6-26-08
ATPE files suit to protect educator privacy
ATPE filed a
lawsuit June 23 against the Austin Independent School District and the Office
of the Texas Attorney General to prevent the release of educators’ personal
information to local media outlets. Since news of the lawsuit broke, ATPE has
heard from many educators applauding the association for taking a stand on
educators’ rights:
•One blogger
wrote: “I’m a member of one of the other teacher organizations here in Texas
(we don’t have unions per se, and are a right-to-work state), but I am thankful
that the ATPE has filed this suit to keep the results of teacher background
checks from becoming subject to release under the state’s public records laws.”
•One member
reported cutting out an article about the lawsuit from The Dallas Morning News
and saving it to share at her district’s new-teacher orientation and with
campus representatives. (Read the Associated Press article on the lawsuit at www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5852522.html.)
•Another member
wrote: “I [was] aware that we educators will be fingerprinted sometime in the
near future, but I did not consider that the background check could be public
knowledge. I wholly support the [background check] process to protect all of
us, but as your [op-ed at atpe.org] states, all of us deserve privacy. Thank
you for your diligence!”
ATPE decided to
file the lawsuit after Austin ISD was unsuccessful in its attempt to convince
the attorney general’s office to reverse a decision requiring the release of
information from Austin ISD employees’ recently completed criminal background
checks. Austin ISD is the first district to complete the new criminal
background check process mandated by Senate Bill (SB) 9, which was passed by
the Legislature in 2007.
In filing the
lawsuit, ATPE hopes to protect the privacy of all Texas educators. Although
ATPE believes strongly in the use of background checks to identify school
personnel whose past convictions indicate that their presence endangers the
safety of students and faculty, we do not believe that releasing this personal
data serves any public good. If released, the information would make no
distinction between serious and minor offenses or distinguish between recent or
long-past events. Nor would it discriminate between unfounded arrests and
arrests that led to prosecution.
School districts
across Texas will complete the SB 9-mandated background checks over the course
of the next three years. Because the process raises many questions for
educators—from questions of procedure to questions of privacy—ATPE has created
a Fingerprinting Resource Center for Texas educators at www.atpe.org/Resources/educators/fingerprintingResources.asp.
The resource center contains information about fingerprinting procedures, the
history of SB 9 and privacy concerns, and ATPE will also post updates on the lawsuit
there. Please share this link with your colleagues.
6-25-08
ATPE testifies against granting state funds to private schools to recover
dropouts
The Texas Education
Agency (TEA) held a hearing today on a controversial commissioner’s rule that
would allow the agency to award grants to schools, including private schools,
that identify dropouts and help them receive high school diplomas or achieve
college readiness. ATPE has long opposed any program or initiative that directs
public funds to private schools and testified at the hearing to outline our
concerns about the plan. ATPE is concerned because:
•The plan would
send public funds to private schools that are not accountable to the state or
taxpayers.
•The plan does
not contain safeguards to prevent parents from using this program to remove
their children from public schools and send them to private schools.
•The plan does
not require private schools to offer services that are research-based.
•The state would
have no mechanism for sanctioning private schools under the Dropout Recovery
Pilot Program..
View ATPE’s
testimony in its entirety at www.atpe.org/advocacy/lan/dropoutRecoveryRuleTestimony.pdf.
TEA plans to
implement the program by the end of August. ATPE will continue to monitor this
issue closely and will report on any significant developments.
Stay tuned for
updates.
6-20-08
ATPE travels to Washington, D.C., to discuss NCLB, Social Security
ATPE’s state
officers joined ATPE lobbyists this week in Washington, D.C., to meet with
members of the Texas congressional delegation and other high-ranking government
officials on key ATPE issues. The main focus of the meetings was the
reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). ATPE also shared
concerns with representatives of the U.S. Department of Education. ATPE
recommended, granting states more flexibility in meeting NCLB requirements and
increasing funding for mandates included in the bill. Reauthorization of the
bill is on hold until after the November elections, which could result in a
major political shift in the nation’s Capitol. This could significantly impact
the makeup and outcome of the bill. This week’s meetings will help build on
ATPE’s relationships with policymakers to ensure that our voice is heard as the
reauthorization process moves forward.
