Education Changes Across All Spectrums

Only a few weeks remain for bill filing in Austin, as all bills must be filed no later Friday, March 13. This puts the pressure on for legislators pushing to make changes in the public education system. There is continual discussion regarding concern for the education system properly preparing the future workforce. Summaries of a few potential bills (among numerous others hoping to impact the public education system this session) can be found below:

HB 1085 Representative Edwards supports a bill relating to an after-school pilot program that would prepare middle and junior high school students and their parents for postsecondary education and training. The bill authorizes school districts to offer afterschool programs related to postsecondary success, including curriculum and skills needed to graduate high school and enroll in 4-year or 2-year colleges and on how to obtain and succeed in occupation training.

HB 1025 Representative Edwards introduced a bill looking to prepare public school students to enter the workforce. The bill requires specific workforce skills in the career and technology education curriculum including interviewing skills, workplace etiquette, and dress and grooming standards. Additionally, the curriculum would require emotional and social aspects of entering the workforce to be addressed.

For additional information on these or other bills being considered at the state level, visit www.legis.state.tx.us.

Others are not waiting for legislation to begin making changes, however. We invite you to join us on April 2 to hear from author Jay Mathews at a Focus on Education luncheon event: Reporting on Education: Bright Spots in America.

Mr. Mathews covers education for the Washington Post and has created Newsweek’s annual Best High Schools rankings. He has won the Benjamin Fine Award for Outstanding Education Reporting for both features and column writing and is the author of seven books, including Escalante: The Best Teacher in America, about the teacher who was featured in the movie Stand and Deliver and his newest book, Work Hard. Be Nice.

He will talk about the current state of education in our country’s quest to build an educated workforce prepared for the global community, highlighting schools, educational models and programs of promise.

The luncheon will be held from 12:00 – 1: 30 PM at Cityplace Conference Center on April 2.

For more information, or to register for this event, visit: www.dallaschamber.org/education.

Thank you to our Education Initiative sponsors: IBM, Southwest Airlines, Oncor, and Alliance Data for making events such as this one possible; and a special thanks to IBM for their Focus on Education sponsorship.