal, and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
On the fourth hour of today's show, we talk about STAAR testing being proposed to end by the Texas government, Marco Rubio replacing Mike Waltz, a Leander ISD assistant principal being arrested with a DWI, and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Podcast Overview: In this engaging conversation, Will Clarke, Mark, and Tom explore the vibrant music scene in Ibiza, discussing the stark contrasts between summer and winter, their personal journeys in the music industry, and the evolution of dance music. They delve into the importance of collaboration, the changing landscape of DJing, and the impact of social media on music production. The discussion highlights the need for artists to adapt to new trends while maintaining their creative integrity, culminating in the introduction of Starplayer, a creative community initiative aimed at fostering collaboration among artists. In this conversation, Mark and Will discuss the intricacies of music production, focusing on the logistics of organizing sessions, the importance of creating inspirational studio environments, and the evolving business models in the music industry. They emphasize the need for direct collaboration between artists, moving away from traditional pitching methods, and fostering creative freedom. The duo also highlights the innovative approach to writing camps, aiming to change perceptions and create a more relaxed and productive atmosphere for artists. They conclude by encouraging new artists and producers to reach out and engage with their community.Who Is Tom Staar: Acclaimed international DJ and IDMA-winning English producer, Tom Staar, stands as one of dance music's household most respected names in the ever-transforming realm of dance music industry. With a plethora of Beatport Top 10 hits to his name, including collaborations with industry titans like David Guetta and Armin van Buuren, Staar's innovative grooves, imaginative beats, and infectious melodies have consistently sculpted the electronic music landscape.Who is Mark Maitland: Mark Maitland is one of the hottest producers and mixers in the industry right now. With a myriad of releases spanning most genres from House to Pop, Trance to Drum'N'Bass. Amassing over 8 Billion Streams across all platforms and catapulting him to rapid acclaim.Join for updates: https://laylo.com/willclarke⏲ Follow Will Clarke ⏱https://djwillclarke.com/https://open.spotify.com/artist/1OmOdgwIzub8DYPxQYbbbi?si=hEx8GCJAR3mhhhWd_iSuewhttps://www.instagram.com/djwillclarkehttps://www.facebook.com/willclarkedjhttps://twitter.com/djwillclarkehttps://www.tiktok.com/@djwillclarke Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Die eThekwini Munisipaliteit versoek inwoners om uiters versigtig te wees tydens die gure weerstoestande wat tot môre sal voortduur. Die Suid-Afrikaanse Weerdiens het 'n vlak 4-weerwaarskuwing uitgereik vir ontwrigtende reën en wydverspreide buie in die hele KwaZulu-Natal. Die munisipaliteit se woordvoerder, Gugu Sisilana, sê die aanhoudende reën kan lei tot die oorstroming van paaie en nedersettings, gevaarlike bestuurstoestande, skade aan infrastruktuur en die vernietiging van modderhutte:
STAAR testing has started, and we inducted our first Hall of Excellence class since Covid! It was a busy but fun and successful week for our scholars!
STAAR scores are lower in school districts that has 4-day school weeks and Gen Z people tend to "worry" about topics ranging from finances to climate change... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Welcome everyone to the Craft & Draft podcast! We are so excited to bring you what we love, talking with you about workshop, literacy, writing, reading, and real world teaching. Jacob and Pam answer two questions from our patrons: How can Gifted and Talented (GT) students stay passionate and not apathetic about literacy? How can […] The post #221 STAAR Writing Support appeared first on Craft & Draft.
This is a conversation with Nicole Andrews, a patient with LGSOC and STAAR Ovarian Cancer Foundation Board Chairperson, and Dan Paterson, President and CEO of Verastem Oncology. Low-grade serous ovarian cancer is a rare and slow-growing ovarian cancer that is often misdiagnosed. Verastem Oncology is developing a targeted treatment for LGSOC and working with the STAAR Foundation to inform researchers about the disease and ways to improve treatments. Nicole was finally diagnosed with LGSOC after 18 months of unexplained symptoms, and her role at the STAAR Foundation is to raise awareness and funds to support research. Nicole explains, "I have since learned that low-grade is difficult for pathologists who aren't used to seeing it and don't know the intricacies of diagnosing. My surgeon finally said I have to get this right because it changes treatment." "So, she asked permission to send this to a specialty cancer center. And we did. Once that happened, they came back pretty quickly and said this was low-grade serous ovarian cancer. They were used to seeing it. They had high volume cases of reading pathology reports and, therefore, were able to diagnose and diagnose it." Dan elaborates, "The majority of ovarian cancers are so-called high-grade, and that's when you hear about treatment with chemotherapies like platinum. A new class of drugs called PARP inhibitors came out in the last couple of years. And I think when you generally hear about ovarian, it's high grade. It was only in the last couple of years that the World Health Organization and, more recently, the FDA, based on some of our work, recognized it as a distinct and different disease because it acts very differently. It tends to occur in younger women, and it's slower growing, which, on the face of it, you would think is a good thing. And I think a lot of times, and we've heard anecdotes, and Nicole can probably speak to this, where women have said, oh, well, you have the good ovarian cancer. The downside of a slower-growing tumor is it's harder to treat." #VerastemOncology #STAARFoundation #LGSOC #LGSOCAwareness #LowGradeSerousOvarianCancer #Cancer #RareDisease verastemoncology.com STAAR Foundation Download the transcript here
This is a conversation with Nicole Andrews, a patient with LGSOC and STAAR Ovarian Cancer Foundation Board Chairperson, and Dan Paterson, President and CEO of Verastem Oncology. Low-grade serous ovarian cancer is a rare and slow-growing ovarian cancer that is often misdiagnosed. Verastem Oncology is developing a targeted treatment for LGSOC and working with the STAAR Foundation to inform researchers about the disease and ways to improve treatments. Nicole was finally diagnosed with LGSOC after 18 months of unexplained symptoms, and her role at the STAAR Foundation is to raise awareness and funds to support research. Nicole explains, "I have since learned that low-grade is difficult for pathologists who aren't used to seeing it and don't know the intricacies of diagnosing. My surgeon finally said I have to get this right because it changes treatment." "So, she asked permission to send this to a specialty cancer center. And we did. Once that happened, they came back pretty quickly and said this was low-grade serous ovarian cancer. They were used to seeing it. They had high volume cases of reading pathology reports and, therefore, were able to diagnose and diagnose it." Dan elaborates, "The majority of ovarian cancers are so-called high-grade, and that's when you hear about treatment with chemotherapies like platinum. A new class of drugs called PARP inhibitors came out in the last couple of years. And I think when you generally hear about ovarian, it's high grade. It was only in the last couple of years that the World Health Organization and, more recently, the FDA, based on some of our work, recognized it as a distinct and different disease because it acts very differently. It tends to occur in younger women, and it's slower growing, which, on the face of it, you would think is a good thing. And I think a lot of times, and we've heard anecdotes, and Nicole can probably speak to this, where women have said, oh, well, you have the good ovarian cancer. The downside of a slower-growing tumor is it's harder to treat." #VerastemOncology #STAARFoundation #LGSOC #LGSOCAwareness #LowGradeSerousOvarianCancer #Cancer #RareDisease verastemoncology.com STAAR Foundation Listen to the podcast here
