1. RESPONSIBILITY:
10% OF THE NATION’S
CHILDREN
5 MILLION
STUDENTS
Raise Your Hand Texas

2. A Consultant’s Nightmare
 Unlike smaller, less diverse countries with national
education systems, the United States has a highly
decentralized system of education. We value local control.
 With that, there comes high variability in results among the
more than 13,000 school districts serving close to 50
million students.
 Texas alone has 1,030 school districts.
 The 17 largest districts serve over 28% of all students.
 The 477 smallest districts enroll fewer than 500 students
each and serve 2.5% of all students.
Sources: Digest of Education Statistics 2009, NCES, April 2010
http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d09/tables_2.asp
Pocket Edition 2008-09, Texas Public School Statistics, TEA
Public Elementary and Secondary School Student Enrollment and Staff From the Common Core of Data: 2008-09
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2010347
2007 U.S. Census of Governments
http://www.census.gov/govs/cog/GovOrgTab03ss.html
2009 Accountability System State Summary, TEA December 2009
2

3. State of the State
 4.7 million students are enrolled in Texas public
schools.
 About 200,000 Texas students are home-schooled.
 246,030 Texas students are in private schools.
 From fall 1996 to fall 2006, enrollment in U.S. public
schools increased 8.1 percent. At the same time, Texas
public school enrollment increased 20.1 percent – an
increase of almost three-quarters of a million new
students.
 Students in Texas public schools comprise over 10.4%
of all public school students in the U.S.
 Texas is 2nd in the nation (behind California) in student enrollment.Sources: School Data Direct; 2008-09 Academic Excellence Indicator System State Report;
Texas Home School Coalition and the National Home Education Research Institution;
Texas Private School Directory, Education Bug, Educational Resources;
Rankings & Estimates, NEA Research, December 2009; Enrollment in Texas Public Schools 2008-09, TEA,
November 2009
3

4. California and Texas:
Largest Numbers of Public School
Students4
TEXAS CALIFORNIA
# of School Districts 1,030 1,042
Total Population 24,782,302 36,961,664
Public School Student
Enrollment
4,728,204 6,322,528
Sources: CCD, 2008-09
NCES, 2008-09
http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=uspopulation&met=population&idim=state:06000&dl=en&hl=en&q=what+is+total+population
+of+ca

5. Changing Demographics
The ethnic composition of both the U.S. and Texas populations has shifted
dramatically, with Hispanic enrollment in Texas projected to be the majority within the
next five years.
5
1995 Projected 2015
Source: Pocket Edition 1994-95, Texas Education Agency
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/pocked/95/index.html
Projected Public Elementary and Secondary School Enrollment in 2005-2040, Office of the State
32%
12%
52%
47%
14%
36%
Anglo
Black
Hispanic
Other

6. Pursuing an Education Pays Off
6
Educational Attainment October 2010 Unemployment
Rate1
Less than a high school diploma 15.3%
High school graduates, no college 10.1%
Some college or associate degree 8.5%
Bachelor’s degree and higher 4.7%
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Economic News Release. See Table A-4: Employment status of
the civilian population 25 years and over by educational attainment.
1 Seasonally adjusted.

7. Four-year Graduation Rates
7
Source: Class of 2008 Graduation Rates, Texas Education Agency; enrollment from 2009-10
68 65
86
81
74
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Five Largest Urban Districts, by enrollment

8. Graduation Rates for Males are
Lower8
District White Male African American
Male
Hispanic Male
SAN ANTONIO
ISD
66.7 49.0 57.0
DALLAS ISD 69.7 57.2 59.1
HOUSTON ISD 82.2 62.4 57.9
FORT WORTH ISD 86.8 64.4 72.1
AUSTIN ISD 87.1 64.0 60.9
Source: Secondary School Completion and Dropouts, 2007-08, page x.
Females in the class of 2008 had a higher graduation rate (81.4%) than males
(76.8%).
There is significant variation in graduation rates by ethnicity for males.

