Post by pavel on Jan 17, 2016 16:47:17 GMT -6
Mike Morath, a 38-year-old North Texas businessman-turned public education devotee and school choice advocate, is Texas' new education commissioner. Gov. Greg Abbott last month named the sophomore Dallas school district trustee to head the massive Texas Education Agency, lauding him as a "proven education reformer" and "change agent."
Known for his controversial — and ultimately unsuccessful — effort to free the Dallas school district of most state controls, Morath's appointment was a tip of the hat to the school reform movement, a diverse group of homeschoolers, business-backed accountability groups, charter school advocates, and voucher proponents.
Meanwhile, teacher and school groups — offended by Morath's effort to turn the Dallas school district into a home-rule district — have mostly decried his appointment to a position overseeing the state's more than 1,200 school districts and charter schools.
But in a wide-ranging interview with The Texas Tribune this month, Morath spoke passionately about empowering — and learning from — teachers and principals. One of the first big things on his to-do list, he said, is soaking up “the knowledge and wisdom of the practitioners of the field." He also said he wants to focus limited state resources on struggling schools while leaving high performers alone.
Read more: www.texastribune.org/2016/01/17/q-mike-morath/
Known for his controversial — and ultimately unsuccessful — effort to free the Dallas school district of most state controls, Morath's appointment was a tip of the hat to the school reform movement, a diverse group of homeschoolers, business-backed accountability groups, charter school advocates, and voucher proponents.
Meanwhile, teacher and school groups — offended by Morath's effort to turn the Dallas school district into a home-rule district — have mostly decried his appointment to a position overseeing the state's more than 1,200 school districts and charter schools.
But in a wide-ranging interview with The Texas Tribune this month, Morath spoke passionately about empowering — and learning from — teachers and principals. One of the first big things on his to-do list, he said, is soaking up “the knowledge and wisdom of the practitioners of the field." He also said he wants to focus limited state resources on struggling schools while leaving high performers alone.
Read more: www.texastribune.org/2016/01/17/q-mike-morath/