HOUSTON (AP) — The library at Houston’s Lockhart Elementary had been a refuge for 8-year-old Sydney, who has struggled because of dyslexia. The school’s librarian, Cheryl Hensley, curated a space that encouraged her to read.
But now Texas has taken over Houston’s public school district, and her refuge has been repurposed as a space to be used in part for discipline. While students can still check out books, there will be no one to guide them. Hensley, the librarian, is gone.
The new state-installed superintendent, Mike Miles, said his message to teachers and parents is about hope as well as the need for dramatic change. One of Miles’ boldest projects has been a major restructuring of 28 underperforming schools, many of which are located in lower-income neighborhoods. Their teachers must now follow a centrally scripted curriculum, with in-classroom cameras monitoring their performance and pay based largely on standardized test scores.
His most criticized change is transforming libraries at dozens of underperforming schools into “team centers” where students will get extra help and where those who misbehave will be disciplined, watching lessons on Zoom rather than disrupting their classrooms. The takeover in Texas’ largest city comes as state GOP leaders around the country seek to assert power over Democratic strongholds. Just last week, the head of Oklahoma’s public schools threatened a takeover of the Tulsa school district.
“That’s all we talk about and it’s very distracting because we really need to be focusing on the needs of our students,” the teacher said.
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Texas takeover raises back-to-school anxiety for Houston students, parents and teachersHOUSTON (AP) — The library at Houston’s Lockhart Elementary had been a refuge for 8-year-old Sydney, who has struggled because of dyslexia. The school’s librarian, Cheryl Hensley, curated a space that encouraged her to read.
Read more »
Texas takeover raises back-to-school anxiety for Houston students, parents and teachersHOUSTON (AP) — The library at Houston’s Lockhart Elementary had been a refuge for 8-year-old Sydney, who has struggled because of dyslexia. The school’s librarian, Cheryl Hensley, curated a space that encouraged her to read.
Read more »
Texas takeover raises back-to-school anxiety for Houston students, parents and teachersHOUSTON (AP) — The library at Houston’s Lockhart Elementary had been a refuge for 8-year-old Sydney, who has struggled because of dyslexia. The school’s librarian, Cheryl Hensley, curated a space that encouraged her to read.
Read more »
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