Beyond the Letter: The Real Consequences of Texas’ A–F School Grading System
State-issued grades may reduce schools to a single letter, but the real story of student success is written in opportunity, access, and community. More than 10 years ago, I had a health scare. I had visited my primary care doctor for routine blood work, and a heart murmur was detected among other potential concerns related […]
San Antonio’s Oldest High School Is New Again
One decade ago, San Antonio’s original high school, the downtown Fox Tech (originally opened as Old Main High School in 1882) hit a historic low enrollment of 353 students. Student enrollment had been falling from its high point in the mid 2000’s, when it served 1,700 students, rivaling San Antonio Independent School District’s largest high […]
It’s Up to Us: How San Antonio Can Secure the Future of Public Education
The past few weeks I have been knocking on doors for my husband, who is running for school board in the San Antonio Independent School District. I am a politically active citizen, so this is not my first time knocking on doors. But honestly, in recent races, I have become dispirited about the state of […]
Texas School Vouchers Are a Threat—But Could They Force Us to Rethink School Accountability?
School vouchers are coming to Texas. I work in public education, and am distraught about the financial implications for the state’s public schools, which are underfunded and serve more than 90 percent of Texas students, or 300,000 young people in Bexar County alone. As painful as it is for me, given the fact that I […]