Charter Schools? (Houston, Dallas, San Antonio: credit, home, employment)

[sillygirl77]

Are All the schools in Texas Charter schools? I was told that. I wanted to know if it were true.

[FarNorthDallas]

No, they are not all charter schools, although there are some charter schools in Texas. Texas public schools are in independent school districts not tied to any city or county. I think that's what makes Texas different from other states.

[JamesAbilene]

I will try to answer some of your questions regarding schools in Texas.

There are over 1000 Independent School Districts in the state which are not charter schools. Many cities have multiple school districts. I believe San Antonio has 8 or more school districts within its city limits. My city, Abilene, population about 120,000 has two school districts--Abilene and Wylie. The Abilene shool district has about 16,000 students, and the Wylie district has about 3,000. (There is a second Wylie school district in the Dallas area. Don't get them confused.) Each school district operates independently of the city and county government but is tied to the Texas Education Agency in Austin which accredits the schools.

Texas is divided into 20 Regional Service Centers which have oversight of the schools in their areas. If you check the Regional Service Center web sites, you can find employment opportunities listed for the area school districts. Simply look for the web site by googling Region 14 Education Service Center (That is the service center for the Abilene area.) Dallas, Ft Worth schools are served by Regions 10 and 11; San Antonio area by Region 20; Houston area by Region 4; Austin by Region 13. If you need a map of the Regional Service Centers, go to the Texas Education Agency web site. The map shows the centers. Clicking on any region will bring up the regional centers web site.

There are charter schools throughout Texas. However, they are generally speaking, not as academically rigorous as the public schools and many of them are in danger of losing their accreditation due to low test scores. (There are a handful of excellent charter schools, however.) Another example, Abilene has one charter school, Eagle Charter School, which is a franchise that exists in several school districts. Charter schools generally pay less than public schools.

I was principal of a middle school in Abilene for 7 years and assistant principal at another for two years, and I supervised our counseling staff at both schools. Counselors in Texas are GUIDANCE counselors. Primary jobs are testing, evaluating, and guiding kids into college; or, in the case of middle schools, into high schools, or into career paths. My counselors spent most of their time on these activities because testing has overtaken our state educational system. Setting up state required tests, giving them, interpreting and distributing scores, and using results to schedule students in classes probably took well over half of my counselors' time. Another huge block of time was required to assess, recommend testing for, and attend ARDS for special education students. My school had a high special ed population. (I believe in other states the ARD committee is generally referred to as the IEP committee.) There is very little time for individual counseling. However, most districts have counselors to whom the guidance counselor can refer a child with a severe emotional problem. The larger districts have their own diagnosticians and counselors. The smaller districts share them through the Regional Service Centers.

I currently work for one of the universities in Abilene and do teacher certification. I believe you can become certified in Texas by simply taking our required state tests. To check on what is required to transfer a teaching or counseling certificate from another state, check the State Board of Educator Certification web site. On the home page are links to what is required to get Texas certification.

I have given lots of information. If you have more questions, pm me. I have tried to answer questions which you have posted in two threads. Good luck!

[ronniecomoda]

Mr. James,

Hi, Im Ronnie Comodas a language teacher from the Philippines and I ahve my credentials reviewed by SBEC/ TEA as was given a chance to get the TEXES etc. The problem is taht I cant go there and take the test.My agency in Austin that is looking for my school sponsor told me that I can take my exam when I get there but since you worked as a principal before, counld you help me find a school.Im an English major.My email ad is [EMAIL="ronniecomoda@yahoo.com.I"]ronniecomoda@yahoo.com.I[/EMAIL] will appreciate it very much if you could help me.

Ronnie


e=JamesAbilene;2385800]I will try to answer some of your questions regarding schools in Texas.

There are over 1000 Independent School Districts in the state which are not charter schools. Many cities have multiple school districts. I believe San Antonio has 8 or more school districts within its city limits. My city, Abilene, population about 120,000 has two school districts--Abilene and Wylie. The Abilene shool district has about 16,000 students, and the Wylie district has about 3,000. (There is a second Wylie school district in the Dallas area. Don't get them confused.) Each school district operates independently of the city and county government but is tied to the Texas Education Agency in Austin which accredits the schools.

Texas is divided into 20 Regional Service Centers which have oversight of the schools in their areas. If you check the Regional Service Center web sites, you can find employment opportunities listed for the area school districts. Simply look for the web site by googling Region 14 Education Service Center (That is the service center for the Abilene area.) Dallas, Ft Worth schools are served by Regions 10 and 11; San Antonio area by Region 20; Houston area by Region 4; Austin by Region 13. If you need a map of the Regional Service Centers, go to the Texas Education Agency web site. The map shows the centers. Clicking on any region will bring up the regional centers web site.

There are charter schools throughout Texas. However, they are generally speaking, not as academically rigorous as the public schools and many of them are in danger of losing their accreditation due to low test scores. (There are a handful of excellent charter schools, however.) Another example, Abilene has one charter school, Eagle Charter School, which is a franchise that exists in several school districts. Charter schools generally pay less than public schools.

I was principal of a middle school in Abilene for 7 years and assistant principal at another for two years, and I supervised our counseling staff at both schools. Counselors in Texas are GUIDANCE counselors. Primary jobs are testing, evaluating, and guiding kids into college; or, in the case of middle schools, into high schools, or into career paths. My counselors spent most of their time on these activities because testing has overtaken our state educational system. Setting up state required tests, giving them, interpreting and distributing scores, and using results to schedule students in classes probably took well over half of my counselors' time. Another huge block of time was required to assess, recommend testing for, and attend ARDS for special education students. My school had a high special ed population. (I believe in other states the ARD committee is generally referred to as the IEP committee.) There is very little time for individual counseling. However, most districts have counselors to whom the guidance counselor can refer a child with a severe emotional problem. The larger districts have their own diagnosticians and counselors. The smaller districts share them through the Regional Service Centers.

I currently work for one of the universities in Abilene and do teacher certification. I believe you can become certified in Texas by simply taking our required state tests. To check on what is required to transfer a teaching or counseling certificate from another state, check the State Board of Educator Certification web site. On the home page are links to what is required to get Texas certification.

I have given lots of information. If you have more questions, pm me. I have tried to answer questions which you have posted in two threads. Good luck![/quote]