Micah TaylorJul 4, 20204 minTEA's COVID-19 Engagement & Contact Data: How Did Our Students Do?According to TEA data, just under 89% of PK-12 students were fully engaged between spring break and the end of the year.
Micah TaylorDec 1, 20195 minSTAAR scores are still strongly tied to poverty levelsSchools and districts with lower EcoDis rates perform better on STAAR than schools and districts with higher EcoDis rates.
Micah TaylorAug 18, 20198 minSo you want to understand A-F? Here's a (somewhat) simplified explanation (Part 1 of 3). TEA's A-F accountability system overly simplifies a massively complex set of data that cannot be accurately summarized with a single letter.
Micah TaylorAug 8, 20196 minThe Teacher Incentive Allotment could add up to $32k to Texas teachers' salaries (HB3 Part 1.5)The Teacher Incentive Allotment will bring additional money into the system in a way that directly supports teacher compensation.
Micah TaylorJun 13, 20196 minEverything you need to know about teacher raises from HB3 (Part 1). While there are definitely things that should be questioned (and even criticized) regarding what the state changed with HB3, at the end of t
Micah TaylorJun 1, 20196 minEverything related to STAAR that changed from the 86th Legislative Session. There is a lot of misinformation out there regarding STAAR and the 86th Legislative Session. If you want the highlights, this is for you.
Micah TaylorMay 16, 20196 minThe "bonus" in HB3 based on 3rd grade STAAR will reward the affluent and successful, not the needy. The "bonus" system outlined in House Bill 3 by the 86th Legislature favors already successful districts rather than districts in need.
Micah TaylorMar 17, 20197 minTale of two campuses: why an open records request proves Dallas ISD's ACE program is unsustainable.Dallas ISD's ACE, or Accelerating Campus Excellence, initiative has received a ton of attention in the media, and our representatives hav...
Micah TaylorMar 12, 20194 minThe $5,000 teacher/librarian raise is smoke and mirrors. Don't fall for it. The senators who helped get SB3 passed this session think they have everyone figured out: promise a $5,000 raise to teachers and libraria...
Micah TaylorSep 21, 20185 min5 Reasons Removing Hillary Clinton from Texas Curriculum Was Not About Politics or Rewriting HistoryThe recommendations made to the Texas State Board of Education to shorten the Texas history standards by removing a lengthy list of histo...
Micah TaylorSep 13, 20188 minDear Politicians: Education is about teaching and learning. Not winning votes. In theory, political leaders would support public schools in great and profound ways. In theory, they would help schools grow leaders and...
Micah TaylorAug 24, 20185 minRevisited: Is 'A' Really for Affluent?Almost seven months ago to the day, I wrote the analysis that follows in order to bring attention to a few misleading statements made by ...