May|June 2011 Alcalde Devoted To Issues In Education [A Sneak Peek]

By Rebecca Fontenot in Blog on April 25, 2011 at 1:10 pm | 3 Comments

Do you care about education? I bet you do.

Whether you have kids in school or not, we can all acknowledge that the future of our state and country relies in large part on how well we prepare the next generation.

For our May|June 2001 issue of The Alcalde, we have devoted the entire feature well to exploring what works in our education system and what does not.

We’ve canvassed campus to talk with UT researchers about what the data show boosts or lowers scores. We’ve also showcased some of UT’s best education-related programs, from the widely hailed UTeach to the University’s bold demonstration school in East Austin, UT Elementary, to UT’s innovative Advise TX program that trains college advisors for needy high schools.

A special thanks to Manny Justiz, dean of UT’s College of Education, who served as guest editor. Who better to guide our state’s discussion about education than the man who has led the College of Education to its highest-ever ranking as the top public education program in the country and the second-highest overall (tied with Harvard)?

Education in Texas is very much on the brink. With school districts staring down big budget cuts, it’s more important than ever that we know how best to devote our resources. Should we lengthen the school day? Implement merit pay for teachers? Scrap physical education?

Higher education, too, stands on the precipice. Will we separate teaching from research, or grade college professors based on students’ course evaluations? Can centralized advising boost four-year graduation rates?

We touch on all these questions and more. Our hope is you find this issue so interesting and so worthwhile that you feel compelled to bring it along to your next school board meeting.

The great thing about an education is that it’s never done. Be looking for your Education Issue in the mail this week. There’s lots in it to learn.

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