ATPE also used
this opportunity to reinforce our message regarding the Government Pension
Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), two offsets in Social
Security law that can reduce the amount of Social Security benefits Texas educators are eligible to receive. ATPE has long advocated for a full repeal of these
two offsets for Texas educators. Any action regarding legislation that
addresses these issues will also likely be put off until after the elections.
For more information on the GPO and WEP, go to http://www.atpe.org/Advocacy/Issues/socSec.asp.
Stay tuned for
updates.
6-4-08
Study says high percentage of classes taught by highly qualified teachers
The U.S.
Department of Education (USDE) has published a statistical summary of information
about Highly Qualified Teachers (HQTs). According to the study, 94 percent of
core academic classes in the nation's schools were taught by HQTs during the
2006-07 school year. A higher percentage of classes were taught by HQTs in
elementary school (96 percent) than in secondary school (93 percent). Overall,
the percentage of classes led by HQTs has increased seven percentage points
since the 2003-04 school year.
While these
figures are promising, the study also reiterates one of ATPE’s major concerns
regarding schools that serve large populations of economically disadvantaged
students. According to the study, classes in wealthier schools were more likely
to be taught by HQTs than were classes in less wealthy schools at both the
primary and secondary levels.
You can view the
USDE study at www.ed.gov/programs/teacherqual/resources.html.
5-30-08
Students fare well on 2008 TAKS
The Texas
Education Agency recently announced that Texas students performed well on the
Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) standardized tests. This is the
first year eighth-grade students were required to pass both the reading and
math TAKS in order to be promoted. 95 percent of eighth-grade students passed
the reading test and 75 percent passed the math test.
Other notable
results include:
•90 percent of
eighth-grade students passed the social studies TAKS.
•93 percent of
third-grade students passed the reading TAKS and 83 percent passed the math test.
•91 percent of
fourth-graders passed the writing TAKS.
•91 percent of
sixth-grade students passed the reading TAKS with 45 percent earning Commended
Performance.
•The Class of 2009
is the first class that must pass four exit-level tests, which are first given
in 11th grade, along with their classes, to be eligible to earn a state
diploma. Ninety percent of the students passed the English/language arts exam,
while 95 percent met the standard on the social studies examination. Eighty
percent of the students passed the science test and 79 percent passed the
mathematics test.
Education
Commissioner Robert Scott said of the results, “we have set high expectations
for this group of students and each year they meet or exceed them.”
ATPE would like
to extend sincere gratitude to all Texas Educators for a job well done in
helping prepare Texas students for demanding futures. Congratulations.
5-28-08
Federal funding for national certification
Are you
interested in national certification through the National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards? If so you may be eligible to receive a subsidy
from the federal government to help offset the costs. Subsidies are available
to first-time candidates to cover 50 percent of the certification fee as long
as subsidy funds are available. The subsidies are available through the Texas
Education Agency and have been provided by Congress through a grant from the U.
S. Department of Education. Applications for the subsidies must be completed
and submitted to the State Board for Educator Certification by December 31,
2008.
To learn more
about this program and how you can apply, go to www.sbec.state.tx.us/SBECOnline/certinfo/nbptscand.asp?width=1280&height=1024.
5-28-08
ATPE submits testimony on incentive pay
The House
Committee on Public Education met today to continue working on its interim
charges, including charge five, which is to monitor the implementation of legislation
passed by the 79th and 80th Legislatures. ATPE submitted testimony relating to
the implementation of District Awards for Teacher Excellence (DATE) incentive
pay program. The goal of the DATE program is to change the way pay raises are
awarded to teachers. ATPE’s testimony reiterated our position against using
student test scores on standardized tests as a primary measure of teacher
effectiveness and encouraged more flexibility for districts to develop their
own plans. The testimony also encouraged the Legislature to remove changes made
to the program during the rule making process that require districts to match
funding for the program. You can view ATPE’s testimony at www.atpe.org/Advocacy/LegislativeResources/testimony052808HB1.asp.
For more
information, contact ATPE Governmental Relations.
5-27-08
TEA dropout grants could open back door to vouchers
The Texas Education
Agency (TEA) has posted an application on its Web site for new dropout recovery
grants called for in House Bill 2237 passed during the last legislative
session. The grants are designed to allow school districts and other education
agencies, such as universities, education service centers and charter schools,
to help dropouts receive a diploma or other measure of college readiness. The
program, however, may be another attempt to direct public funds to private
schools and education service providers, essentially creating a voucher program
through TEA.
