Creating a New Vision for Public Education in Texas

Creating a New Vision for
Public Education in Texas
Who, What and Why
Common Goal:
Make public schools better for all Texas
children
Current Status:
• Compliance
• Sanctions
• One size fits all
• Diminished local control
• Bureaucratic
• Accountable to legislature, not parents
& community

Values/Direction
• Where are we
headed?
• Do we like the
direction we are
taking?
• What beliefs are
compelling us?
• How would we
describe the future
we seek (vision)?
Resources, Speakers, and
Facilitators
• Phil Schlechty
• Lauren Resnick/Judy Johnson
• Doug Reeves
• Ian Jukes/Ted McCain
• Michael Fullan
• Marc Prensky
• Milton Chen
• John Horn

Major Conceptual Themes
• A New Direction Now
• Engaging the Digital Generation
• New Learning Standards for a New Era
• Unleashing the Power of Assessment “For”
Learning
• Moving from Accountabalism to Accountability
that Inspires
• Transforming Schools into Learning
Organizations
• Communities Taking Back their Schools
New System,
New Culture,
New Structures

Six Statements of Principle
1. The New Digital Learning Environment
2. The New Learning Standards
3. Assessments for Learning
4. Accountability for Learning
5. Organizational Transformation
6. A More Balanced
and Re-Invigorated
State/Local Partnership
Article I: The New Digital Learning
Environment

Prensky reports that:
• Students have to “power-down” when they
come to school!
Article I – The New Digital
Learning Environment
• Digitization-miniaturizationglobalization
• New digital tools
• Social networking
• “Any place, any pace, any time”
now possible
• Access to information
now open to all
• Creation of knowledge by
students

Article II: The New Learning
Standards
Profound
Learning
Student
Engagement
Learning for the
21 st Century
Multiple
Intelligences
Article III: Assessments for
Learning

Article III – Assessments for
Learning
• Three levels:
• Classroom - impact
on student effort
• Program - effectiveness
• Institutional - accountability
• Less reliance on
standardized tests
• More use of performances,
portfolios, exams, and
demonstrations
• Sampling techniques -
external reviewers for
graduates
Article IV: Accountability for
Learning
• Comprehensive accountability
systems are essential for
achieving improved
performance.
• Accountability provisions
should be based on multiple
measures.
• Accountability systems should
not be based on the “lowest
common denominator” for a
campus or district.

Article V: Organizational
Transformation
Article V – Organizational
Transformation
• Moving from bureaucracies
to learning organizations
• Schools are places where
students want to be
and adults want to work
• Culture and structure
that support a focus on
student engagement
• Less reliance on power and authority

Article VI: A More Balanced and Re-
Invigorated State/Local Partnership
Article VI – A More Balanced &
Reinvigorated State/Local
Partnership
• Public Education is:
• a local function,
• a state responsibility, and
• a federal concern
(Schools cannot be run from Austin
and Washington without
standardization and the debilitating
bureaucracies remote control requires.)
• Schools & boards must build their
communities - ownership &
connectivity
• Community alliances - essential for
serving all

Legislative Initiatives Required
• Revise current curriculum specifications
to frameworks for new learning standards.
• Transform the assessment system to one
of multiple types of assessments with a
primary focus on informing instruction.
• Transform the Texas Education Code from
overly prescriptive regulations and
practices imposed on schools to a
streamlined compendium of major policies
that support new learning standards.
Legislative Initiatives Required cont.
• Transform the accountability system from
one based primarily on standardized test
scores with counterproductive high-stakes
to a system based on inspirational
standards.
• Transform the Texas Education Agency as a
compliance organization to one that
provides leadership and technical
assistance to school districts.

Kudos to School Leaders!!
Gallup Poll 2008:
In your opinion, who should the next president rely on
most for advice about education policy?
education leaders, political leaders, or
business leaders
Responses:
• Education leaders………………77%
• Political leaders………………… 4%
• Business leaders……………….14%
• Don’t know……………………... 5%
--- 40th Annual PDK/Gallup Poll, September 2008
Goal of Visioning Institute
• To create conversations
about issues raised in
the document that will
lead to strategic actions
at the local and state
level to bring about an
improved education
system for Texas
students.

Creating a New Vision for
Public Education in Texas
http://www.tasanet.org/files/visioning/visioningfinal.pdf
District Tax Rate
Tax Rate History
$1.80
$1.60
$1.40
$1.20
$1.00
$0.80
$0.60
$0.40
$0.20
$-
$1.50
$1.33
$1.02 $1.04
2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09
Tax Rate

District Total Revenues Per WADA
TOTAL REVENUES PER WADA
6,800
6,400
6,000
5,600
5,200
4,800
4,400
4,000
320
323 294 292
271
107
220 224 229
5,416 5,416 5,416 5,416 5,416
OTHER STATE
REVENUE
TAX REVENUE
RETAINED
STATE TARGET
REVENUES PER
WADA
3,600
Actual
2006-07
Estimated
2007-08
Budget
2008-09
Projected
2009-10
Projected
2010-11