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Kay Bailey Hutchison’s Plan To Strengthen Texas Education

Outlines Four Principles That Will Guide Her Administration In Education

Dallas, TX – Today, Kay Bailey Hutchison outlined her priorities for the future of Texas education. Education is key to our state’s future and the strength of our economy. By applying conservative principles and fiscal accountability, Hutchison will guide the Texas education system to prepare our children for the 21st century economy. With a call for more innovation, more efficiency and more accountability, Hutchison proposed the following education plan:

Kay Bailey Hutchison’s Four Guiding Principles On Education:

  • We Must Make Better Use Of Technology So We Can Develop The Classroom Of The 21st Century.
  • We Must Steer Our Best And Brightest Into The Teaching Profession.
  • We Must Engage The Dropout Crisis Head On And Prepare Students For The 21st Century Workforce By Encouraging All Students To Graduate From High School And Go On To Higher Learning Either At A University, College, Community College Or Career College.
  • We Must Help Local School Districts Become More Efficient In Their Pursuit Of Student Achievement.

Creating The 21st Century Classroom:

Hutchison Will Lead Texas to Develop The 21st Century Classroom. Texas has long been at the forefront of innovation. Governor George W. Bush was successful in “wiring” today’s classrooms, but it is time to take the next step. Kay Bailey Hutchison will work with the Legislature to create the classroom of the 21st century by:

  • Developing A New Learning Platform That Will Help Students Learn And Help Schools Track Progress. We must devise new technologies and new formats for the 21st century classroom. Hutchison will leverage the private market to develop a hybrid e-Learning device especially tailored for students. Small, inexpensive, and versatile – less than a computer but more than an e-Reader – this new learning device can serve as a textbook, but also offer test-taking capabilities and track student performance in real time.
  • Facilitating An “E-Learning” Curriculum So Each District Can Access The Latest Learning Technology. As Governor, Hutchison will propose the development of an e-Learning curriculum and use e-Learning to individualize instruction and track student progress. All schools should have access to the latest e-Learning curricula, and they will have access to a statewide technology repository where approved curricula are evaluated, tested, and offered for purchase and distribution at statewide negotiated prices.

Focusing On Teacher Recruitment And Retention:

Hutchison Will Make It A Top Priority To Recruit Texas’ Best And Brightest Into The Teaching Profession. The foundation for success in education begins with quality teachers. Under Kay Bailey Hutchison, Texas will encourage our most gifted students to give back to their communities through teaching by:

  • Expanding Effective Loan Reimbursement Programs Like “Teach For Texas” And “Teach For America.”
  • Encouraging Every Texas College And University To Offer Some Version Of The “UTeach” Program To Those Students Pursuing Degrees In Science, Technology, Engineering, Or Mathematics So They Can Achieve Teacher Certification Through Electives.

Hutchison Will Bring Creative Attention To The Area Of Teacher Retention. Too often, the best teachers leave after just a few years in the classroom. This costs Texas’ students and taxpayers. It makes sense to find incentives to keep experienced teachers. Under Kay Bailey Hutchison, Texas will promote giving school districts greater salary flexibility to retain teachers, along with continuing professional development opportunities, by:

  • Enhancing Benefits. As Governor, Hutchison will propose a “cafeteria plan” so that teachers may select or replace benefits they forgo today. For example, teachers who opt out of TRS Active Care should be able to use the foregone benefit in a cafeteria plan for childcare, 529 plans, or retirement benefits.
  • Reducing Restrictive Rules. School districts should have the flexibility to attract and retain the best teachers. School districts need funding with fewer strings attached that limit their ability to create the best classrooms with the resources available. We will return decision-making and the capacity for leadership in education to the local level.  

