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Founding Sponsors



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Stay active...Stay involved
February 2008
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Texas public
schools take additional steps to protect the
integrity of the TAKS
Random test monitoring, seating
charts, and scrambling the order of
field test items on exams are among
more than a dozen steps being taken
by the Texas Education Agency this
school year to enhance the security
measures that surround the
administration of the Texas
Assessment of Knowledge and Skills.
"We are actively stepping up test
security measures to protect the
reliability and integrity of our
testing program. We want the public
to be confident that our test
results are an accurate reflection
of student learning. Consequently,
the Texas Education Agency this year
is enacting at least 13 different
measures to enhance our test
security," Commissioner of Education
Robert Scott said.
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Defending Superintendent Salaries
Excerpt from article "Local
School District Transparency Makes
Creating News with Superintendents
Salaries More Difficult" by Joe Smith,
Texas ISD. Source: Good Morning,
February 27, 2008.
Almost annually some reporters collect a
few of the better paid superintendent
salaries in their area and make these
salaries and contracts the headlines,
which are then posted on their websites
and followed with stories containing
words and phrases that question and
insinuate that something is illegal,
immoral or at least unethical connected
with the local
superintendents' salaries.
Let me go ahead and say that I
read many articles day after day that do
great jobs of educating the public; I
admire and appreciate the work reporters
do.
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TEA Press Release - February 21, 2008
Own
Your Own Future-a student outreach
campaign to encourage Texas youth to stay in
school, graduate, and pursue their passion
was launched today by the Texas Education
Agency through a grant from the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation. The flagship
component of the integrated campaign,
www.OwnYourOwnFuture.com, is designed to
show teens that graduating from high school
is the first step toward college and a
career.
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This month's featured sponsor
Brenda Jean Patrick is a dynamic
speaker and nontraditional trainer.
She is experienced in the areas of
expectations, customer service,
climate intervention, and image
coaching. She possesses the
versatility to adapt to changing
circumstances and situations, and
shares those skills with her
audiences.
Brenda Jean Patrick demonstrates a
proven ability to organize and
maintain highly motivating,
results-oriented training. These
skills have led Ms. Patrick to
establish herself as a well-known
trainer and motivational speaker.
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Myth of the month
Source: "Debunking Seven Myths
About Public Education" byMolly A.
Hunter and Matthew Samberg
Myth #6: U.S. Schools Are Asked To Do No
More than Other Nations' Schools
Social policy in the United States stands in
sharp contrast to that of most other
developed nations. While most of these
nations have an array of supportive social
services to help families and children in
poverty, the U.S. looks primarily to its
schools to help children overcome the
barriers to opportunity caused by poverty.
Seven million children in the United States
(one in every nine) have no health insurance
coverage, whereas nearly all other developed
nations have universal health coverage. One
in five children in the U.S. live in
poverty; among blacks and Hispanics, child
poverty is one in three. In Western Europe,
this figure averages less than 10 percent.
The U.S. also faces a large and growing need
to educate students who are not native
English speakers. Eleven percent of students
nationwide receive English Learner services.
more myths
*
National Assessment of Educational Progress
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Test your TAKS readiness
The following question is
taken from the 11th grade TAKS test.
An advertisement claims that a certain
truck has the most powerful engine in
its class. If the engine has more power,
which of the following can the truck's
engine do, compared to every other
engine in its class?
F. Produce
fewer emissions
G.
Operate more efficiently
H.
Perform work faster
J. Accelerate
longer
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Breaking down the dollar
Two cents of
every education dollar is spent on
security staff and school nurses.
To see how one full dollar is spent
on education, read Tracking the
Education Dollar by clicking
here.
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Friends of
Texas Public Schools wants you!
We need volunteers willing to serve on
several of our committees, which include
Website Committee, eNews Committee, Rapid
Response Team Committee, Friend of the Year
Event Committee, and our Proud Campaign
Committee. If interested, please contact
Brandie Cleaver at
brandie@fotps.org. |
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FOTPS online store open for business
Are you a proud
product of Texas public schools?
Now you can show your pride with FOTPS items
available for purchase online. We have more
than T-shirts so be sure to
check it out. |
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Remember to forward to coworkers,
friends and family!
Friends of Texas Public Schools
Scott Milder, President & Chief Executive
P.O. Box 3526
Harker Heights, Texas 76548
Phone:
214-497-6411
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