Die president van die ANC sê die party staar 'n krisis van gesag, geloofwaardigheid en vertroue in die gesig. Hy het gisteraand die OR Tambo-gedenklesing in Ekurhuleni gelewer. Sondag was die 107de herdenking van die verjaardag van die gestorwe voormalige ANC-president, Oliver Tambo, die party se langsdiende president. Ramaphosa sê selfs terwyl die regering van nasionale eenheid steeds vordering maak, is die verkiesingsuitslag 'n harde les wat die ANC moet erken:
Tuutileni Mika, die 49-jarige werknemer van Ondangwa Henning Crusher wat na bewering twee van die bestuurders geskiet het, het vlugtig in die Ondangwa landdroshof verskyn. Hy is aangekla van moord, poging tot moord, diefstal van 'n fiets, afvuur van 'n vuurwapen, en dreigement om dood te maak. Hy is borgtog geweier en sy saak is tot 10 Maart 2025 uitgestel. Een van die bestuurders, die 43-jarige John Myburgh is op slag dood, terwyl Johanna Richter, 44, in 'n kritieke toestand in die Ondangwa-privaathospitaal is. Reaksie is ontvang van Michael Amushelelo, aktivis en lid van die LPM-party.
Die burgemeester van New York, Eric Adams, staar vyf strafregtelike aanklagte in die gesig, insluitend bedrog, omkopery en die verkryging van onwettige buitelandse veldtogskenkings. In die klagstaat van 57 bladsye word beweer Adams het vir byna 'n dekade onbehoorlike, waardevolle voordele versoek en aanvaar. Dit sluit in luukse internasionale reise van ryk buitelandse sakelui en ten minste een Turkse regering. Die aanklaer vir New York se Suidelike Distrik, Damian Williams sê daar was voorwaardes gekoppel aan die voordele wat Adams ontvang het:
Texas schools won't receive A-F accountability grades after a judge granted a new order temporarily blocking them on Wednesday. A coalition of school districts sued over the system alleging that the grades are invalid because they're based on flawed STAAR tests. A trial on the case is set for February; In other news, a bitter public battle between the bishop of the Fort Worth Catholic diocese and a group of secluded Arlington nuns is again escalating. Calling the nuns “scandalous,” Bishop Michael Olson warned members of his diocese that supporting the nuns — either by participating in communion or providing financial assistance — would amount to “scandalous disobedience and disunity.”; the man suspected in the attack of a woman in downtown Dallas last week is in jail and facing an aggravated assault charge, police said Wednesday. A video obtained by The Dallas Morning News shows a man walking up behind the woman and striking her with an object Thursday afternoon in the 1300 block of Elm Street, near North Field Street. Dallas police later released images of the man and sought the public's help to identify him. 36 year old Antonio Banks was booked into the Dallas County jail on Monday afternoon on an unrelated charge, according to online jail records. His bail was set at $150,000 for the assault charge and he also faces a criminal trespass charge; and restaurants in Dallas' Deep Ellum neighborhood near downtown, specifically those on Commerce Street, say they have been affected by the ongoing public works being done by the city of Dallas and Oncor. The work being done on Commerce Street has left restaurants without direct access to their facilities and left customers with the notion that the businesses are closed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: Lubbock County Judge Curtis Parrish tells citizens they should “move” if they do not want to pay higher property taxes every year. He also tells Commissioner Jason Corley that the commissioner is only hearing from a small minority of voters opposing tax increases; Parrish says that Lubbock County voters want annual tax increases because paying more every year equates to “good government.” Frankly, if you listen to all of Parrish's language in the court hearings, he speaks as a Progressive Democrat.If you want, watch the entire hearing here. Time marks for the items I covered in the compilation come from about 2:13:35, 2:16:50, and 2:17:10.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.Numerous legislators write to State Fair of Texas board to protest it's decision to begin banning licensed concealed carry at the fair.Anti-Wimp Update: Armed teacher saves girl from sexual assault.Leftwing Austin judge once again blocks release of public school A to F grades to the public.One school superintendent, also a listener wrote:"So, once again, public schools will duck accountability for a second straight year because some judge agrees that the STAAR tests are flawed and unfair. What's unfair is keeping parents and the public in the dark about school performance. "It's true that the tests are more difficult, and some material is misaligned to the appropriate grade levels. Nevertheless, we need to know where schools stand in terms of accountability, however imperfect that rating system is."Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com
Two Texans are asking the federal government to intervene after they were allegedly denied abortions for ectopic pregnancies, leading to each woman losing a fallopian tube, according to complaints filed with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services last week; In other news, as temperatures in Dallas-Fort Worth reach into the 100s, staying hydrated becomes even more important. Last year, heat-related illness caused more than 350 deaths in Texas; a Texas judge once again blocked the release of A-F accountability grades for public schools that were to be published Thursday. The order comes in response to a lawsuit from a handful of districts, alleging the grades would be invalid because they're based on results from flawed STAAR tests; And Dallas restaurant Sugar Factory American Brasserie closed after service on Aug. 4. The Las Vegas-born restaurant and dessert shop served the most over-the-top desserts Dallas had ever seen when it opened in 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
If reading the newly updated TEKS is making your head spin, let's break it down together and make a game plan before the new school year begins.Episode HighlightsWhen the new updates go into effectTopics we MUST coverTopics we CAN cover if time allowsBreaking down the 8 strandsHow to support STAAR testing at the secondary levelsResources and LinksAdditional reading on this topic is available on the TEA websiteFor more information about the 2024 update, here is a helpful YouTube video:Blog Post - Episode 61Let's Connect!Shop ResourcesInstagramWebsiteJoin the Facebook Group
Five days after Hurricane Beryl’s landfall, more than 800,000 Texans are still without power as frustrations and questions rise along with the heat – and officials say half a million people may not get power back until next week.Thirty-five percent of Texas students scored zero on the writing portion of STAAR test, raising big questions […] The post Remembering iconic Texas actress Shelley Duvall appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.
