Low Scores = Poor Teachers

What a great vacation in the Outer Banks! Now, back to business.

If you look at the website links on the right, you will notice that I added two: Kids Count and The Broader, Bolder Approach to Education. Both are places that a teacher ought to visit. They speak to a question that we all have asked, “Who says it’s the teacher’s fault for low TAKS scores? “

First, visit Broader, Bolder Approach. Read the home page, then click on Read the Full Statement. Take your time to browse. You will find a comprehensive, research-based discussion about what we must do to improve our children’s education from a national perspective. It requires understanding and acting on the association between social and economic inequities and low student achievement. It shows what we as teachers already know, that school improvement alone is not the answer.

Next, visit the Kids Count site of the Center for Public Policy Priorities by clicking KIDS COUNT on the menu bar. This is a great site for information and, more importantly, data that shows the correlation in Texas between low socioeconomic issues and the disadvantages those create for our students. This site does not speak to education alone, but provides good information on all social and economic issues that affect Texas families.