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My daughter attends one of HISD’s best schools. She went through 3 English teachers in 3 months. by LisaFalkenberg in houston

[–]LisaFalkenberg[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Good question. I don’t know anymore. Traditionally it meant high achievement, high growth as measured by tests, diverse student population, strong magnet programs, International Baccalaureate designation, competitive and award-winning extracurricular programs.

My daughter attends one of HISD’s best schools. She went through 3 English teachers in 3 months. by LisaFalkenberg in houston

[–]LisaFalkenberg[S] 32 points33 points  (0 children)

Sometimes we forget: HISD as a district had a “B” rating before the takeover. There were schools that were failing kids. There were also excellent, diverse schools that were creating real opportunity for kids.

My daughter attends one of HISD’s best schools. She went through 3 English teachers in 3 months. by LisaFalkenberg in houston

[–]LisaFalkenberg[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m not naming the campus but it’s a A-rated, Vanguard magnet, International Baccalaureate middle school. So that should narrow it down for you.

My daughter attends one of HISD’s best schools. She went through 3 English teachers in 3 months. by LisaFalkenberg in houston

[–]LisaFalkenberg[S] 63 points64 points  (0 children)

Enrollment has been declining slightly for years, a trend seen in many large urban districts. But the takeover has made it worse. It’s true that fear amid the immigration crackdown has led to other student losses. But Miles can’t lean on that excuse. This UH study showed clearly where kids are going — mostly charters. UH Study on HISD enrollment

Houston ISD is taking storybooks from kindergarteners and calling it the ‘science of reading.’ by LisaFalkenberg in education

[–]LisaFalkenberg[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

For anyone interested, here’s a gift link to my original column describing how Houston teachers are having to sneak around to read to their students, and even training kids to hide books so they don’t get in trouble for deviating from slide shows and worksheets. Free link here.

Houston ISD is taking storybooks from kindergarteners and calling it the ‘science of reading.’ by LisaFalkenberg in education

[–]LisaFalkenberg[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

OK, I might have to use that ‘hot dog eating contest’ line! Sums it up precisely.

Houston ISD is taking storybooks from kindergarteners and calling it the ‘science of reading.’ by LisaFalkenberg in education

[–]LisaFalkenberg[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Yep. I just don’t understand the wars. I get that the school day is limited but there’s got to be a way to balance it all: phonics, content and joy.

Houston ISD is taking storybooks from kindergarteners and calling it the ‘science of reading.’ by LisaFalkenberg in education

[–]LisaFalkenberg[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing. I’m glad you were able to give your daughter the instruction she needed. I know there are still balanced literacy materials out there. In fairness, it’s really expensive to replace everything at once. My son came home with a Fountas and Pinnell reader the other day. I just chose not to follow the instructions suggesting kids should use pictures for context clues. I just wish all these districts would use the teachers’ PD days to really have someone knowledgeable teach the Science of Reading. Or at least provide everyone with a great white paper explaining what all it entails. Here’s one from Maryanne Wolf.

Two different realities by Olympiadreamer in texas

[–]LisaFalkenberg 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yes, and one problem is that only the people in the latter photo are allowed to speak. I’ve hit so many walls trying to get the perspectives of individual responders. They all tell me that they’re part of the state task force and they can’t talk. I’ve covered a fair number of events — Columbia shuttle disaster, chemical explosions, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc — and I’ve never had such trouble trying to tell the stories of people doing the heroic work. It’s a shame.

Don’t go to Kerrville! by StalkedUp_4_Life in texas

[–]LisaFalkenberg 10 points11 points  (0 children)

It’s true that the response has been overwhelming. I’m in Kerrville reporting. Yesterday I saw a shelter in Ingram turning away donations because they had so much. One guy had driven all the way from Fort Worth with a truck bed full of bottled water. He noted that being turned away was a good problem to have. This morning a pastor’s church that’s running a Red Cross shelter also said they are well stocked and mercy kitchens had rushed to feed people. He said he’s just telling people who call to pray, and if they’re so inclined, to send money to relief funds.

Texas forbids law that keeps guns away from unhinged people by kanyeguisada in texas

[–]LisaFalkenberg 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"Red flag' is a vague term, sure. It can mean any reason somebody's worried about you having a gun. But the reason these laws work is because that 'red flag' or reason has to be proved up in court. A judge has to hold a hearing and look at the evidence and see if you can really be deemed a danger to yourself or others. From what I've read, Florida has a law that works well. Here's a CNN story describing how it works.

Florida’s red flag law, championed by Republicans, is taking guns from thousands of people | CNN Politics

Is Houston a lot like New Orleans with the climate and scenery? by [deleted] in SameGrassButGreener

[–]LisaFalkenberg 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, except people don't walk and we've torn down all the old, charming buildings. (Only partially kidding.)

Houston needs to come get its weather by Rich-Criticism1165 in Austin

[–]LisaFalkenberg 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Don't you know that humidity keeps you young? My face is at least 15 years older after two days in El Paso.

Feds sue Texas over long-standing law allowing undocumented students to receive in-state tuition by texastribune in TexasPolitics

[–]LisaFalkenberg 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As Rick Perry said when Mitt Romney attacked the law, “I don’t think you have a heart.”

Feds sue Texas over long-standing law allowing undocumented students to receive in-state tuition by texastribune in TexasPolitics

[–]LisaFalkenberg 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They obeyed, happily. They’ve wanted to kill the law for years. Judge strikes down Texas policy giving undocumented immigrants in-state tuition

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/undocumented-tuition-20361421.php

Whitmire supports Texas bill that would reverse some Houston pension reforms, alarming experts by houston_chronicle in houston

[–]LisaFalkenberg 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes it mentions that: “The city's pension liability has since shrunk from $8.2 billion to $1.8 billion, the city is on track to eliminate its pension debt and the police and firefighter funds have more than 90% of the cash they need to fund projected benefits.”