Die Suid-Afrikaanse Menseregtekommissie gaan ‘n DA-parlementslid, Renaldo Gouws, voor die Gelykheidshof in Gqeberha daag vir beweerde haatspraak in ‘n YouTube-video van 2010. In die video vra Gouws in uiters aanstootlike taal vir die uitwissing van swartmense. 'n Woordvoerder van die kommissie, Wisani Baloyi, sê hulle het die saak ondersoek volgens die Wet op die Bevordering van Gelykheid en die Voorkoming van Onbillike Diskriminasie.
It’s been a year since the state took over the Houston Independent School District. How has that affected student scores on the STAAR test?How the state’s rules on diversity, equity and inclusion may put an end to some university scholarships.Why more hedge fund managers are making their home in Texas, rather than New York.A new […] The post A rare strawberry moon lights the Texas sky this week appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.
It's Friday and that means we're recapping the biggest stories from the week. From the latest on the firefighters settlement to our first look at standardized testing results at HISD after the state takeover, host Raheel Ramzanali is breaking down those stories and more with Shafaq Patel, Axios' Houston reporter, and Houston Landing's diverse communities reporter Monique Welch. Learn more: Mom goes viral for not returning shopping cart Galveston climate resiliency Oyster recycling Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee pursues reelection bid despite pancreatic cancer diagnosis Climate Resilient Galveston Report Brazoria County's LGBTQ+ community creates safe space with second annual festival Controller Chris Hollins claps back at Alex Mealer on X City Cast Houston's June Guide City Cast Houston's interview with Chris Hollins HISD high schoolers show gains on state tests More results on preliminary STAAR numbers for HISD Raqib Shaw's new exhibit at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Chase Budinger qualifies for the Olympics Looking for more Houston news? Then sign up for our morning newsletter Hey Houston Follow us on Instagram @CityCastHouston Don't have social media? Then leave us a voicemail or text us at +1 713-489-6972 with your thoughts! Have feedback or a show idea? Let us know! Interested in advertising with City Cast? Let's Talk! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Your Heard Tell Show is turning down the noise of the news cycle and getting to the information we need to discern our times by talking standardized testing in Texas with Garion Frankel. Writing in the Houston Chronicle, Garion talks about the STAAR testing and integration of automatic grading as a touch point to discuss how testing is dominating school policy, teaching methods, funding, and the power struggles inside the big business and high profile K-12 education system. Garion also talks post-COVID education, how losing things like the arts and vocational programs hurts students, the secondary-to-college pipeline, and how above all else the in-classroom teachers are getting a raw deal and pressure from all sides that prevent them from properly educating students. All that and more on this episode of Heard Tell.Read Gary's full piece on Texas STAAR testing here:https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/staar-ai-texas-test-19422246.php--------------------Heard Tell SubStack Free to subscribe, comes right to your inboxQuestions, comments, concerns, ideas, or epistles? Email us HeardTellShow@gmail.comPlease make sure to follow @Heard Tell, like the program, comment with your thoughts, and share with others.Heard Tell SubStack Free to subscribe, comes right to your inboxSupport Heard Tell here: https://app.redcircle.com/shows/4b87f374-cace-44ea-960c-30f9bf37bcff/donationsSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/heard-tell/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Jaco Human, uitvoerende hoof van IGUA-SA gesels oor sy agtergrond, loopbaan, die industrie waarin hy is, en wat hy doen om te ontspan. Volg RSG Geldsake op Twitter
Date Or Ditch is back and somehow the national anthem is involved? We also have more STAAR Test Songs but we let AI do the job. Website
Die Pluimvee-produsentevereniging se jaarlikse ledevergadering en inligtingsdag is onlangs gehou. Pluimvee en pluimveeprodukte val nou onder die Wet op Lewendehawe en Veeprodukte; daarom het Beata Xulu van die Namibië Nasionale Boere-unie 'n voorlegging gedoen oor die wet en die heffings wat in die Staatskoerant gepubliseer moet word. Die vereniging het ook Louis Kleynhans as die nuwe voorsitter en Eckhard Waldschmidt as ondervoorsitter verwelkom. Kosmos 94.1 Nuus het gepraat met Rene Werner, die voormalige voorsitter, oor die uitdagings wat hulle in die gesig staar.
Senate Bill 4, which would allow Texas police to arrest people suspected of crossing the Texas-Mexico border illegally, is currently on hold after a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. The Texas Newsroom’s Julián Aguilar has the latest.Why researchers and teachers are raising red flags over the state’s fully online STAAR tests for public school […] The post Supreme Court puts Texas’ immigration enforcement bill on hold appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.
