They could have gotten more out of the experience if you ask me.
With Fort Worth ISD preparing for a state takeover, some of the city’s business leaders recently came to Houston to learn how its own state intervention has played out under state-appointed superintendent Mike Miles.
Members of the Fort Worth Chamber, Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber and Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber toured HISD with Miles. The tour included a stop at one of the district’s 130 New Education System campuses, which Miles has targeted for overhauls aimed at boosting test scores.
In 2023, Houston ISD became the largest district in Texas history to face state intervention. With more than 70,000 students, Fort Worth ISD will become the second-largest district to undergo a takeover when the intervention begins in fall 2026.
In a joint statement, members of all three chambers said they were encouraged with the HISD’s focus on instruction and “ethos that every child can learn.”
“The bold systemic changes led by Superintendent Miles are positively changing the trajectory of the lives of children,” the chambers said in a joint statement. “We are inspired by and appreciative of the thousands of educational leaders in Houston who are implementing new practices elevating the standards for all students.”
[…]
Houston ISD’s takeover has inspired sustained pushback, and some Fort Worth parents have already begun to rally against the intervention. However, many of the city’s most prominent business groups have embraced the state intervention.
The Fort Worth chambers appeared to follow suit, calling intervention a “generational opportunity” to improve their schools.
“Through similar decisive and bold leadership, we are encouraged that the Fort Worth community will rise to the occasion for this generational opportunity to help all students reach their potential,” leaders said. “We remain fully committed to supporting students, the district, and new school leadership as our community works together to ensure academic performance improves for every student.”
See here for the background. As I feared and suspected, they stayed inside a bubble of HISD control for their visit, which is certainly their right but which I strongly feel gave them a limited and therefore inaccurate view. They clearly know about the criticisms of Mike Miles and his regime, I think you have to engage with that even if you’re inclined to disagree, if only to buttress your own stance. It’s a missed opportunity to learn for them, which is ironic since one of their takeaways from their visit was “every child can learn”. Perhaps more so than some adults, it would seem.
I guess they were served Mike Miles Kool-Aid with their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches….
…or they looked at what as been done, how test scores have changed, how engagement has changed, etc., and Based On Their Own Conclusions, determined that the policies put in place and actions taken have, overall, had a positive effect on HISD and Might help FWISD going forward.
Score another one for “doing your own research,” eh, CL?
Never mind the science of education or the different rules of engagement. Crazy idea for an experiment: how about we let the school districts have access to all the money that the TEA is going to unleash on their district *before* the TEA takes it over, and then compare results?