ATPE strongly
opposes any use of high school initiatives funding for voucher programs. Such a
use was clearly not intended by the Legislature, which made its position
regarding vouchers clear during the legislative session when it voted 129-8
against the use of public funds for vouchers. Of major concern is the vague
language in the new program’s regulations that could allow parents to remove
their children from public schools, have them classified as dropouts then
receive funding to pay for private school tuition. The program is expected to
be discussed at tomorrow’s Public Education Committee hearing. ATPE will
continue to monitor this program and will report on any significant
developments.
Stay tuned for
updates.
5-23-08
SBOE adopts revised ELAR TEKS
The State Board
of Education (SBOE) met today to conclude work on revising the English Language
Arts and Reading TEKS. At issue were two competing versions of revised
standards.
One version was
drafted by a group of experts hired by a subcommittee of the board working with
a facilitator hired by the board last year. Those standards were preliminarily
approved by the board in March and posted on the Texas Register Web site for
public comment. The approval was conditional under a compromise agreement that
the document would be revised before the May meeting with input from teacher
work groups. This version has been widely criticized by educators and education
groups for falling well short of expectations. The second version was developed
in May with the input of educator workgroups and is a vast improvement over the
Texas Register version.
By a vote of 9-6,
the board rejected both of the existing versions and instead adopted a
substitute document pieced together yesterday using portions of the two
previous versions along with various amendments. In its most
controversial aspect, the substitute called for the education commissioner to
create a recommended authors list that would be attached to the TEKS rule as an
appendix. Also in the appendix would be the reading comprehension language
drafted by the teachers in May, but it would not be considered part of the
actual rule. The board adopted an amendment that replaces the authors list with
reading resource Web sites to be chosen by the education commissioner.
Another approved amendment, supported by Texas Education Agency (TEA) staff,
clarifies that assessments can be based on some of the reading comprehension
material from the appendix even though it’s not really part of the rules. TEA
staff will work to clean up the document before it’s posted on the Texas
Register Web site as an adopted rule.
StandardsWorks,
the company hired by the board to facilitate the revision process, warned the
board against cutting and pasting together different standards. In the end,
that is exactly what the board did. Now, text book publishers and TEA
assessment staff will be rushed to produce textbooks and test items based on
the new patchwork standards.
Members who voted
for the new document were Rick Agosto, David Bradley, Barbara Cargill, Cynthia
Dunbar, Terri Leo, Gail Lowe, Don McLeroy, Ken Mercer and Tincy Miller. The
following members opposed the new document and supported the teachers’ version
instead: Lawrence Allen, Mary Helen Berlanga, Bob Craig, Patricia Hardy, Mavis
Knight and Rene Nunez.
Stay tuned for
updates.
5-22-08
ATPE urges SBOE to accept educator input on ELAR TEKS revisions
The State Board
of Education (SBOE) met May 21 to continue the ongoing effort to revise the
English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR) TEKS. The board has to choose between
two existing versions if it hopes to meet deadlines for adopting new text books
and instructional materials contained in Proclamation 2010. The first version
was approved by the board in February and posted on the Texas Register Web site
for public comment. This version has been widely criticized by educators and
education groups for falling well short of expectations. The second version was
developed with the input of educator workgroups and is a vast improvement over
the Texas Register version. The board may also opt to make further changes and
develop yet another version of the standards, which would create further
delays.
ATPE testified
before the board and urged them to accept the input of educators and adopt the
second version of the standards in order to provide teachers and students the
guidelines they need to succeed and to meet the Proclamation 2010 deadlines.
You can view ATPE’s testimony at www.atpe.org/Advocacy/LegislativeResources/elarTestimony052208.asp.
The board is
expected to make a final decision Friday, May 23. Stay tuned for updates.
5-20-08
Sen. Education Committee considers CATE programs
The Senate
Education Committee met May 19 to study an interim charge related to
availability and quality of career and technical education (CATE) programs and
their relation to economic and workforce needs in Texas. Committee members
heard from five panels of experts that included business representatives and
educators from the career and technical education field.
Business
representatives asked that high school courses and planning be employer-driven
to insure that content meets current and future economic needs. Generally, they
asked for courses that teach the specific content and skills students need to
either enter the workforce directly from high school or choose a path of higher
education. Many businesses work in partnership with local school districts and
community colleges to develop courses around skills that are desired in local
economies.