It's only Tuesday and we already have a bunch of stories that are impacting our city. From a major dispute being resolved to an offensive presentation shown at a local middle school, host Raheel Ramzanali and Hey Houston newsletter editor Brooke Lewis are talking about it all on today's episode. Featured stories: Worst drivers list The latest on SB4 Almost half of Texas 4th graders scored a zero on the STAAR writing composition Mayor Whitmire gets deal done with firefighters union Fort Bend teacher shows offensive slide during presentation Art Car museum announces closing Turkey Leg Hut drama continues with pop-up Looking for more Houston news? Then sign up for our morning newsletter Hey Houston Follow us on Instagram @CityCastHouston Don't have social media? Then leave us a voicemail or text us at +1 713-489-6972 with your thoughts! Have feedback or a show idea? Let us know! Interested in advertising with City Cast? Let's Talk! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On Friday's show: We learn about some recent developments in education, including some concerns about the way the written portion of some STAAR tests will be graded in the future and news about declining student enrollment at HISD since the pandemic. Also this hour: Three years after a deadly winter storm knocked out power across Texas, what has changed -- and what hasn't? Then, we break down The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week, including Drake, 50 Cent, and several others musicians all being registered to vote at the same house in Katy. And writer and former Houstonian Suzette Mullen discusses her new memoir, The Only Way Through Is Out, which explores her decision to come out later in life. She's holding a book signing at Brazos Bookstore on Feb. 22.
THIS EPISODE WAS PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED FOR THE SHOW'S PATREON SUPPORTERS. If you enjoy this, please consider supporting the show here and get many more episodes and training videos NOT released on free feeds. Welcome everyone to the Craft & Draft podcast! We are so excited to bring you what we love, talking with you about […] The post #176 GT and STAAR Writing HELP appeared first on Craft & Draft.
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 14, 2024 is: cosplay • KAHZ-play • verb To cosplay is to engage in the activity or practice of dressing up as a character from a work of fiction (such as a comic book, video game, or television show). // Liz's favorite part of attending Comic-Con is choosing a character to cosplay that few others will think of, then recreating their look as accurately as possible. See the entry > Examples: “An educator for more than 20 years, [Heather] Trupia brought her love for the Star Wars franchise to the Hays CISD school in Niederwald, Texas, about 25 miles south of Austin. She wanted to excite kids about taking the state's standardized STAAR test. This included cosplaying as Star Wars characters and performing shows for students.” — Kiko Martinez, MySanAntonio.com, 9 Nov. 2023 Did you know? If you enjoy cosplaying as your favorite anime character (say, Nezuko Kamada from Demon Slayer or Luffy from One Piece), you've got yourself a special, lexicographical twofer of words that were borrowed from English into Japanese and then back into English. In Japanese, anime is short for animēshiyon, which comes from the English word animation, referring to an animated cartoon. Japanese users similarly took the English words costume and play (as in role-play) and combined them into the word kosuchūmupurē, or kosupure for short, which was reborrowed into English as cosplay, first as a noun, and later as a verb. It's not required that one choose an anime character to cosplay, however—any fictional character will do, and probably has done! People are even starting to use cosplay figuratively to mean “to pretend to be,” as in “her chiweenie likes to cosplay as a much bigger dog whenever they visit the dog park.”
Die EFF waarsku oor ‘n ernstige fiskale krisis in Suid-Afrika, wat dui op ‘n ingewortelde ekonomiese bedreiging. ʼn Lid van die EFF, Nazier Paulsen, het tydens ‘n voltallige sitting van die Nasionale Vergadering die bedreiging toegeskryf aan die oploop van skuld en stygende koste om skuld te diens. Volgens Paulsen verwerp die rooi barette die huidige stand van sake en vra hulle die nodige veranderings om die dreigende fiskale krisis af te weer:
The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: Governor Abbott caves to Texas House's extortion plan for any school choice program: Will plow billions of new money into the systems people want to leave and lessen the burdens of transparency and accountability on those same monopoly government school systems. It's almost as if this were not a state with a legislature dominated by Republicans as the deal looks more like what you might see in Michigan or similar to pay off the teacher and administrator unions.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.School choice: Market forces (meaning you and me) versus political forces (such as narrow self-serving special interests and the powerful politically connected) is the fundamental issue with school choice: How do we change the always much maligned “accountability systems” (think testing) for the use of taxpayer money to provide education to children and youth in the state.A monopoly always looks out for itself, for the interests of its people, more than it does for its customers, or users. This is simply because if it is a monopoly, which government schools are in Texas in regard to tax money paid for the purpose of providing education, it does not have to worry about significant losses of users of its services. That then brings on the demand from the polis (political demand of the people) of forms of accountability to try and measure the performance of the inward focused monopoly – think STAAR testing and similar.Those things are not needed in a true choice environment as the accountability system becomes the aggregation of the choices made by what become authentic customers, as opposed to service users. If a school, or type of schooling, is perceived by parents as ineffective or offensive then they take their child, and the tax money that follows the child, to a school or system that better fulfills their value proposition.School choice is about replacing political forces with market forces (you, the customer) as the accountability system in taxpayer funded schemes of primary and secondary education. Or put differently, school choice moves public education accountability (quality, etc.) from a politically driven system to a consumer driven system. Dallas Fed report shows Texas' service sector flat with worsening conditions and retail sales continuing their slide downward.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates.www.PrattonTexas.com
In Austin, there hasn't been much movement between the House and Senate in the latest special session. The governor called them back to address school issues, especially dealing with school vouchers.
