81R692 CBE-D
By: Dutton H.C.R. No. 27
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The citizens of Texas understand the importance of a
quality education system to the future well-being of our state;
even so, a number of fundamental performance measures indicate
troubling and persistent deficiencies within the state's public
education system; and
WHEREAS, The number of low-performing students and students
who drop out, for example, is alarmingly high in Texas and has been
for some time; moreover, the connection between low-performing
students and students who drop out is such that many low-performing
students find themselves so far behind, with an almost impossible
academic gap to overcome, that they simply give up and leave school
completely; and
WHEREAS, As an obvious consequence, low-performing students
and dropouts are generally not prepared for college or advanced
careers, resulting in lowered income potential, higher
incarceration rates, and more likely dependence on public health
care and social services; and
WHEREAS, To solve these issues, some experts suggest that
improvements are needed to the state's accountability system with
regard to closing and measuring student achievement gaps, advising
that without higher minimum performance standards the current
system creates a disservice to the education of many students; and
WHEREAS, There is also cause for concern that the state's
responsibility to monitor and promote student performance in
Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs has been rendered
inconsequential by schools that take exception to reporting data or
compliance violations; and
WHEREAS, Current research indicates that these problems are
also present among the state's charter schools, some of which were
specifically designed to serve at-risk students; regrettably,
state policy permits variances in the mission, operation, and
performance of charter schools in Texas due to their freedom from
the normal restrictions placed on traditional public schools,
resulting in the uneven education of charter school students; and
WHEREAS, In fact, it has been suggested that there is a lack
of uniformity with regard to student discipline and the code of
student behavior, and that drastic improvements are needed in
parental involvement in the disciplinary appeals process and the
timeliness of parental notification of student discipline; and
WHEREAS, The future welfare and economic competitiveness of
Texas and its graduates depend on providing the best educational
opportunities to its students; with every measurable indicator
signaling a need for systemic change, the state should carefully
examine the current organization of the public education system;
and
WHEREAS, The University of Texas at Austin is ideally
qualified to lead such a study on the role of the state with regard
to low-performing students, student dropouts, the state's
accountability system, charter school students, and student
behavior and discipline; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby request The University of Texas at Austin to perform a study
on the effectiveness of the Texas Education Agency's role in
establishing a public education system that fully captures and
promotes an acceptable level of student achievement, prevents
student dropouts, improves the state accountability system for
school districts and charter schools, and contributes to a fair,
balanced, and uniform approach to student discipline.