EducationNews.org

by Donna Garner

7.14.09

 

To anyone who doubts the excellent skills and conservative values that Gail Lowe possesses, you just need to "hide and watch."  Gov. Perry has made a great appointment in Gail Lowe as the new chair of the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE).  My husband and I were gone for a week with our grandchildren, but the first thing I did when we got back to Texas was to call Gov. Perry's office and commend him on his choice of Gail Lowe.

 

Texas can now continue on its path to education reform of the public schools. The new-and-improved English / Language Arts / Reading standards are to begin implementation this fall.  The new world-class Science standards will be implemented soon.  Under Gail Lowe's leadership, the new Social Studies standards will be developed; new Math standards will come in the next couple of years. 

 

Texas has a great Commissioner of Education in Robert Scott who, along with Gov. Perry, recognized the dangers of joining up with Obama's Common Core Standards (i.e., national curriculum equals national tests) and refused to sign on. As Commissioner Scott has said, whatever the Common Core Standards turn out to be, Texas is committed to having even better ones. 

 

Texas has eight strong conservative members (out of 15) on the SBOE who have put their personal lives on hold in order to dedicate themselves to improving the curriculum standards.

 

Gail Lowe is one of these who has worked tirelessly, reading each and every standards draft, writing up succinct yet substantive changes, having the boldness to present her work when the time was right, and standing by her recommendations when under fire by destructive forces -- Texas Freedom Network, the Austin American-Statesman, various education bureaucracy coalitions, and other such "bad actors." 

 

We in Texas are very hopeful that our public schools will become places where strong knowledge-based, academic curriculum will be taught and emphasized rather than the steady diet of social engineering and social justice that is so common in many schools around the country.

 

We want our Texas students to have strong foundational knowledge that will make it possible for them to think logically, process, analyze, and evaluate. With this type of core knowledge, they will be able to launch into college and/or the workforce prepared for a multitude of vocations and able to become knowledgeable and productive citizens.   

 

This generation is the hope of tomorrow, and they must have strong skills and academic rigor to prepare them for the many challenges that lie ahead in our very troubled and chaotic country.