The K9PT Academy Podcast: Business lessons for canine rehab therapists
I wanted to share a few announcements! We're running a virtual Masterclass titled a “Step By Step Blueprint on building your Canine Rehabilitation Business”. I'm running additional sessions tomorrow evening, Saturday and Sunday and also on Monday evening. I wanted to run it at different times/on different days to give everyone a chance to join! If none of those sessions work for you, email me and I'll send you a replay of it. The other thing that I have coming up is the new and revamped Business Accelerator program! This program is where I teach you everything that I know and how I created my clinic including foundational marketing tactics, operations, pricing structure, systems, getting referrals and more. This is the last time I'm offering my Business Accelerator at this price point! In today's podcast episode, I talk about my experience at the STAAR conference (Symposium for Therapeutic Advancement in Animal Rehabilitation). I share some of my takeaways and thoughts afterwards. It was amazing to be back in person for such an event and the folks who organized the conference placed a heavy emphasis on hands-on learning which was really cool to see. While down there, I picked up a book called 3 feet from Gold. The concept itself is not new but it was such a terrific book and a quick and easy read which made me want to share it with you. If you're feeling stuck and not seeing the light at the end of the road, this book is a great read~ Listen to the full episode to hear more! Register for a FREE Marketing Masterclass session: https://event.webinarjam.com/register/3/1y64ps3 Check out my Business Accelerator program: https://www.k9ptacademy.com/business www.k9ptacademy.com hello@k9ptacademy.com My full service marketing platform: https://k9rehabmarketing.com/
The K9PT Academy Podcast: Business lessons for canine rehab therapists
As this podcast episode comes out, I'll be at the Staar conference in New Jersey. If you're there, stop by our booth in the exhibitor hall and say hi! I'll be recording some mini interviews throughout the conference to give you a behind the scenes look at Staar. I also put together a webinar masterclass titled the “Step by Step Blueprint on Building your Canine Rehabilitation Business” that launches this Sunday. We'll also be re-running it a few more times. Register below! For today's episode, I interviewed Sasha Foster. She has her masters in Physical Therapy and her CCRT. She has been a big name in the field of canine rehab worldwide. Her platform is Go Go Charlie (Canine Home Exercise Solutions) which she's building to be more than just a home exercise program that also includes more clinical education. She talks about her journey of getting into canine rehabilitation and why she decided to create her own business within the field amongst much more! To hear what Sasha said, listen to the full episode! Register for my Webinar: https://event.webinarjam.com/register/3/1y64ps3 Sasha's website: https://sashaafoster.com/ GoGo Charlie Platform: https://gogocharlie.com/ www.k9ptacademy.com hello@k9ptacademy.com
The K9PT Academy Podcast: Business lessons for canine rehab therapists
Next week, I'll be at the Staar conference and I'm looking forward to meeting a lot of you there! I'm finalizing the details of where/when we can have an unofficial meetup so stay tuned! Right after the Staar conference, I'll be launching a webinar training titled a “Step by Step Blueprint on Building Your Canine Rehab Business”. I'll be running it over the course of a few days at different times so everyone has the chance to join it! Today we're going to talk about automating your marketing systems. Marketing is always going to be the driving force for every single business. Without marketing, there are no leads. Without leads there are no new customers and without new customers, there's no new revenue. Automating marketing within your business is crucial. It saves you time and energy so that you can focus on what you do best, which is being a canine rehab therapist. To hear more about this and automation/platforms, listen to the full episode. K9Rehab Marketing Platform: https://k9rehabmarketing.com/ Unofficial meet up at the Staar Conference: https://forms.gle/rnwESYYfSf1WG3wu7 www.k9ptacademy.com hello@k9ptacademy.com
The K9PT Academy Podcast: Business lessons for canine rehab therapists
The Staar conference is coming up in a few weeks in New Jersey and I'm doing an informal/unofficial meet-up there! Fill out the form below so we can know who has interest in joining us and what your availability is! Next, at the Staar conference, I'll have a K9PT Academy booth and we'll be launching our K9Rehab Marketing Platform! It's a full service CRM marketing platform that includes email automation, SMS, social media management, appointment scheduling, website creation and more! Check it out in the link below if you're interested in streamlining your marketing and send us an email to learn more. Today's podcast episode is about the difference between failing and succeeding as a canine rehab business owner. We've discussed fear and having a mindset of failing forward in the past. We can't let the fear of making mistakes hold us back and instead embrace them and take them as a learning opportunity. We think that if we fail that we are not successful, but what if we change the meaning of success? Society deems someone is successful if they achieve what they set out to accomplish but in reality is that the truth for long term success? If it's at the detriment of staying true to yourself is it really success? To hear more, listen to the full episode. Unofficial meet up at the Staar Conference: https://forms.gle/rnwESYYfSf1WG3wu7 K9Rehab Marketing Platform: https://k9rehabmarketing.com/ www.k9ptacademy.com hello@k9ptacademy.com
The K9PT Academy Podcast: Business lessons for canine rehab therapists
I'm super excited for how things have been going with the Marketing Blueprint program! We dove into website optimization last week along with developing your target audience and this week we're talking about content creation, optimizing google and how to build sustainable referral sources. We'll talk about building up veterinary partnerships as well in the future. If you'd like to join late, just let me know and we'll make it work. I'm attending the Staar conference at the end of this month for the first time! I'll have a booth set up so I would love to meet some of you in person and catch up with those of you I know! If there's enough interest, let's have an unofficial and informal meetup! Let me know via email or DM if you're interested in having a networking meetup and we can plan when/where! For today's podcast episode, I wanted to do something a little different and talk about my story more in depth. Next month, my clinic is projected to surpass 2 million in revenue and it took a long time to get to that point but I talk a bit about it in this podcast episode and how we got to this point. I finished my CCRT and the clinic where I did my internship offered me a position as a Canine Rehab Therapist. I moved to Chicago with my wife and started working in this field full-time. It was good until it wasn't. The pay wasn't great. I felt like I followed my passion to work with dogs but was paid on par with a veterinary assistant even though I was a Doctor of Physical Therapy. Here I was doing what I love but struggling financially and mentally. Listen to the full episode to hear the rest! Register for the marketing blueprint:https://www.k9ptacademy.com/marketing-blueprint Email me to meet up at Staar: francisco@thek9pt.com www.k9ptacademy.com hello@k9ptacademy.com
Virgo season is here and Antre'chelle Nova is letting you know as she joins host Raheel Ramzanali and Pulitzer Prize finalist Evan Mintz to recap the news. From the latest on who will run the city elections to STAAR testing trends impacting our kids, the trio break it all down on today's episode. Grace's 1.5 hour policy STAAR testing trends Houston, 5th worst for rats? El Bolillo Celebrates 25 years UTMB gets $2 million for gun violence research Harris County elections Beyoncé tickets are expensive $10k to redo your 21st birthday Looking for more Houston news? Then sign up for our morning newsletter Hey Houston Follow us on Instagram Have feedback or a show idea? Let us know! or leave us a voicemail/text us at +1 713-489-6972 with your thoughts, we love hearing from you! Interested in advertising with City Cast? Let's Talk! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How we measure success in Texas public schools? Right now, standardized testing and an A-F accountability system that assigns grades to campuses is used almost entirely to grade our schools. Accountability, and the transparency it brings, is essential. We need to make sure the 5.4 million students in Texas public schools are provided with the tools they need to eventually enter the workforce, and that taxpayer money is being put to good use. But what if we had a system that looked at more than how students do on one test on one day? What if we decided that what makes a “good school” goes beyond test scores and we evaluated how districts prepare students for life and career through things like early childhood education, dual language, fine arts, and extra-curricular programs? Or the many crucial resources public schools provide to ensure the well-being of their students, like meals, mental health services, and campus security?This is a wholly achievable idea — and one that had momentum and bipartisan support during the most recent legislative session. But, like so many other worthy public education issues, accountability and assessment reforms went down in the battle over private school vouchers during the 88th Session.In this episode, hear from Lori Rapp, Superintendent at Lewisville ISD; Jacqueline Martinex, Former 4th grade teacher at Canutillo ISD; Daniel Saenz, CEO of Nieto Technology Partners; Paola Gonzalez Fusilier, School Board Trustee at Pasadena ISD; and Dr. Libby Cohen, Senior Director of Advocacy at Raise Your Hand Texas, each discusses assessment and accountability from their unique perspectives.
