Leadership Winner Announced
We established inaugural leadership awards that will now become part of the annual leadership summit. They represent our collective commitment to academic excellence, service, and leadership in public education. They inspire hope, cultivate possibility by mentoring, they respond to people, and will leave a legacy for future generations.
Huge congratulations to our inaugural award winners:
Dr. Martha Salazar-Zamora, Tomball ISD, TALAS Superintendent of the Year
Dr. Steven Gutierrez, Ed.D. Gutierrez, Chief Operations Officer, Tomball ISD, TALAS Central Office Administrator of the Year
Dr. Jessica Meléndez-Carrillo, Ed.D. Melendez-Carrillo, Canutillo ISD Principal of the Year (now serving as Director of Bilingual Education and Professional Development).
Summer Leadership Summit Recap
We closed the 3rd Annual Summer Leadership Summit inspired by our speakers, Dr. Miguel Cardona, Ed. D. and Mr. Robert Alfaro, the presenters, the sponsors, and attendees from all over the state. We extend our deepest gratitude to our summit and annual sponsors for making the event possible. Summit K12 brought us Dr. Miguel Cardona, who opened the summit and set a powerful tone for the uplifting experiences that our presenters provided. Mr. Alfaro delivered a moving keynote message reminding us of the “Roberts” who are still in our classrooms waiting to be seen and heard – grounding us in our work!
We applauded the inaugural student scholarship winners and wished them the best with future endeavors. We celebrated the TALAS L3 (Latino Leverage Leadership Program) Cohort 12. They completed year one of program study and embark on year two of mentoring with a TALAS Board member.
Strong early math skills equal later algebra success
Algebra I is known as a gateway class: Students who pass the course are more likely to take advanced math courses, graduate from college and earn more money as adults.
But for many children, their path to success in Algebra I is formed years before they take the class. Third grade math scores can strongly predict which students will go on to pass Algebra I and which ones may struggle.
A recent working paper analyzing test scores of over 1.7 million Texas students explored the phenomenon. It found that the gaps in Algebra I pass rates between low-income, Black and Hispanic students and these students’ more affluent, white and Asian peers can largely be traced to how well students master early, foundational math skills.
TALAS Awards Scholarships to Outstanding Student Leaders Across Texas
TALAS is proud to recognize outstanding students from across the state of Texas by awarding nine scholarships of $1,500 each to support their educational pursuits after high school.
As part of the application process, students submitted an application and a video describing a personal experience that challenged them to overcome obstacles, demonstrate leadership, and grow through the experience. The scholarship committee was inspired by the resilience, determination, and leadership potential displayed by all applicants.
TALAS is honored to invest in the next generation of leaders and looks forward to following their educational journeys and future accomplishments.
Congratulations to our scholarship recipients! We are excited to see the positive impact these young leaders will make in their communities and beyond.
Texas’ discipline push sends kids to ‘jail-like’ campuses
Angela Comfort still can’t explain exactly what went wrong.
Her son, Jordan, an honors student in Garland, Texas, got in trouble with school officials this February for distributing flyers on campus about a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Students all over North Texas were planning a walkout, and the teen was eager to participate.
Instead, administrators suspended him and warned further punishment was possible.
“I didn’t even let him go near the school” the day of the protest, Comfort said. “No new behavior could have been seen to warrant any kind of new discipline.”
Still, that afternoon, an email came from the school: Jordan was being assigned to the district’s Disciplinary Alternative Education Program. An administrator later said Jordan was facing a six-week placement for being disruptive, according to Comfort. If he behaved well and took behavior and anger management classes, he could be out in five weeks, she recalled.
Texas lost 76,000 students. Many other states are losing them too
Texas public schools shrank by nearly 76,000 students this year. Where did they go?
The enrollment decline is the largest single-year change Texas has seen in years, according to Texas Education Agency data and an analysis by Texas 2036. It’s the first decline since the 2020-21 school year, when more than 122,000 students left at the height of the pandemic.
Hispanic students represent 81% of the total student decline, signaling a demographic shift that could reshape school district funding and resources, according to Texas 2036.
Scholarship Opportunity for TALAS Members
TALAS Scholarship Opportunity 🎓
Do you have a child or grandchild graduating from high school this year? Let TALAS help support their next educational chapter.
TALAS is proud to offer $1,500 scholarships to support students as they begin their higher education journey. We are seeking nine outstanding scholars who exemplify the leadership, service, and commitment to excellence that reflect the TALAS mission.
📌 Apply today: Click the link to complete the application.
Please help us spread the word by sharing this opportunity with eligible students and families!
Scholarship Opportunity for TALAS Members
TALAS Scholarship Opportunity 🎓
Do you have a child or grandchild graduating from high school this year? Let TALAS help support their next educational chapter.
TALAS is proud to offer $1,500 scholarships to support students as they begin their higher education journey. We are seeking nine outstanding scholars who exemplify the leadership, service, and commitment to excellence that reflect the TALAS mission.
📌 Apply today: Click the link to complete the application.
Please help us spread the word by sharing this opportunity with eligible students and families!
Scholarship Opportunity for TALAS Members
TALAS Scholarship Opportunity 🎓
Do you have a child or grandchild graduating from high school this year? Let TALAS help support their next educational chapter.
TALAS is proud to offer $1,500 scholarships to support students as they begin their higher education journey. We are seeking nine outstanding scholars who exemplify the leadership, service, and commitment to excellence that reflect the TALAS mission.
📌 Apply today: Click the link to complete the application.
Please help us spread the word by sharing this opportunity with eligible students and families!
School districts can set aside prayer time under a new Texas law. Few have done so
Given an opportunity by the Texas Legislature to set aside time each day for students and staff to pray, most school districts appear to have declined the offer.
Senate Bill 11 required Texas school boards to decide by March 1 whether to provide a daily devotional period, which students could attend during noninstructional hours to pray and read the Bible or other religious text, likely before school.
But one of the key lawmakers who guided the bill through the Legislature has identified only 15 school districts that have opted into the prayer period. Many other urban, suburban and rural districts voted against it.