Blog Stage Two

On August 31, 2012 the Texas Tribune published an article, "For Some Texas Schools, Demographic Future is Now."  

        I believe this article is worth reading because it addresses the issues in the Texas public education system, the importance of a solid education system, and gives ideas on how to improve it.  In the year two thousand and eleven Texas hit two educational landmarks.  Hispanics made up the majority of public school students and legislature did not finance the growth in enrollment in state schools.  These two combined will really hit Texas schools hard since it is predicted that by 2050 there will be nine million students in Texas public schools and right now around sixty percent of Texas students are economically disadvantaged.  Many of these students who are economically disadvantaged are Hispanic students. Statistics show that this population of students is less likely to graduate high school and the ones who do are ill prepared for college.  This is bad news for Texas because the future of Texas is tied to the minority and the younger population.  Yet, this article shows that there is hope for those kinds of students. The Laredo school district, a school district where nearly all students are poor and Hispanic, has already created a new solution to this problem.  The Laredo ISD has raised graduation rates by encouraging students to wear their favorite college shirts to class, making teachers familiar with issues students face outside of school, and partnering with the local community college so students can gain college credit while in high school. The goal of this program is to change the expectations that the students had for themselves and to show them that what situation they were born into does not have to be their lot in life.  This article is a worthwhile read because it relates directly to the education crisis that Texas is facing today due to the 2011 budget cuts that severely reduced public education financing.  People need to realize that Texas is full of younger, not older, individuals who need to be educated to ensure the success of the next generation.