A representative
from ACT discussed the company’s research regarding the need to prepare all
high school students, whether they are entering the workforce or higher
education, to the same rigorous academic standards because the workforce and
higher education require the same basic content and skills in today’s economy.
Many career and tech students will enter higher education and will need the
same academic base throughout their lives. One witness discussed tech prep
students’ high rate of transition to four-year university programs.
Commissioner of
Higher Education Raymund Paredes called for a balanced approach between career
training and preparation for baccalaureate and advanced degrees. He made the
point that we not only have shortages of technical workers, but also shortages
of teachers, nurses, engineers and physicians, we must prepare all students
with the content and skills for higher education and the workforce. Programs
should provide rigorous course content that is transferable from college to the
technical setting because we are currently preparing students for jobs that do
not yet exist in the quickly changing global economy. Job skills training
programs are rapidly moving to the community college level as the need for
higher level skills increases in the workforce. In fact, reading levels
required for technical jobs are often higher than reading levels optimal for
success in higher education. Paredes also mentioned that on-the-job training
should count toward college credit in some instances and that professional
development to ensure effective instruction needs to be expanded. He also
recommended collecting data statewide to examine whether poor and minority
students are tracked into specific programs at higher-than-average rates.
Almost all
witnesses called for increased resources to support CATE as well as expanded
partnerships between business and K-16 education systems. Several also
mentioned programs in other countries and across the U.S. that require career
planning and skills development for all students and suggested that integrating
CATE into the four-by-four curriculum courses in high school is the best first
step toward that goal in Texas. HB 3485 from the last legislative session
requires a review and rewrite of the entire CATE curriculum. The writing teams
hope to present their product to the State Board of Education in March of 2009.
ATPE supported HB
3485 in 2007 and will continue to advocate for increased choices and a
well-rounded curriculum for all students as well as increased resources for
CATE programs and equivalent academic rigor across the K-12 curriculum for
college and career preparation.
5-16-08
Accountability committee meets in Houston
The Select
Committee on Public School Accountability met May 12 in Aldine ISD to continue
hearing invited and public testimony on Texas’ public school assessment and
accountability system. The primary focus of this hearing was to examine the
wide variety of differences between large and small school districts as they
meet accountability requirements, but the committee also heard from school and
agency officials regarding the alternative accountability system that currently
applies to 399 campuses and charter schools with student populations that are
at least 75 percent at-risk.
There are 13
criteria for identifying at-risk students. Students identified as at-risk
include those who are retained at a grade level, homebound and homeless
students, and students who repeatedly fail the TAKS test. However, the
definition does not include economically disadvantaged students. Economically
disadvantaged status is part of the at-risk definition for many funding and
program initiatives, but not for application of the alternative accountability
system.
The alternative
system works on a pass/fail basis and has only two indicators: acceptable and
unacceptable. However, unlike the current system for all other campuses, it
includes a measure of comparable improvement (student growth in achievement).
The testimony from the invited panelists covered the unique challenges of this
population and the very different definitions of success for these schools and
their families. As one panelist stated, “Sometimes just being able to attend
school two days in a row is a major accomplishment, so TAKS testing and AYP
really take on a different meaning.”
The committee
will meet June 16 in the Dallas area, July 14 in Brownsville and August 4 in West Texas (site TBD). ATPE will continue to monitor the committee and report on its
progress. ATPE encourages you to attend a committee meeting near you and give
your input on how the current system affects you and your students each day.
5-16-08
TEA seeking trainers
The Texas
Education Agency is seeking experienced classroom teachers to serve as
curriculum and instruction coach trainers who will assist teachers in early
college high schools (ECHS).
The primary focus
of coaching will be to increase the level of academic rigor in ECHS classrooms
by assisting classroom teachers with teaching strategies and best practices
that enhance student learning.
Eligible
applicants are individuals certified as Texas educators who have at least three
years of classroom teaching experience and meet the required qualifications.
Approved service
providers will be required to demonstrate significant past effectiveness in
improving instruction in middle, junior high and high schools serving
significant numbers of students identified as at-risk.
Providers
approved as curriculum and instruction coach trainers will be eligible to
provide services to participating school districts and campuses for a period of
up to two years, after which they may reapply to continue their eligibility.
Continued eligibility is contingent upon satisfactory delivery of services,
adherence to program guidelines and requirements and progress on performance
measures as determined by the commissioner.