Engaging The Dropout Crisis Head On:

Hutchison Will Meet The Challenge Of The Dropout Crisis And Ensure That We Are Shaping Our Education System Around The Needs Of Tomorrow’s Workforce. The future of Texas’ economy depends on a workforce that is highly-skilled and well-educated. As Governor, Hutchison will aim to increase both the number of students graduating from high school and the number going on to complete at least one or two years of postsecondary education. Under Kay Bailey Hutchison, Texas will reduce the number of dropouts and ensure that our children acquire the skills they need for tomorrow’s jobs by and through:

  • Enhancing Early Detection And Intervention. The latest technology permits much more effective longitudinal tracking of individual students, making it easier to identify those most at risk of dropping out of school. Most future dropouts can be identified years beforehand on the basis of statistical factors. We will explore different predictive tools and design intervention strategies so we start to help at-risk students as soon as they start to fall behind – or even before.
  • Proposing An Accelerated Middle Schools Initiative. Students who successfully complete the 9th grade with their peer group are much less likely to drop out of school. Hutchison will propose an Accelerated Middle Schools initiative to help middle school students who are behind grade level “catch up” by covering core academic curriculum at an accelerated pace. With individualized e-Learning, and a focus on core subjects necessary for graduation, students one or two years behind grade level will be able to catch up to their peers and stay on track.
  • Developing A Flexible School-Jobs Balance. Today’s at-risk youth face family and job pressures to an unprecedented degree. Many at-risk students want to continue their education, but feel the must attend to what they believe are more immediate responsibilities. As Governor, Hutchison will help school districts offer greater flexibility in scheduling classes, including the use of internet-based alternatives. School districts with a significant number of at-risk students should be encouraged to offer students an online learning environment where they can pursue both a high school degree and college credit, and learn advanced technical skills, at times beyond the traditional classroom hours.
  • Supporting The Development Of Effective Dropout Recovery Programs In All School Districts. When students drop out of school, we must do everything possible to bring them back in. Effective dropout recovery programs can make a difference. Since opening less than two years ago, the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD’s College Career, and Technology Academy has helped hundreds of drop-outs under the age of 25 earn a high school degree.
  • Ensuring That Texas Students Can Get A Post-Secondary Education.  Being either ready for college or prepared for the 21st century workforce should no longer be optional. It is increasingly important to make additional educational opportunities available to young Texans. Across the country and across Texas, dual-enrollment, dual-degree, and other early college high school programs have shown the promise of creating partnerships among high schools, community colleges, and the private sector. 
  • Early College High Schools. Early college high schools offer students the opportunity to begin taking college classes before graduating from high school, providing a great incentive to graduate and go on to higher learning.  In Texas there are now about 40 such high schools, but many more are needed for a state with 1.2 million high school students, and one of the highest dropout rates in the nation. Senator Hutchison will vigorously support their expansion.
  • Open Enrollment Charter Schools. Texas currently has about 200 charter schools serving more than 113,000 students. The Hutchison administration will support both the continued development of these schools and the adoption of their best practices by all Texas public schools.
  • Developing Public-Private Partnerships For Workforce Readiness: Those high school students thinking about entering the workforce sooner rather than later should have much more support than they have today.  The Hutchison administration will support promising ideas such as the proposal by State Representative Jim Keffer for a pilot grant program to support public-private partnerships in providing greater access to career and technical education, and commercially valuable certifications, in rural areas.

Ensuring Financial Accountability In Education:

To Ensure More Financial Efficiency In Education, Hutchison Will Designate The Best-Performing School Districts As “Pathfinder Districts.” We can improve our education system without simply throwing more tax dollars at the problems. As Governor, Hutchison will designate the best-performing school districts as “Pathfinder Districts.” Ranked by categories, including student performance and cost-per-pupil, these schools will serve as models for achieving greater academic success while creating economic efficiencies.

  • Applying “Pathfinder” Best Practices Across The Education System For Massive Savings. Encouraging low-performing schools to adopt the staffing models and other best practices of the more efficient districts could result in massive savings as well as improve student performance. Implementing these reforms across the state’s largest districts could lead to millions in savings for Texas taxpayers. As Governor, Hutchison will support comprehensive reforms across the spectrum of best practices, from management and teacher recruitment/retention to the use of instructional materials and classroom aids.
  • Repurposing Savings. By adopting Pathfinder programs and methods that have achieved savings or increased student achievements, we can save millions, savings which can be repurposed within the educational system.  This will permit greater investment in the reordered priorities of Kay Bailey Hutchison’s program for transforming Texas education.

Click here to see more details about Kay's education plan.