Education

We need to get real about education…

Studies show that:

• 50% of DISD students will drop out of high school without graduating
• 65% of those who graduate will not complete college
• Texas ranks 3rd in the nation in teen pregnancies and is 50% higher than the national average
• We have a serious problem with violence and gang involvement
• 50% of our prison population has learning differences

Is DISD achieving their mission:  “to prepare all students to graduate with the knowledge and skills to become productive and responsible citizens.”  and keeping their commitment “to educate and graduate students ready for college”?

The answer is: for some. DISD has some very good schools and some very good programs.  By all accounts, students overall are performing better than before (test scores are up, more kids are passing, school ratings by the Texas Education Agency continue to improve). That’s a good start, but are we willing to settle for test scores as the only measure of our success?

We need to continue academic improvements and college readiness programs. We also need to develop programs that will prepare the majority of students (those who won’t complete college) for the real world.

I WILL WORK FOR:

• programs and practices to recognize and address learning differences in early childhood (PRE-K and Kindergarten).
• a focus on the basics (reading, writing, arithmetic) in the early years to provide a solid foundation for all children.
• a good trade school program that trains the non college-bound student for the job market
• schools for adult students , with classes available at night.
• leadership development programs and “community classes” in every school to help channel kids in positive directions.
• continuing our vanguard and magnet schools, and creating that environment in all our schools.
• educating future rocket scientists and future electricians.