House Committee on Public Education – Interim Report

The House Committee on Public Education has published its report to the 82nd Legislature. Below is a summary of the recommendations.

Interim Charge 1—Monitor the implementation of the public school accountability, college readiness, and other reforms enacted by HB 3 (81R) and recommend adjustments as needed.

Recommendations:

1. Maintain the focus on college readiness in the assessment and accountability systems and allow the new systems to become fully operational.
2. Continue to monitor the implementation of HB 3, and consider technical changes and refinements identified during the implementation process.

Interim Charge 2—Study the role of public schools in promoting student health, providing health related information, and responding to infectious diseases, including the H1N1 virus.

Recommendations:

1. Require schools to adopt policies for the management of student and staff health emergencies.  
2. Re-examine how wellness is modeled and taught in our schools in order to improve student health. 
3. Monitor the implementation of innovative wellness courses for possible expanded implementation.

Interim Charge 3—Study the best leadership and management practices of campus administrators for improving student achievement, with particular focus on effective leadership models for improving low-performing campuses. Make recommendations on how to implement successful strategies at scale.  Review the current administrator certification process and make suggestions for improvements.

Recommendations:

1. Develop a certification endorsement for principals with a specialty in school turnaround.
2. Focus principal preparation and professional development on building a culture of achievement on campuses and on leading effective teachers.

Interim Charge 4—Review policies to ensure the availability of quality science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curriculum to all students in primary and secondary education. Examine strategies to increase the supply and improve retention rates of teachers in STEM fields.

Recommendations:

1. Monitor the postsecondary performance of students graduating with the 4×4 curriculum required by the Recommended and Advanced high school graduation programs.
2. Eliminate any barriers to the replication or expansion of UTeach.

A complete copy of the report can be found by visiting:

http://www.house.state.tx.us/_media/pdf/committees/reports/82interim/House-Committee-on-Public-Education-Interim-Report-2010.pdf