This report discusses the issues surrounding the disciplinary alternative education programs (DAEPs) in Texas, its updated findings, and the authors' recommendations on what the state should do to address DAEP problems. DAEPs were supposed to be for criminal offenses--drug-related activities, gun violations and assault--all violations that had…

In Texas, all students are equal, but once again some are more equal than others. This policy update provides a description of the key elements of the existing Texas school funding system, identifies features that contribute to equity and those that maintain and expand inequity, and includes recommended reforms that would reinstate critical…

Because English language learners (ELL) are among the fastest growing student populations in the country, improving the quality of programs serving them is essential to the state of Texas as well as to the country as a whole. Despite decades of experience in attempting to address the language proficiency and academic needs of English language…

Bilingual education teaches English to children and at the same time, they are taught core subjects like math and science. The facts show that bilingual education is a small investment that pays big dividends for the country in the form of a well educated work force. This article focuses on three areas: historical basis for Texas funding for its…

As we begin the run up to the January 2005 Texas legislative session, a number of important education reform issues are on the table. Perhaps the greatest challenge will involve measures to increase revenues to cover state-supported functions, including of course education. [This document originally appeared in the "IDRA Newsletter", however some…

IDRA interviewed different groups of respondents at San Antonio College to identify the most critical factors that impacted a decision to enroll in college and graduate. Focus group and individual interviews targeted key stakeholders, including: high school administrators, counselors, high school students, parents of high school students, and…

Despite recruitment efforts, San Antonio community college was experiencing a marked decrease in Latino enrollment, particularly from neighborhood high schools that traditionally had been their feeder schools. The Intercultural Development Research Association examined the problem and found that the college, like many two- and four-year…

Texas Governor Rick Perry convened the legislature in a fourth special session in April 2004 for state leaders to address school finance and tax related issues left unresolved in its 2003 regular biennial gathering. As the session opened, there was much uproar about how the system was to be changed dramatically. Some talked about creating a new…

Hispanic students value a college education. Among high school graduates, Hispanic students are second only to Asian students in attendance at colleges and universities. Richard Fry of the Pew Hispanic Center summarizes, "There can be no doubt that Latino families are willing to invest in their children?s education" (2002). Much of what accounts…

Some groups that are pressing for changes in the state's school funding system represent the interests of a small number of school districts that see themselves as somehow "unfairly" impacted by the state's recapture provisions. Recapture is the part of the funding system that re-allocates state resources that are concentrated in a small number of…

Although the results of minimum competency tests need to be interpreted with caution, data on the Texas Assessment of Basic Skills (TABS) for 1980-82 clearly indicate the inadequate results of remedial programs for minority students in Texas. Secondary analysis of the data shows that overall performance on exit level math and reading tests…

This paper analyzes Texas Senate Bill 351 that reforms public school funding. The bill provides for additional state funding and significant increases in local property taxes. The bill creates county education taxing units to neutralize the enormous property wealth differences found among the state's 1,056 school districts. It also provides a…