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Brownsville Wins Broad Prize
Members of Southwest Educators Association, the TSTA/NEA local, were among the volunteer walkers. “Increasing our graduation rate will benefit San Antonio’s future and the future of each individual with a high school diploma. Young adults who complete their high school education provide a better-prepared and responsible work force contributing to the quality of life and the economic development of our city,” said Dr. Velma Villegas, the Southwest ISD superintendent. “Every Texan will pay a higher price for human services and criminal justice programs if we don’t significantly reduce the dropout rate. And our members, such as those in Southwest Educators Association, know all too well the high cost young Texans and their families pay when they don’t complete at least high school. We know that high school dropouts earn about $1 million dollars less on average over a lifetime than college graduates,” said TSTA President Rita Haecker. “Addressing Texas’ dropout crisis is one of our top priorities as the oldest statewide education organization.” The district’s 13 campuses participated in the Reach Out to Dropouts walk, encouraging dropouts to return to school and helping get them back on track to succeed and graduate. TSTA provided each visited household with a booklet of tips and tools that parents can put in practice to keep their children in school. In late August, TSTA began running four weeks of public service ads in English and Spanish on San Antonio radio stations encouraging parents to become involved or more involved in the education of their children. Parental involvement significantly reduces the likelihood that children will drop out before completing high school. TSTA is also partnering with school districts, such as Southwest ISD, to support existing dropout prevention and recovery efforts or help develop new programs. “The dropout problem is not just a school problem. It’s also a community problem, and we need the help of community organizations, teacher groups and businesses to overcome it. Teacher groups especially are here to provide support and help to school districts. TSTA is a partner with Southwest ISD to provide training for parents to reduce dropouts and to encourage students to stay in school,” Superintendent Villegas explained. “It gives me and SWISD great pleasure to work with TSTA in order to promote the core values of SWISD, ‘Reach All, Teach All and Inspire All.’ I hope that this is just a beginning in the partnership that we will continue to grow with TSTA to assist the students of SWISD,” the superintendent added. Pasadena Educators Association Appreciates Staples Patrick Hernandez, president of Pasadena Educators Association and treasurer of Region 3C, contacted his local Staples office supply store after reading about its August 16 "Teacher Appreciation Day" in a TSTA e-newsletter.
“I spoke with the manager about setting up a table with our TSTA promotional literature and brochures,” he reported. “We were given permission with no problem, and we will be able to enroll those working in Pasadena ISD as well as surrounding districts.”
Hernandez’s local emailed all its members to remind them of Teacher Appreciation Day and to ask them to bring a teacher who might not yet be a member.
“Periodically
throughout the year, we will be able to remind our
members of Staples support and commitment to public
education,” Hernandez said. “We hope to have
a working relationship with Staples with this as a
first step. And of course, we will promote to our
members the importance of spending their education
dollars to a business that supports public
education.”
College Station Wins 4% Pay Raise
Top Membership Awards Awarded at 2008 HoD HIGHEST NUMERICAL INCREASE LARGEST PERCENTAGE INCREASE LARGEST INCREASE IN MARKET SHARE MOST MEMBERSHIP AWARDS Spring Membership Starts with a Bang! The "Viva Laredo" campaign crew recruited 443 new members in two weeks in Laredo! Assisting with building visits were Ricardo Casiano, Raylene Duke, Ernie Salinas, Lucy Morales, Nicki Roberson, Tania Allen, Rene De La Vina, TSTA Vice President Ann Heuberger, and TSTA staff member Chris Vargas. Coordination and support were provided by the local leadership of Laredo (Blanca, Mary, Hilario and Rene De La Vina).
"The advocacy and
leadership of these individuals in this area only make it easier for
us to continue growing in membership," TSTA
OCALD staff member Yolanda Gonzalez
said.
Together We Can! Education Austin hosted "Together We Can! United in the Struggle for School Success" at Pickle Elementary in Austin March 29. Hundreds of parents and children from the northeast Austin neighborhood came to hear author Diane Gonzales Bertrand and CommuniCard CEO Sylvia Acevedo, and they and teachers attended workshops.
Mardi Gras at Region 1A/Brownsville
Spring Branch Local Hosts
Listening Session Most of the concerns voiced centered on the number of tests required throughout the year, teaching to the test or teaching test taking skills, the stress that is experienced by students to pass the TAKS test, and the unintended consequences that occur. Some teachers expressed frustration because their good students will check out for the rest of the year once they know they passed the TAKS test, and others expressed concern over the students who have nightmares and get physically sick on test day. All agreed that accountability is necessary and that testing is a useful tool, but many expressed the need to use test more responsibly as a diagnostic tool or as measures throughout the year to determine a student’s progress and not as punishment. One third grade teacher shared her story about test day and how the administration passed out packets to all the teachers with students taking the TAKS test. In the packet, each teacher was given big “barf” bags, rubber gloves, and band aids. Another teacher shared her experiences with students playing the system. Over time students have learned how many times they can take the test and when tests don’t count. All the information collected at the Listening Session will be shared with members of the new committee created last session to address accountability in Texas, and will be shared with members of the Texas Legislature in 2009.
Brownsville Bus Drivers Win Grievance
SEND US YOUR LOCAL STORIES! WE'LL POST THEM! JUST EMAIL THEM TO debbiem@tsta.org.
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TSTA/NEA: FIGHTING FOR TEXAS PUBLIC SCHOOLS SINCE 1880 316 West 12th Street, Austin, TX 78701 * 877-ASK-TSTA * ©2007 Texas State Teachers Association |