9. The Bush School at A&M says the cost of a
dropout …
9
 In Texas, the costs for only one class of
students statewide1 who fail to graduate on-time
are estimated to be between $5.4 and $9.6
billion.
 This estimate was obtained as follows:
$5.0 to $9.0 billion (decrease in gross state product due to lost earnings)
+ $1.0 to $1.8 billion (increase demand on Texas welfare & criminal justice system)
$6.0 to $10.8 billion
– $0.6 to $1.14 billion (cost to keep students in school to earn a HS diploma)
$5.4 to $9.6 billion1Projected as between 40,519 and 73,692 students for the Class of 2012.
Source: The ABCD’s of Texas Education: Assessing the Benefits and Costs of Reducing the Dropout Rate
Bush School of Government and Public Service, 2009

10. How are we doing?
10
88 88
96
87
71
78
90
76
66
70
89
68
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
African
American
Hispanic White Econ. Disadv.
PercentPassing
2009 Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills
(sum of all grades tested)
Reading
Math
Science
Source: Pocket Edition 2008-09, Texas Public School Statistics, TEA

11. Indicators of Postsecondary
Readiness
 Texas ranks 45th out of 50
states in SAT scores in
2009.
 College admissions test
results tend to be lower
when higher percentages
of students take the test.
 The Texas ACT composite
score reached an all-time high
of 20.8 out of a possible 36.
This score trails the national
score, which is 21.1.
 Confirming what Texas
Assessment of Knowledge and
Skills results show, our students
are less prepared for math and
science classes. 44% of the
students in the Class of 2009
are ready for college algebra
and 26% are ready for college
biology.
11
2009 SAT Results 2009 ACT Results
Sources: http://www.act.org/news/data/09/pdf/output/ACT_Texas_Output.pdf
http://blog.bestandworststates.com/2009/08/25/state-sat-scores-2009.aspx

12. Results of International Assessments
12
 The 2006 administration of the Program for
International Student Assessment (PISA)
found that:
 U.S. 15-year-olds’ average scores were in the
bottom quarter of the thirty OECD (Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development)
countries.
 U.S. 15-year-olds are not as successful in
applying scientific and mathematics knowledge
and skills to real-world tasks as their peers in
most other OECD countries.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, U. S. Performance Across International Assessments of
Student Achievement, 2009 [http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/2009083.pdf]

13. Rankings by Country & Time in
School13
Rank
(2006 PISA
Math)1
Country Number of School Days
per year2
Average Instructional
Hours
per year3
1 Finland 190 777
2 South Korea 220 867
3 Netherlands 200 1,000
4 Switzerland 228 1,130
5 Canada 188 925
6 Japan 243 868
7 New Zealand 194 988
8 Australia 205 937
9 Belgium 220 960
10 Denmark 210 930
25 United States 180 997Sources: 12006 Data Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Program for International Student Assessment
(PISA), 2006 http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d09/tables/dt09_402.asp
2Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003
3Education at a Glance: 2010, OECD Indicators (Table: D1)
NCES, Education Indicators: An International Perspective (Table 24)

14. Teacher Pool Statistics
 Top-performing school systems recruit
teachers from the top third of college
graduates.
 South Korea recruits from top 5%.
 Finland recruits from top 10%.
 Singapore and Hong Kong recruit from top
30%.
 The majority of United States teachers come
from the bottom third of SAT scores for high
school graduates.Source: McKinsey & Company, How the World’s Best-Performing School Systems Come Out on
Top, September 2007
14

15. Teacher Pool Statistics
 Teaching is attracting better-
qualified people than it did just a
few years ago.
 Prospective teachers from 2002-05
scored higher on their SATs and
earned higher grades in college
than their counterparts in the mid-
1990’s.
Source: Report Finds Better Scores in New Crop of Teachers, Sam Dillon, New York Times,
December 12, 2007
15

16. Texas Salary Trends by
Occupation16
$59,398
$87,068
$69,088
$64,012
$0
$10,000
$20,000
$30,000
$40,000
$50,000
$60,000
$70,000
$80,000
$90,000
$100,000
Entry Level Wage Median Wage Experienced Wage
Teacher
Loan Officer
Insurance
Sales Agents
Firefighter
Source: Texas Workforce Commission http://www.texasindustryprofiles.com/apps/win/eds.php?compare=0&page=0
A career teacher has the lowest increase in pay over time.

17.  It’s popular today to blame the public
schools for less than desirable results
but an assessment is incomplete
without recognizing that many schools
inherit an over-entertained, distracted
student body, disinclined to pursue
scholarship in a serious way. The idea
that “we’ve got it made and can coast”
is pervasive throughout our culture.
17

18. Increase in Single Parent
Households
 In 1970, 5 percent of U.S. households were
headed by single parents.
 Now – almost forty years later – that number
has increased to 9 percent*.
Source: http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/families_households/cb07-46.html
*12.9 million families
18

19. Three Wake-Up Calls…
19
 1955: Why Johnny Can’t Read and What You Can Do About It, by
Rudolf Flesch
 Best seller that stunned the country with its description of a 12-year-old who
suffered from being “exposed to an ordinary American school”.
 1957: Sputnick
 The first of the Russian Sputnick Program, Sputnik1, launched on October 4,
1957 the first human-made object to orbit the Earth.
 1983: A Nation At Risk
 1983 report of President Ronald Reagan’s National Commission on
Excellence in Education.
Americans have failed to heed any of these wake-
up
calls with an in-depth, effective response.

