2016 Texas Superintendent of the Year Mary Ann Whiteker of Hudson ISD, 2016 Texas Elementary Teacher (and Texas nominee for National Teacher of the Year) Revathi Balakrishnan of Round Rock ISD, and 2016 Texas Secondary Teacher of the Year Martha Saucedo of Brady ISD were invited to address the SBOE at its meeting Friday.
Whiteker spoke of the Creating a New Vision for Public Education in Texas document created by the Public Education Visioning Institute with the support of TASA and how it has inspired transformation in her district and across the state. She called for a reduction on the emphasis on standardized testing in favor of multiple, diagnostic assessments and spoke in support of digital learning and local accountability.
Balakrishnan, a TAG specialist, also spoke of standardized testing, saying that it takes time away from teachers being able to truly teach their students. Saucedo, a family consumer science teacher, talked about the importance of elective courses and how they connect students to the real world. She called on the board to support those opportunities for students.
See Mary Ann Whiteker’s speech.
See Revathi Balakrishnan’s speech.
See Martha Saucedo’s speech.
See more photos from the meeting.
