Education in Low-Income Cities Based Around DallasFort worth Area

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Education in Low-Income Cities Based Around Dallas/Fort worth Area

Introduction

Education policy stipulates the plan and the principles on matters of children education (Harris 60). The education policy in the United States has been changing its goals over the years due to the changes in the culture and society in general. Some of the primary goals of the federal state education policy are to ensure that the children are fully prepared for citizenship, workforce, critical thinking, and ensure that they fit the marketplace globally (Palmer 614).

The education policy also provides that the children acquire cultural norms and values and that they are prepared for the college education. The education policies are, therefore, crafted in line with the education goals. They focus on who should access the school, who to teach, what to be taught when to be taught, the costs of education, criteria for assessing the success, and ways of correcting any form of failure. Education policy and improvement of learning among low-income communities have been a significant issue in the country that requires a well-calculated approach.

Brief overview of the policy relationship

The US constitution does not have provisions for education. Therefore, the federal government functions in educated are limited. However, training and funding are mandated to the federal government as well as the state governments in the United States. The government, the public, communities, and local organizations have the responsibility to establish learning institutions, determine enrollment requirements, develop curriculum, and come up with the requirements for graduation.

The education structure and financing in the country reflects both the roles of the federal government and the state governments. Majority of the education funding in the state come from the private organizations, state government, and the local communities. Only eight percent of the education funding comes from the federal government. Texas education policy is based on House Bill 72 of 1984 which saw a lot of reforms in the state’s education sector (Harris 60).

The bill channeled more funds in public education, put measures to improve the students’ academic achievement, and increased payment for teachers. The state education system also runs under local school districts and an open school enrolment charter. While the state has various provisions on education, the schools have to comply with minimum education code and work under the state funds. The schools can also provide alternative ways of teaching.

Major issues facing each level of government

Public education policy and funding have been a subject of concern in Texas. The problem is severe within communities living in low-income areas such as Dallas/Fort Worth area. Equity spending in the school districts has been a contagious issue in the state. Since 1989, the school system has been marred with concerns and legal struggles between ‘wealthy’ and ‘property poor’ school districts (Lingard 539). Although the 1993 bill was intended to level the funding for the schools in Texas, there is still an ongoing issue on the amount that every district gets.

The Senate Bill 7 controls the number of funds that Texas’ school districts are allocated. The bill holds that the school should have a stipulated property wealth per student which is set. Any district whose students exceed the required limit should give away some of its funds to other districts, e.g., through merging their tax bases with other districts which are ‘property poor.’ The districts also have options of sending the money to the state, obtaining students from other states, consolidating with other areas voluntarily, or moving some property to the tax rolls of another district.

Texas education bill did not establish financial equity among the school districts alone (Divided We Learn). The law created accountability measures too. The accountability measures seek to include all the children within the education system. The bill holds the districts and the schools should be accountable for the students drop out, the performance of the students, and the assessments tests. Schools receive ratings on accountability annually based on the proportions of the students from different categories such as economically disadvantaged, white, African American, and Hispanic.

The ratings are also concerned with the student dropout rates in the specific group of students (Lingard 539). Students are increasingly being held accountable due to the high set standards of the graduation requirements, thorough curriculum, and stringent assessment tests. One of the strict requirements is that third-grade pupil must pass coursework and test to be promoted to the next stage. The conditions are being added as time goes by and more strict tests are expected in the future.

Due to the limited role of the federal government in education, the states have different policies. The different strategies mean that the schools are run differently across the states, and thus there is differences and inequalities among different school systems. There have been calls for the federal government to play a more significant part towards ensuring that there are standards and policies that provide equity in public education policy and funding.

Reasons for initiating policy changes

Low-income cities based around the Dallas/Fort Worth area continue to face challenges that call for action. About thirty-five percent of Hispanic and African American children live in poverty, and they and they are less likely to access equal education opportunities as compared to their white counterparts. The children are also expected to be enrolled in schools that are ‘property poor.’ The poverty rates in some parts of Austin, Houston, and Dallas are increasing (Craig 1034). Children should not be limited by their economic background when it comes to access to quality education.

Policy changes are needed to ensure that there is equality among the community through job creation, housing, and access to education. Policy changes are also required to provide that there is more focus on the education of children rights from age one so that they build a strong foundation for the third grade. The children need equal opportunities for them to succeed. Policy changes should be able to help the leaders, the community, and educators on how they can increase the opportunities for low-income children. Various issues that affect children need to be addressed since children are an essential asset in the development of the country. Literacy levels among the third-graders are significant, and the policies should seek to ensure that all of them can read.

Options to be considered

The Texas government should increase the number of funds which are allocated in schools. There are about 5.4 million students in Texas’ public schools. The schools have big classes which make teaching cumbersome for teachers since they cannot easily monitor all the students (Craig 1034). The schools, therefore, need the smaller size of classes. The schools also need modern technology for learning and focus more on art programs to develop student talents. The state’s allocation of funds to the schools has been decreasing over the years.

The decrease has seen the government of the state splitting funds meant for responsibility for the public schools into two to compensate for the deficit. The state should invest more funds into the public schools so that we can decrease the property taxes. The state should also find ways in which they can motivate teachers by putting in place policies for healthcare and pension for the retired teachers. The idea here is to value the teachers as a significant predictor of the quality of education in the state. Schools also need non-teaching staff to ensure that the needs of the students are addressed thoroughly.

Pros and cons of each potential reform

There are different pros and cons for the possible improvements based on the costs and the benefits. One of the potential advantages of increasing school funding is that it will ensure that there are more resources for the ‘property poor’ schools. The move is likely to reduce the size of the classes so that the teachers can easily monitor the students (Harris 60). The funds will also ensure that the schools acquire modern equipment for smooth learning. Motivating teachers through health care and pension schemes have an advantage since they will be willing to work harder for better results. However, there are cons of increasing school funding. One of the disadvantages is that the increase of school funding may be followed by a draconian form of restrictions for the local government to raise their funds.

Best option for moving forward

The best options would be to increase the public schools funding while at the same time controlling the property tax revenues that the government collects. Any increase of tax revenues should be allowed only through the approval by the voters.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the education policy and ways for improving learning among low-income communities is an important issue since it affects the country. Education is a vital driver of the economy all the children must be able to access quality education regardless of their gender, race, religion, or socioeconomic status. Policy changes are, therefore, significant towards revamping the education sector to ensure that all the children access quality education regardless of their background.

Works cited

Craig, Cheryl J. “The contested classroom space: A decade of lived educational policy in Texas schools.” (2009): 1034-1059.

Divided We Learn (2017) N.pag. The Hechinger Report. Web. 31st October. 2018.

Harris, A., & Tienda, M. (2010). Minority higher education pipeline: Consequences of changes in college admissions policy in Texas. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 627(1), 60-81.

Lingard, Bob, Wayne Martino, and Goli Rezai-Rashti. “Testing regimes, accountabilities and education policy: Commensurate global and national developments.” (2013): 539-556.

Palmer, Deborah, and Virginia Snodgrass Rangel. “High stakes accountability and policy implementation: Teacher decision making in bilingual classrooms in Texas.” Educational Policy 25.4 (2011): 614-647.