20. What are we doing about it?20

21. Reform Organizations: Leading the
Charge
21
 Annenberg Institute for School Reform – “Conducts research…and
shares its work through print and Web publications.”
 Bellwether Education Partners – “National nonprofit organization
dedicated to accelerating the achievement of low-income students by
cultivating…a community of effective and sustainable change agents in
public education reform.”
 Coalition of Essential Schools (CES) – Network of hundreds of public
schools founded on ten principles of excellent school culture and quality.
 Communities in Schools – Within the public school system, determines
student needs and establishes relationships with community agents to
provide needed resources.
 Democrats for Education Reform – “a political action committee whose
mission is to encourage a more productive dialogue within the Democratic
Party on the need to fundamentally reform American public education.”
 Green Dot – Los Angeles-based charter management organization
“leading the charge to transform public education…so that all children
receive the education they need to be successful.”

22. Reform Organizations: Leading the
Charge
22
 KIPP – “A national network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory
public schools dedicated to preparing students in underserved communities
for success in college and in life.”
 New Leaders for New Schools – Trains and supports outstanding
principals for underserved urban public schools
 Teach for America (TFA) – Recruits recent college graduates to teach for
two years in public schools in underserved areas
 Teach for All – A “spin-off” of TFA; a network of TFA-like organizations over
many nations in the world, including Brazil, China, the U.K. and others.
 The New Teacher Project (TNTP) – Creates high-quality alternative routes
to certification programs to bring accomplished teachers to hard-to-staff
urban schools.
 The Wallace Foundation – Supports and shares ideas to improve
education opportunities. Currently interested in educational leadership and
teacher recruitment.
 YES Prep – Houston-based Charter management organization that works
to “increase the number of low-income Houstonians who graduate from a
four-year college.” Operates eight campuses.

23. Distinguishing Facts About
Charters
 Public schools must provide 180 days of instruction per school year.
 Charters have discretion to determine the length of their school year.
 High performing charters (KIPP and YES Prep) spend up to 220 days in
school.
 Public schools must provide a 7 hour day.
 Top charter schools require students to be in school for at least 9 hours.
 Public schools require teachers to hold a Bachelors degree and be
certified.
 Charter schools have more flexibility in the required certifications to hire
teachers (except for special education and bilingual education teachers).
 Public schools have contractual limitations to hire and fire staff.
 Open-enrollment charters can hire and fire teachers and administrators at will.Source: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/charter/faqs/faq.html
23

24. Successful Charters in Texas
 In 2009, a few charter operators had the most
schools receiving the highest two ratings under
the accountability system.
 HARMONY: 11 Exemplary, 6 Recognized
campuses
 IDEA Academy: 3 Exemplary, 4 Recognized
campuses
 KIPP: 5 Exemplary, 11 Recognized campuses
 YES Preparatory: 5 Exemplary campuses
 19 Charters with one campus were rated
Exemplary
Source: 2009 Accountability System State Summary, TEA November 2009
24

25. Unsuccessful Charters in Texas
 In 2009, a higher proportion of Charter Schools
are rated Academically Unacceptable than
public schools:
 10.5% (46 of 437) of charter schools are rated
Academically Unacceptable
 2.5% (199 of 7,885) of public schools are rated
Academically Unacceptable
Source: 2009 Accountability System State Summary, TEA November 2009
25

26. Summary of Results
Source: 2009 Accountability System State Summary, TEA November 2009
26
5.8
0.9
47.1
20.9
16.6
38.7
23.5
31.7
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Open-enrollment
Charters
Traditional Public
Schools
Exemplary
Recognized
Acceptable
Unacceptable
2010 Accountability Ratings

27. This is just a small slice.
We need better leadership at the school
board level. School boards in low income
areas often have a limited pool of
candidates from which to draw.
We need state policymakers that view
education as an investment, not a cost.
27

