Texas Commissioner of Education visits Industrial ISD
Submitted by jcht2010 on
Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath made a stop in Vanderbilt on Feb. 4 to visit with Industrial ISD students and staff. They discussed concerns, praises, and opportunities for improvement for the Texas educational system. Morath ditched the auditorium and podium for a more intimate setting, a table and chairs where he could sit face to face with students, teachers, administrators and more.
Industrial High School student Cierra Borak was unafraid to ask hard questions, and Morath answered, discussing topics related to standardized testing, overworked teachers, and teacher evaluation.
After some time with students, the Morath visited with teachers, who expressed concerns about tests robbing students of valuable education. Barbara Charbula, an English teacher, recalled students excited to write narratives, only to be tested only on expository writing, the side effect of which is students who are taught to write descriptions and not stories.
Morath spent three hours sitting at a table, fielding questions, learning concerns, and even taking suggestions from the people on the ground level who live every day inside the public education system.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Tony Williams, Industrial ISD Superintendent, “He just sat down and talked to us.”
A full article about Morath’s visit to Vanderbilt will be in the Feb. 10 edition of the Jackson County Herald-Tribune.
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