To apply, respond
to TEA's Request for Qualifications (RFQ) at the following link: http://esbd.cpa.state.tx.us/docs/701/76302_1.pdf.
Proposals must be submitted no later than June 12, 2008, at 2 p.m.
5-9-08
Bragging Rights
Texas School
Business, a magazine that focuses on Texas educators and vendors that serve the
public schools, publishes Bragging Rights each year to honor school districts
and their innovative programs. The magazine is accepting nominations for
programs to be featured in this year’s Bragging Rights, which will be published
in December. If your school has a successful program you would like to
nominate, send an e-mail to brag@texasschoolbusiness.com
that briefly describes the program, its development and noteworthy results. All
types of programs are welcome, including athletics, curriculum development,
staff development and special education. All nominations must be submitted by
June 1.
For more information,
contact Texas School Business editor Katie Ford at Katie@texasschoolbusiness.com
or (512) 469-9746.
5-9-08
SBEC meeting
The State Board
for Educator Certification (SBEC) met May 9 in Austin. Among the items on the
agenda was a review of revisions to rules for educator preparation programs.
State law requires the board to review such rules every four years. ATPE
submitted testimony to the board on this item outlining our concerns about
educator certification as outlined in the ATPE Legislative Program. The
testimony also called for greater oversight to help maintain the highest
standards for educator certification in Texas.
The Board took no
action on the proposed rule changes relating to educator preparation, but
instructed staff to make changes to the proposed language for consideration at
SBEC's next meeting in July. You can view the testimony at http://www.atpe.org/Advocacy/LegislativeResources/sbecReviseTAC.asp.
Proposed
revisions to the board’s operating policies and procedures were also on the
agenda. ATPE submitted testimony on this item outlining our concerns about
proposed revisions to the rules for public testimony. The revision would allow
the board chair discretion over which speakers would be heard and limit all
public testimony to 30 minutes per meeting. This could limit opportunities for
stakeholders to voice their concerns on contentious issues. ATPE recommended
that the board not make any changes to the current operating policy and that it
embrace public testimony in accordance with SBEC’s own core principle, which
states, “We believe stakeholder input is valuable and student success is primary.”
In response, the board voted instead to allow 30 minutes of testimony on each
agenda item. You can view the testimony on this item at http://www.atpe.org/Advocacy/LegislativeResources/sbecLimitPublicTestimony.asp.
For more
information, contact ATPE Governmental Relations.
4-21-08
ATPE testifies before education committee
The House
Committee on Public Education met in Austin today to hear public and invited
testimony on its fourth interim charge, which is to research and evaluate
state-supported policies and programs designed to attract, train and support
effective teachers and instructional leaders, including programs designed to
recruit and retain teachers in hard-to-staff schools. ATPE was part of a panel
of experts invited to appear at the hearing.
ATPE’s testimony
was geared toward shedding light on the reasons recruiting and retaining
teachers in our public schools is such a challenge. According to an ATPE-commissioned
teacher retention study, the primary reasons educators leave the profession are
working conditions and compensation. ATPE stressed that while many school
districts offer attractive starting salaries, most do not provide worthwhile
salary advancement opportunities, which discourages beginning educators from
remaining in the profession and creates a disincentive for qualified candidates
to enter the field. ATPE also pointed out that it will be a bigger challenge to
address working conditions because the term encompasses so many different
aspects of the job. According to our study, the aspects that cause educators
the most concern are student behavior, lack of administrator support,
burdensome paperwork and state mandates.
The committee
will continue meeting during the interim to gather information in order to make
recommendations to the Legislature on how to address these issues. ATPE will
continue to monitor the committee’s work and will report on any significant
developments.
Stay tuned for
updates.
4-18-08
ELAR TEKS revisions open for public comment
ATPE recently reported on controversy surrounding ongoing work by the State
Board of Education (SBOE) to revise the English Language Arts and Reading
(ELAR) TEKS. The controversy started when certain board members attempted to
replace revised standards developed with the input of educator workgroups with
alternative standards rejected by the state more than 10 years ago.
To resolve the dispute, SBOE formed a subcommittee to choose experts to
conduct a review of the proposed revisions, take input from all interested
parties and submit a final proposal for the full board’s vote.
The subcommittee released a new draft of the revised standards March 19 and
heard invited and public testimony on the draft at the March 26 SBOE meeting.