28. SCHOOL GOVERNANCE: An International
Look
28

29. School Governance
Brazil: Municipalities are responsible for establishing
and regulating schools, using funding provided by
the Federal Government.
China: The administration over the basic education
schools has been delegated to the local
government, where the local municipality, districts
(counties) and villages (townships) jointly manage
the schools.
England: Local education authorities have
responsibility of all state schools in their area:
funding for the schools, allocate the number of
places available at each school and employ all
teachers. There are currently 150 local education
authorities in England. School boards were
abolished in 1902. More local control is part of the
newly formed DE’s plans with the establishment of
Free Schools.
Finland: The municipalities administer 97% of all
basic-education-level schools. The municipality,
being the schooling provider, allocates financing to
individual schools. Steering is conducted through
legislation, norms and national curricula. Schools
and teachers enjoy large autonomy.
29
Sources:
http://portal.mec.gov.br/index.html (Translated from the Portuguese by Google) http://english.mest.go.kr/
http://www.moe.edu.cn/english/laws_e.htm http://www.oph.fi/english/education
http://www.education.gouv.fr/ (Translated from the French by Google) http://www.russianenic.ru/english/rus/index.html
http://www.education.nic.in/ http://www.education.gov.uk/
France: School councils, comprised of various local
elected and appointed officials, “provide advice
and suggestions” for the school’s operation and
meet quarterly.
India: Some effort has been made to increase
community involvement but varies greatly by
state. Elected parent bodies (School
Development and Monitoring Committees
SDMCs) consist of 9 elected parent
representatives. Their powers include: scrutinize
finances of the schools; auction crops grown in
the school lands; and use government funds to
buy materials required for the school.
Russia: Education is regulated by municipal bodies
within their jurisdictions, which report to the
Ministry of Education and Science.
Kindergartens are operated by regional and local
authorities, but not by the Ministry.
South Korea: School districts (city- or county-
based), are governed by school boards, elected
by individual school councils. Board size is
limited to a minimum of 7 and maximum of 15
members. Members have a four-year term limit,
and must have at least 10 years of education
administration experience.

30. EDUCATION: An Investment or a Cost?30

31. Texas School Finance
31
 Public education is the “greatest single activity” funded
by the state of Texas:
 $35 billion of General Revenue (43.7%) is appropriated for
public education in the 2010-11 biennium.
 There is wide variation among per-pupil spending for
Texas school districts.
 Star ISD = $3,613 per weighted average daily attendance (WADA)
 Westbrook ISD = $12,725 per WADA
 Texas school finance has been the source of ongoing litigation
since 1984. One of the landmark outcomes has been the “Robin
Hood” system, which attempts to achieve equitable funding by
redistributing funds from wealthier to poorer school districts.
Source: 2010-11 Fiscal Size Up, Legislative Budget Board
http://www.lbb.state.tx.us/Fiscal_Size-up/Fiscal%20Size-up%202010-11.pdf
Texas Education Agency, 2008-09 Target Revenue

32. Per Student Expenditures
$0
$2,500
$5,000
$7,500
$10,000
$12,500
$15,000
$17,500
$9,036
$10,190
Texas
U.S.
 Texas is 38th in the U.S. in expenditures per student.
Source: Rankings & Estimates, NEA Research, December 2009
In 2008-09, per-pupil expenditures ranged from a high of $17,638 in District of Columbia to $5,912 in
Utah. The median value was $9,979.
32

33. According to the Bush School at
A&M…
33
 For every $1 invested in high quality pre-k, at least
$3.50 is returned to Texas communities.
 More than 1 in 5 Texas children grow up in poverty.
 Approximately 400,000 four-year-olds live in Texas.
 200,000 four-year-olds are eligible for public pre-
kindergarten.
 Of those four-year-olds eligible for public pre-k:
 1/3 are enrolled in full-day pre-k.
 2/3 are enrolled in half-day pre-k.
Sources: Bush School of Government & Public Service, A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Universally-Accessible
Pre-Kindergarten Education in Texas (2006)
US Census Population Estimates (2008)
Personal Communication from Kara Johnson, president and CEO, Texas Early Childhood Coalition

34. Early Childhood Education: Texas
34
 Participating in high-quality pre-kindergarten
increases high school graduation rates by as
much as 44 percent.
 Texas meets only 4 of the 10 standards for a
quality pre-k program.
 Three out of four Texans believe pre-k should be
fully funded for all students, regardless of income.
Sources: School or the Streets: Crime and America’s Dropout Crisis, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2008
The State of Pre-school in 2009, National Institute for Early Education Research, 2009
Texas Early Childhood Education Coalition

35. Strength in Schools. Strength in
Texas.
www.raiseyourhandtexas.org
Raise Your Hand Texas35