“The Lone Star State’s educational system is only better than that of eight other states, according to a new report” (Fechter, 2016). Texas, as well as many other States, are struggling to get the benchmark grades in the educational system. Many have stated various reasons for the poor grades. They have indicated the lack of resources, the need for re-structuring, the language barriers for many students, as well as the large population served. This paper will discuss the various rankings for Texas, which will include the drop-out rates, the educational funding, teen pregnancy rate, and others in comparison to the national rates. It will further indicate the most surprising information found within the rankings as well as the most concerning.
The latest period for which there is data on graduation rates is 2012-2013. Texas had a graduation rate of 88%, while the national average was at 81%. Texas also has the most schools with 100% graduation rate, meaning all the students that began high school within at that school earned a high school diploma (nces.ed.gov, 2014). Texas received a total of $ 10,712,476,678 in educational funding per the Department of Education in the summary of expenditures. The national total amount in 2015 was $ 69,066,634,184. Texas receives the third most funding, with California receiving the most. Funding sources are federal, state, and local sources. In per pupil amounts spent, Texas ranks 40th among the states, with per pupil amount spent being $ 10,191. The national average is $12,380, with DC spending $29,427.
Texas ranked third nationally for teen pregnancy in 2010 with 80 out of 1000 teen pregnancies. Currently, Texas ranks 45th nationally. (the national campaign.org) In 2015, the State population was at about 26,448,193. The number of children under the age of 18 were 7,040,918. The poverty rate was 17.5% overall. The poverty rate of children was 25%. The recorded number of children who died because of child abuse was 150. In 2012-2013, out of 100 families living in poverty, around 5 received assistance. (Child Welfare League of America) Nationally, between four and five children die a day as a result of child abuse. Overall, Texas ranks 25th in child welfare among the states with a total score of 58.64 out of 100.
The national rate of incarceration in 2013 was 830 adults per 100,000. Texas has a rate of 1130 per 100,000 adults incarcerated. (Governing Data) Texas ranks 33rd in quality of healthcare, as the cost of healthcare is high, the number of insureds is low, and the poverty level is high as well. Furthermore, healthcare is less accessible than in other states. Texas ranks 32nd in the number of individuals that have mental health issues in comparison to the individuals that can and do receive care. Texas ranks equally low in children that receive care compared to prevalence of mental health issues.
What I find most surprising among the rankings is how poorly we as a nation are doing. This could be correlated or attributed to the poor economy, the high number of individuals who have lost their jobs, or the individuals who have lost their homes after so many financial scandals occurred. It could be attributed to the lack of leadership and guidance, or it could be attributed to misaligned priorities. Many individuals have differing opinions on what or who is to blame for the terrible ratings.
Texas has developed many diploma programs, whereas most states only have one high school diploma. I believe this has positively attributed to the growing success of the school systems to raise the graduation rate and lower the number of dropouts. The funding however, has not proven to be sufficient and neither has the structuring of the districts. Regardless of ethnic backgrounds and languages spoken in the homes, all children should be given equal access to learning as well as equal abilities. Furthermore, the amount of child abuse as well as the mental health issues that are prevalent within Texas, as well as the incarceration rate is very troubling. These rates have stayed the same throughout at least the past 6-7 years.
- Child Welfare of America. Texas Children 2015. Retrieved from http://www.cwla.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/2015-State-Fact-Sheet-Texas.pdf
- Fechter, J. (2016). Texas places 43rd among states in national education ranking. MySA. Retrieved from http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/education/article/Texas-ranks-43rd-among-states-in-national-6750691.php
- Governing Data. Retrieved from http://www.governing.com/gov-data/s
- National Center for Educational Statistics. (2014). Publication NCES 2014391 Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2014391
- The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. Retrieved from https://thenationalcampaign.org/data/state/texas