Morgan Smith: You're listening to the Raise Your Hand Texas Intersect Ed Podcast where the stories of public education policy and practice meet. I'm your host Morgan Smith, and today, we're taking on a topic that has become a marquee fight of the 88th Legislature, private school vouchers. On one side, we have our state's two most powerful elected officials, Governor Greg Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who say every parent should get the freedom to decide how to use taxpayer money in educating their children. On the other, we have every public education advocacy group in the state, including Raise Your Hand Texas, who say that vouchers will do nothing but harm students, teachers, and communities.To help us dive in today we have superintendent Randy Burks of the Hamlin Independent School District, and Bob Popinski, the senior director of policy at Raise Your Hand Texas. Dr. Burks and Bob Popinski, thank you both so much for being here. So first, let's define what we're talking about. There are a lot of different terms we might have heard to describe vouchers, school choice, education savings accounts, and tax credit scholarships. It gets even more confusing because school choice is also used to describe the array of options already available to Texas public school students, like charter schools and magnet programs.Right now, a plan known as an education savings account is what's gaining the most traction at the legislature. The basic gist is that the state gives parents a certain amount of money, $8,000 in Senate Bill 8, the main bill that we're watching, to use for our private school tuition or other educational expenses. On its face, maybe this doesn't seem like a bad idea. Bob, is this proposal, the education savings account, is this a voucher?Bob Popinski: Don't be fooled. No matter what they call them, whether it's an education savings account or a tax credit scholarship, or a virtual voucher, they're all the same thing. Vouchers are a scheme that's used to divert public funds to private schools and vendors, and the keywords there are private schools and vendors, with no accountability, such as public schools have. And then they will continue to undermine traditional schools, including charter schools, in the future because those funds are taken from public schools to invest in our teachers, to invest in our students, and they're investing them into a program that has no accountability whatsoever. So it doesn't matter what you call them – education savings accounts, special education vouchers. They are bad public policy for the state of Texas.Morgan: Dr. Burks, your district is about 40 miles northwest of Abilene in Jones County, Texas. You've been a superintendent there for six years, though, you've worked in public education for more than four decades. Your district is rural and small, with just over 400 students and those students are primarily from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Give us a little sense for your community. What are you most proud of there? What are you struggling with?Dr. Randy Burks: Well, Hamlin was what might commonly be referred to in some circles of school finances as a CTD district –“circling the drain district,” declining enrollment and loss of some industry that was here previously, and so the district has seen better days definitely. And the city itself is probably typical of a lot of rural Texas, crumbling infrastructure and substandard housing is pretty common here. And, you know, I grew up in a background that's not too different from a lot of our kiddos. And so I really felt like I had something to offer the school and the community because I had a background in school finance.So we moved to a collegiate model early on in my time here, because we just felt like that, so many of our kiddos were struggling with finding a pathway that would be better than the pathway that they could see. They couldn't really envision a better life than what their parents had. So, we're a P-TECH school, early college high school, we have Montessori Elementary School, and we have college and career pathways available for our kiddos. And so we try lots of innovative things, and we fail fast and dust ourselves off when we do and get up and try again, because we think that's what's best for our kids and to help improve our school and, in essence, lift the community up as well as we move forward.Morgan: Now, it's no accident that we're featuring a superintendent from rural Texas today, because that is where Governor Abbott has decided to wage his fight for vouchers, too. Since the start of the legislative session, he's taken the pro-voucher message to the road, stopping at private schools in three to four towns a month around the state. Let's take a quick listen here to the Governor speaking at a private school in Tyler in March. Governor Abbott (audio from an “Education Freedom” March 2023 event in Tyler, TX): I cannot stand alone in getting this across the finish line. I need you standing with me, every step of the way, to make sure we empower parents to educate our kids, better than any state in America.Morgan: Dr. Burks, we just heard the emphasis on parental freedom as an argument for vouchers, and I want to get your thoughts on what that means for rural schools in a second. But Bob, first, can you give us an idea why we're seeing this strategy of targeting rural communities from the Governor? And as we're seeing the conversation evolve at the legislature, we're hearing more discussion about vouchers and special education students. What's the strategy here?Bob: I've always run up to a problem in rural school districts, and rural communities are the center of their communities. And, so what happens is, in the past, you've had Republicans and Democrats alike in the House stopping vouchers. There's an amendment offered, usually during the state budget debate that says, "Our public dollars cannot go towards private schools or vouchers." And that's typically what's known as the Representative Herrero Amendment. And that was a few weeks ago here in the Texas House and passed 87 to 51.And it's an important moment for the House because it sends a signal that we believe in our public schools. They keep saying that overwhelmingly, Texans believe in a voucher program. But I think what's actually happening out there is that Texans really don't know what a voucher program is. When you actually say, "Hey, if a private school or a private vendor actually takes public dollars, are they held accountable?". And in a recent Charles Butt Foundation poll put out at the beginning of the year, it says, “If private schools and private vendors actually take public dollars, what kind of accountability would you like to see?"And overwhelmingly, 88% said, "Yes, we'd love to see how they're actually spending our public dollars." "Yes," 84% said, "We want to see that they provide special education services to all students and not just a select group of students, and that you have to accept students with all special education needs, you have to follow the state curriculum guidelines, you have to administer state standardized tests, and you have to kind of accept all students, even if they have a discipline problem."And so overwhelmingly, when you look at Texans, whether they're from rural Texas or urban and suburban Texas, they want a voucher program that's held accountable underneath all of those standards. I think at that point, what you have is a public school system. And so I think we should take some time to invest in our public schools. Right now, public schools are funded $4,000 below the national average when it comes to per-student funding. We're $7,500 below the national average when it comes to teacher salary.And I think we need to kind of focus on that before we start spending a billion dollars on a voucher program that doesn't accept all students, and it even says within the bill, that parents have to be notified that