The new version contains components of both the original TEA revisions and the
proposed alternative revisions, but it also contains new components not in
either of the previous proposals. The revised standards have been posted in the
Texas Register and are now open for public comment for 30 days. ATPE encourages
all educators to review the standards and submit your input.
To view the revised standards and submit your comments, go to www.tea.state.tx.us/rules/home/sboeprop.html.
Don’t miss this opportunity to help shape policy that may directly impact your
profession.
4-15-08
Joint Select Committee on Public School Accountability Hearing
The Joint Select
Committee on Public School Accountability met April 14 in San Antonio to hear
invited and public testimony. Five panels of experts representing the
business community, school districts, higher education, school boards and
community organizations testified before the committee. Among the experts were
Charles Miller, former chairman of the U.S. Secretary of Education's Commission
on the Future of Higher Education, and former Lt. Gov. Bill Ratliff. Ratliff
also leads Raise Your Hand Texas, an advocacy group that was instrumental in
passing the legislation that created the committee.
The “school
district” panel included representatives from the Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Kerrville, and Plano school districts. Their testimony focused on how their
districts incorporate student achievement growth into their accountability
systems using a form of value-added regression analysis to evaluate individual
students, teachers, classes and campus progress. Generally, the systems rank
the performance and progress of each area using TAKS scores, norm-referenced
tests, end-of-course exams and other measures based on local needs. The goal is
to identify students in need of individual attention, predict performance in
specific areas and determine a course of study based on each student’s
experience.
The panel’s
testimony also shined a light on issues districts will face when implementing
pay-for-performance programs for administrators and teachers. According to the
panel, growth model analyses can help determine the "teacher quality effect"
on student learning by taking into account aspects such as demographics, wealth
levels and other student variables. The key is to have reliable data systems
and develop the goals of the plan based on local needs. However,
evaluating individual teachers using “growth models” is complicated and can be
divisive and should be only a portion of the overall evaluation. Most of
the districts also include test scores in absolute terms (number of students
passing by campus) in their pay-for-performance programs. Such a competitive
system can have an adverse effect on campus teamwork and overall working
conditions, especially in smaller schools. Several witnesses stressed the
importance of using multiple measures to determine student progress, including
criterion or norm-referenced measures and computer adaptive
testing.
The committee
also heard from witnesses who called for incorporating college and workforce
readiness standards into public education and making curriculum, assessments and
accountability systems more rigorous in order to help Texas meet the demands of
the global economy. Commissioner of Education Robert Scott responded by
pointing out that Texas has done a good job of phasing in more difficult
standards by meeting the system at its current level and increasing rigor and
difficulty over time. According to Scott, that is what should be done with any
future changes resulting from the committee’s work.
Upcoming
committee meetings:
May 12, Houston
June 16, Dallas
July 14, Brownsville
Aug 11, West Texas (Location TBD)
ATPE will
continue to monitor the committee's activities as it travels around the state.
Stay tuned for updates.
4-3-08 Pensions and Investments Committee meeting
The House Pensions and Investments Committee met April 3 to
discuss its first interim charge. That charge is to evaluate the possibility of
requiring the state and employee contribution rate to meet the annually
required contribution (ARC) for the statewide retirement funds each biennium in
order to prevent unfunded liabilities.
ATPE testified before the committee that requiring pension
systems to meet the ARC is not a complete strategy for preventing funding
shortfalls. We recommended that the state contribute above the ARC so that the
fund would have a buffer against market losses and, more importantly, so that
benefit increases could be granted to retirees. ATPE also reiterated our
opposition to increasing active member contributions and recommended that the
committee establish a ceiling for such contributions in order to provide more
security and stability for educators.
ATPE will continue to monitor the work of the committee.
Stay tuned for updates.
3-31-08 Opportunity for principals
Raise Your Hand Texas (RYHT), the pro-public education group
chaired by former Lt. Governor Bill Ratliff, is offering public and charter
school principals the chance to attend one of four leadership workshops being
offered by the Harvard Graduate School of Education. RYHT will select 100
principals to attend the event. All expenses would be paid. For more
information on this opportunity, visit www.raiseyourhandtexas.org/harvard.
Not always near your
computer? Call (800) 777-ATPE 24 hours a day, seven days a
week to access the information above. (If you call during
business hours, ask to be connected to the ATPE Hotline.)