Robert Sanborn, Ed.D.

What Works in Texas… and What Needs to

Change

What Works

America’s “Top State for Business” in 2010

Texas is the nation’s number one producer of oil, gas and refined chemical products and a leader in aerospace and aviation

Texas is a top-ranked global destination for foreign direct investment

Texas’ unemployment rate has been at or below the national rate for 45 consecutive months

Economic Opportunity

The population of Texas is approximately 50% minority

Latinos are expected to comprise the largest ethnic group in Texas by 2020

Texas leads the nation in population diversity, even in rural Texas, due to the growing Latino population

Latino students account for the largest percentage of public school enrollment (49%), followed by White students (33%)

Diversity

Entrepreneurial Spirit

“Texas, at a lot of levels, is very fertile ground for education reform and for entrepreneurship in education…there’s something in the Texan DNA that allows entrepreneurship to happen.”  - Mike Feinberg, co-founder of KIPP

Robust charter school movemento Texas is home to 10% of the nation’s charterso Only two states, Arizona and California, have

more charter schools than Texas

What Needs to Change

Child Poverty

49% of Texas’ children live at or near poverty

Prevalence of child poverty is 3.2-3.5 times greater among Texas’ African American and Latino children than among White children

Only three states - New Mexico, Mississippi, and Arkansas - have a higher proportion of children in/near poverty

Texas ranked last in children’s health insurance coverage in 2008, with 19% of children uninsured

24% of children live in households that were food insecure at some point during the year

o On an average day, more than 1.7 million Texas students who qualify for a free or reduced-price breakfast are not participating

Access to Health/Nutrition

Texas ranks last in the nation in the percentage of adults with high school diplomas

Only 79.6% of Texans have a high school diploma

In Texas, more than one in three students never finish high school

Estimated cost to the state: $9.6 billion for each class of dropouts

Educational Access

L.A.

96Chicago

42N.Y.C.

62

Houston

11

Texas ranks 39th in postsecondary enrollment among 18-24 year olds.

Panel Discussions

What Works in Texas… and What Needs to

Change