On February 18, 2015, 24 teachers and administrators, and 34 students from across Texas gathered at the Texas Capitol to share with state legislators (mostly their aides) three of the organizations top priorities for this year’s biannual legislative session. First on the list is full funding for full-day pre-kindergarten. Since newly-elected Governor Gregg Abbott, in January, listed as his first emergency item for legislators pre-kindergarten programs (although his plan only partially funds these programs and only proposes to have half-day ones), the TCTELA decided to support his move and request more. The second item on the organization’s list is to promote instruction in and assessment of both reading and writing in order to ensure a balance in literacy instruction. The concern is that legislators are considering eliminating writing assessment on state-wide assessments, and that elimination could lead to less emphasis on writing in instruction. The third item on the list is class size and total load for teachers. To support this item, the organization directed legislators (and their aides) to the NCTE position statement, “Why Class Size Matters Today.” Throughout the day those in attendance visited the offices of almost every representative and senator in the legislature to share the organization’s talking points and to offer its assistance as legislators make decisions that affect the education of students in Texas.
Literacy Education Day
State: Texas
Level: P12
Analyst: Taylor, Valerie