Texas public Schools? (Houston, Dallas, San Antonio: apartment, renting, buying a house)

[akpatel]

Can I get some info on Texas public Schools?

[Trainwreck20]

Rather open question . If you use the search funciton in the upper right you will probably turn up quite a bit of information.

[FarNorthDallas]

The schools are governed by the Texas Education Agency. The kids take high stakes tests (TAKS) starting in 3rd grade and based on those scores as well as attendance rates and drop out rates the schools are ranked. The categories are:

1. Exemplary - the best - very hard for high schools to achieve this due to drop out rates. Half of blacks and Hispanics drop out and Texas has a HUGE Hispanic population. The high schools that are exemplary are mostly upper income white schools.
2. Recognized - 2nd best.
3. Acceptable
4. Unacceptable/low performing - the worst

Starting with the 9th graders in 2011, the exit high stakes test that must be passed to graduate switches to End of Course tests. The End of Course tests are in the 4 main subject areas. Right now there is just one test to pass that covers everything.

There is no free universal preschool. Kindergarten is optional, but most kids attend. Many kids are held back a year, the boys for sports reasons and TAKS reasons. You are supposed to be age 5 by Sept. 1 for kinder and 6 by Sept. 1 for 1st grade. It's virtually impossible to start early, say your child was born Sept. 2, they have to wait until the next year.

Football is HUGE here. Football coaches make more than school principals. Kids play sports from very very young and many play select sports instead of or in addition to playing school sports. Most kids start with soccer in preschool ages.

Amost all of the teachers in the classroom are certified teachers. There isn't much of a teacher shortage here, except for high school math and science and bi-lingual teachers.

School districts in Texas are independent. They are not bound by cities or counties. The boundaries are crazy. You can live in the city of Dallas, but be zoned for the Richardson ISD school district. A children's home can be their own school district. You can live in Sunnyvale and be zoned for Sunnyvale ISD schools through 8th grade and then you go to Mesquite ISD high schools. In the Dallas Ft Worth area alone there are over 100 school districts. Each one of these ISD's has their own school boards. You have to be very careful buying a house or renting an apartment. You can move across the street and be in another school district.

[GringoJay]

Quick question about the suggested lack of teacher shortage...

Where is the highest need for bilingual teachers?
Lowest need? (I am assuming the RGV, maybe El Paso)

Thanks

[loves2read]

there really is NO texas teacher shortage in most districts that are semi decent or close to a metro area---the areas that need teachers are special ed

the need for bilingual teachers is moderate at best--most districts can hire what they need from teachers that graduate from TX schools---even in the valley--
check out the TEA web site and look for the region maps which shows districts within the state--most districts have web sites that let you search their vacancies...

the worst school districts --one with the lowest pay, most isolated or dire teaching situations--have the most vacancies--even districts in San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston have few vacancies once the school year starts--the state has gotten pretty watch-doggish about having uncertified teachers or people teaching out of their subject field--
I wish the media would STOP TALKING about teacher shortages--there really aren't any of any significance (like districts that have many unfilled vacancies during the year)...as least where I live--most people have a difficult time finding jobs when they graduate and/or when they transfer from other areas--

[GayleTX]

Texas Education Agency is divided into 'regions.' You can click on a region on this map and go to their website......most of them have job listed in their region (several counties in each region). That will give you an idea of what is available at this time. Should be new listing coming up in December, January (beginning of new semester).

Regional Education Service Centers

There are usually openings in North Texas for teachers certified to teach Spanish.....lower population of Hispanic people there than in the rest of the state, so there is generally a shortage of Spanish teachers for high schools. (see Region 10).