As we all know, Texas is one of the U.S. state having highest teenage pregnancy rate and nearly about one-third of the Texas high schoolers surveyed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are admitted being sexually active. It is because there's something terribly wrong with the sex education in Texas. The article "Why is Texas so afraid to talk about sex at school?" published in The Dallas Morning News by the Dallas Morning News Editorial Board shows how Texas school districts didn't teach sex education in school because of shame and fear.
According to Texas Freedom Network Education Fund Report, more than 25 percent of Texas school didn't teach sex education at all in the 2015-2016 school year. Because of lack of sex education among students in Texas, it makes Texas one of the state having highest teenage pregnancy rate. Due to teenage pregnancy, teen mothers drop out their school, which affects their future as well as their baby's life. It also increases school drop-out rate of the state. To avoid all these kind of problems, the state requires to talk about sex in public schools and give students medically accurate information. The state requires that when sex education is taught, public schools must focus on abstinence first; then, if they choose, they can also teach them about birth control methods. As Reams of Research has repeatedly shown that kids make smarter choices when they are provided with relevant science-based information. So, state Rep. Mary Gonzalez, D-Clint, is taking a step forward by filling HB 1547, which would require districts to adopt medically accurate abstinence-plus programs.
Ultimately, I completely agree with the abstinence-plus programs in the public schools, which would provide students medically accurate information. I think school board members should address this issue without being afraid so that teenagers might get the basic knowledge and would make smarter choices, which will decrease several problems such as teen pregnancy, school dropout, and STIs.
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Friday, February 10, 2017
SCHOOL CHOICE WOULD BENEFIT TEXAS AND RGV
It's not a new thing about our public education, as we all know that it has been riled with low graduation rates, low state scores, and failing schools for years. The article "SCHOOL CHOICE WOULD BENEFIT TEXAS AND RGV" by Rafael Bejar and Christopher Gambini published in Texas Public Policy on Feb 5, 2017 offers a welcome solution for our educational system. The authors states that school choice is a conservative, liberty-loving, economically shrewd solution to our educational system. Above all, this educational reform would provide relief to Rio Grande Valley Texans.
According to the Texas Education Agency's Public Education Grant List for 2017-18, there are 65 failing school districts in the Rio Grande Valley alone. This affect the children from low-income families, which has no resource to move or send their children to private schools other than getting stuck in failing schools even though the school is not meeting the needs of their children. Consequently, it is usually well-off families that can choose and find a good for their children, while the disadvantaged students are left without school choice.
The article shows that in 2017 Legislature session, however Texas House and Senate members have the chance to embrace school choice and give parents the financial resources to find their children an adequate education. Our Texas elected officials have a opportunity this session to provide Educational Savings Accounts or a tax credit scholarship to Texas parents, and empower them to choose private school, to home-school, take online courses, provide tutoring or therapies- or any combination, which will best suit their children's unique educational needs. Also the Governor Greg Abott said in his State of the State Address: "Parents, not government, are best positioned to make decisions about their child's education. Parents should be empowered to choose the school that's best for their child."
As every child should have a chance to succeed in life, School choice will give students of Texas an opportunity to get a better education, whereby they can harness their academic and intellectual potential. It is proven that school choice is truly a win-win solution and I think Texas House and Senate members should use their chance and should embrace policies that give every child a chance to succeed.
According to the Texas Education Agency's Public Education Grant List for 2017-18, there are 65 failing school districts in the Rio Grande Valley alone. This affect the children from low-income families, which has no resource to move or send their children to private schools other than getting stuck in failing schools even though the school is not meeting the needs of their children. Consequently, it is usually well-off families that can choose and find a good for their children, while the disadvantaged students are left without school choice.
The article shows that in 2017 Legislature session, however Texas House and Senate members have the chance to embrace school choice and give parents the financial resources to find their children an adequate education. Our Texas elected officials have a opportunity this session to provide Educational Savings Accounts or a tax credit scholarship to Texas parents, and empower them to choose private school, to home-school, take online courses, provide tutoring or therapies- or any combination, which will best suit their children's unique educational needs. Also the Governor Greg Abott said in his State of the State Address: "Parents, not government, are best positioned to make decisions about their child's education. Parents should be empowered to choose the school that's best for their child."
As every child should have a chance to succeed in life, School choice will give students of Texas an opportunity to get a better education, whereby they can harness their academic and intellectual potential. It is proven that school choice is truly a win-win solution and I think Texas House and Senate members should use their chance and should embrace policies that give every child a chance to succeed.
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