private schools and vendors don't have to provide the same special education services, under state and federal law as public schools do. There's a lot to unwrap in here. And I think as more Texans actually understand the linkage of what's going on in this voucher program, the more they're pushing back against it.Morgan: And so we've seen that rural communities have been out of this firewall against vouchers in the past and this session, it seems even this main bill, SB8 that we're looking at, it includes a carve-out for rural schools as possibly a way of getting around this opposition that we've seen. And rural school districts like yours, Dr. Burks, they make up about 40% of Texas districts, they educate about 180,000 students in the state.Under SB 8, they would actually get paid if they lose any students to a voucher program. So currently, that amount is $10,000. So all in all, school districts under 20,000 students, the state would be paying $18,000 a year for five years for students to take part in this program. That's $8,000 that goes to the family and $10,000 to the school district. What would a program like this mean in your district, Dr. Burks?Randy: I would say first of all, things are really on a high note financially in Texas right now. And because I've done this for a long time, we know that there are lean years and there are prosperous years. And this is a time that the legislature has a lot of money at its disposal. So this sounds really good. And if you don't understand like Bob was saying, you may not understand all the moving parts here. But for them to commit $18,000, and the price tag that goes with that, at some point that's going to go away, it pulls money from what's available to us.And so I really am opposed to it. Now, we're rural, and it's going to be difficult for our folks to find a private school to attend. They would have to drive to Abilene. We, in fact, bus children from Abilene to our school, because of some of the things we're doing. We have such a high number of disadvantaged folks, and that micro-schools, and homeschooling and different things that pop up would probably pull some of our students for that. Those students are going to come back to us.If you've ever tried to teach a child to read or teach algebra, I believe that there are going to be some hardships created for parents, especially in rural communities where there's already chronic economic hardship and long work hours for parents, and many of them work two jobs or they're single parents. It would be very difficult for our folks to provide a good education for our kids, and they'll come back to us and then the consequences will be back on our shoulders to make sure that we catch them up and provide the high level of education that we already do. I think that the $10,000, it's a carrot for votes. And we'll just call that what it is. Bob: Morgan, if I can jump in there, too.Morgan: Sure.Bob: The bill is actually saying what those who are in favor of vouchers are kind of denying. They're saying "No, we're not going to defund our public schools. The money's going to be there for our kids." But what they're actually saying in the bill, is that, "For those right now, with 20,000 students or less, we're going to provide $10,000 and hold harmless money for you." And it started off as a two-year period, and on the Senate floor, they actually extended that to a five-year period. And so they're actually saying, "Yes, we understand that it's going to actually hurt our public schools, so we're going to hold you harmless for that five years, but we're only going to do it if you're under 20,000 students."For a majority of districts that have students above 20,000, they're not getting that hold harmless. So they're going to see an impact right away. Every time a student leaves a school district, and goes either to a private school or even a charter school that school district loses about on average $10,000. It could be a little bit higher in some districts, a little bit lower in others. But that $10,000, leaving the district means that they're going to have a hard time funding all of their staff, all of the teachers they need, to make sure that they can staff their classrooms properly. All of the folks driving the school buses and the cafeteria workers and all of the aides that help out. There's 375,000 teachers, there's another 200,000 or so staff around the state, and all of that will be impacted once you start diverting funds from public education.Morgan: You bring up a good point, Governor Abbott himself said in his State of the State address this year that even with a voucher program, public schools would remain fully funded. And then you have this provision in the bill that seems to conflict with that, because you're holding harmless the $10,000. I think that's a really good point to bring up. I want to shift back again to the special education services. Dr. Burks, we have a number of bills out there that are focused on vouchers for special education students. Can you talk a little bit about what services for special education are provided in your district?Randy: Well, we're required by law to provide services for all students that reside in our attendance zone. So we have a variety of needs – with learning disabilities, emotional issue – and we have to provide services for those kiddos. And we're happy to do so, but it is expensive to do so. I don't see that private schools are going to take on this responsibility. Now I have been in places where we have actually contracted with a private school for a particular student whose parent had a situation where they moved to our district but did not want to change for their student because of the emotional strain of that.There are isolated cases where that could happen. But, for the most part, we provide services for all of our students, whether that's residential placement, which costs us dearly, or to provide speech services, or the whole gamut of things that we provide for our kiddos. It's our responsibility, that's what public schools do. We take all the children who show up at our door, do our very best to provide a great education for them, whether they have special needs, or whether they're gifted and talented, or anywhere in between.Morgan: And you talk about you're required by law to provide these services. Bob, how would a special education voucher program be conducted to federal guidelines for special education students?Bob: Yeah, and every voucher bill moving through the process, there's provisions in there that clearly state, "You have to notify the parents that private schools and private vendors are not subject to the same federal or state laws regarding special education services in the same manner as public schools." That means they don't have to provide the same services, they don't have to actually accept or admit a special education student under any circumstances. And so they're spelling this out in the bill saying that private schools and vendors don't have to offer the same type of special education services. And so when we move forward, we just have to keep that in mind, and make sure we're doing what's best for all children in the state of Texas.Morgan: I want to talk about oversight for a second, we alluded to this earlier. But when taxpayer dollars start going to education expenses outside of the public school system, it's really hard to design a system that keeps track of how that money is spent. Bob, what accountability measures are attached to the voucher proposals at the legislature right now?Bob: Very little. Right now how these voucher proposals are set up, and we'll look at Senate Bill 8, as one of them. It is a $10,000 hold harmless for school districts that have students using the voucher, but it's an $8,000 voucher. But by the time the education organization that oversees it takes a 5% cut, and the Comptroller takes a 3% cut to oversee it, that amount is diminished. And the oversight that