One Of The Nation’s Largest School Districts Has Been Taken Over By State Officials
State government officials will take over the Houston Independent School District in June due to poor academic performance.
The Houston Independent School District, with around 20,000 students, is set to be taken over by state government officials. This takeover will be implemented later this year in June, with the Texas Education Agency creating a management board to begin running the Texas School District. The takeover is said to be happening to make sure that certain changes are made, as many schools in the districts have low academic ratings.
This state takeover of the largest Texas School District has parents and many people worried. Most schools operate under the management of a locally appointed board. Many people are wondering if this could lead to a domino effect of state-appointed officials taking over school districts nationwide.
As the state is taking over this Texas School District, and if others end up being taken over too, the state has the power to just shut down schools. Schools with lower academic performance have a much greater chance of getting shut down. The other option for a school that has been taken over would be for a state-appointed management team to begin managing the district.
The reason why a state-appointed team would take over Texas School Districts is so that there is better management of academic performance. Additionally, education officials are looking to enforce necessary measures to guarantee schools are operating at a certain standard. Some of the schools writhing the Houstons School District have received low academic ratings for several years in a row, so officials believe the takeover is necessary and should have actually happened in 2019.
America is currently facing an education crisis, and the takeover of the largest Texas school district sends even greater signals for alarm. What is really going on inside schools? Another question that comes to mind is what is actually being done to empower teachers and educators versus stressing them and placing an undue amount of pressure on them.
One of the major problems that Texas School Districts and schools all across the country face is lack of funding. The majority of funding for public education comes from state and local government sources, And most districts are lacking. When there are inadequate funds, there are inadequate materials and not enough teachers, which all results in an education that is lacking.
In addition to a lack of funding, most school districts, including Texas school districts, are focused on the end result of things like state test scores. While the main goal should be to provide the best education to all students with knowledge in all the necessary areas, it is important to realize that everyone learns differently. State officials might consider looking at what they require of teachers and consider how they can better support them as educators.
Test scores are important, but it is not the end all be all. Teachers should be able to create a flexible school curriculum that best supports their students. The current operating system and specifications set out by the state do not appear to do any of that.
As many state takeovers of school districts have failed in the past, it’s hard to predict the outcome of the current situation in Texas. Perhaps the takeover of the Houston Texas School District will lead to significant changes that actually benefit students and educators. Prior to the takeover, the last year and a half have been a period of positive change for the district, so one can hope that will continue.