the Comptroller has is just an audit for compliance. They're not looking at student achievement or student progress. They don't have to compare them to the STAAR assessment or the A through F accountability rating system for our campuses and school districts.They don't have to have the same type of certification standards that our teachers do in our school districts. They don't have to follow the same financial integrity rating system that our school districts do. And they're not overseen by an elected body like all of our local school boards do. And so there really is no oversight for this, except for some compliance audits, and a provision that says you have to offer some sort of nationally norm-referenced test and be accredited by one of our state's private school accreditation services. But besides that, they don't have to fall under the same guidelines as our public schools by a long stretch.Morgan: And this brings us to the equity part of this issue, the beauty and the challenge of public schools is that they're required to take students from all backgrounds, regardless of religion, the color of their skin, whether they can or can't speak English, and students whose parents can't afford to feed them breakfast or lunch. All of those students are welcomed at a public school. Dr. Burks, talk a little bit about public school versus private school when it comes to equity.Randy: Well, if they're school age, we serve them regardless of their academic ability, disability, or socioeconomic status. In fact, we take early head start down to three-year-olds, we even have two-year-olds. We feel like we have to intervene as soon as we can, because they're going to come to our school at some point. Private schools just aren't held to that standard. They don't take all of them, and they're not required to make accommodations. They have an acceptance process – and it is a stringent process.And we hear stories all the time about students who maybe go to a private school, and then they get excluded or sent back to their public school because they had too many tardies, or because they didn't follow the rules. It becomes a screening process for the best and the brightest, who will leave [our public schools]. And, it will not do any favors to public education, whether it's in rural or in urban areas.Bob, when you describe the standards that the private schools would be held to, a national norm-referenced test and some, good financial bookkeeping, it sounds like the way public schools were when I went to school, where there was a lot of local control, and school districts still provided a very good education for kiddos without all of those strings attached to the dollars.And I also have a concern that we're still talking about a static amount of money and some window of time here. And when the dollar amount that goes to private schools, we know that over a very short period of time, the tuition at those private schools is going to increase at least to the amount of the voucher. And so I would say to you that over time, that amount is going to increase because it's still not going to cover the amount and this is just going to be the camel's nose under the tent, and it's going to continue to balloon, if you will.Morgan: So right now we're in the crunch time of the legislative session. The Senate has passed out a voucher bill, SB 8. Meanwhile, the House has passed its budget with a provision that would prevent public money from being spent on private schools, which seemingly would mean that SB 8 or any other voucher proposal wouldn't have the votes to make it out of the House. Bob, what does that mean for vouchers this session? Is it stead?Bob: Even after multiple bills have been heard this session, both in the Senate Education Committee and the House Public Education Committee, there continues to be more bills heard on Education Savings Accounts, specifically for special education students. And so as more bills move through the process than ever before with the six weeks left, there's a lot of vehicles out there for Education savings accounts, for vouchers, for virtual vouchers to be heard and advanced through the legislative process. So it's incredibly important when the House debated the Herrero Amendment during the state budget process, that says they are not willing to accept a voucher program this legislative session. With that being said, as I mentioned, there's a lot of time left, and a lot of legislative vehicles that can move this type of legislation forward. So you have to remain vigilant. Morgan: Well, we're going to have to end here today. Dr. Randy Burks and Bob Popinski, thank you again for being with us. And thanks to you, our audience, for listening. Today's episode was written by me, Mogan Smith. Our sound engineer is Brian Diggs. And our executive producer is Anne Lasseigne Tiedt. To stay informed on vouchers and other critical education issues as the session progresses, you can sign up online for Raise Your Hand Texas Across the Lawn weekly newsletter, at www.raiseyourhandtexas.orgget-involved. To receive text alerts that will allow you to join Raise Your Hand in taking action at key moments this legislative session, text RAISEMYHAND, all one word, to 40649. Thank you for standing up for our Texas public school students.
Yes and no signs proliferate in San Antonio over Prop A. What’s behind the city’s so-called justice charter? In Kyle, a corrections officer indicted in the shooting death of a person awaiting trial, and a family’s struggle to find answers. Taking the STAAR tests online. Should there still be a paper option? A push for […]
Hello everyone! Welcome to a special episode of Teach Me, Teacher focused completely on the new Texas STAAR short constructed response item type. Here at Teach Me, Teacher, we know testing isn't the be all end all, but it is a reality, and one we must prepare students for. To tackle this task and hopefully support you, I have collaborated with Pam Ochoa, my co-host of Craft & Draft. In this episode, Pam Ochoa shares how she is addressing the new short constructed responses on the STAAR test, required from the redesigned. She discusses the two different types of short constructed responses, one for reading and one for revision and editing. She explains how she is teaching the students how to answer the STAAR short constructed responses, while maintaining a workshop environment. This episode can be heard in FULL on the Patreon, along with hours of bonus episodes never heard before, and bonus training videos not found anywhere else. Whether you are or not in Texas, some of the principles Jacob and Pam address will work beyond the test prompt and are applicable for other types of writing as well. Join Jacob and Pam as they answer a Craft & Draft listener's question about the short constructed response. May it help you address these types of questions in your workshop! This episode is sponsored by Heinemann—the leading publisher of professional books and resources for educators—and their professional book, Textured Teaching: A Framework for Culturally Sustaining Practices by Lorena Escoto Germán. With Culturally Sustaining Practice as its foundation, Textured Teaching helps secondary teachers stop wondering and guessing how to implement teaching and learning that leads to social justice. Lorena Germán shares her framework for creating a classroom environment that is highly rigorous and engaging, and that reflects the core traits of Textured Teaching: student-driven and community-centered, interdisciplinary, experiential, and flexible. The actionable strategies Lorena uses to bring Textured Teaching values to life illuminate what is possible when we welcome all types of texts, all types of voices, and all forms of expression into the classroom. Learn more about how to become a culturally sustaining educator. Visit Heinemann.com to download a sample from Textured Teaching.
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