Fort Worth ISD should listen to teachers, parents as it charts new course – Dallas News

Fort Worth ISD should listen to teachers, parents as it charts new course  Dallas News

The state takeover of Fort Worth ISD has been on the lips of many candidates this election season. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa has pledged to end state takeovers if she is elected, while Gov. Greg Abbott has defended the state’s intervention and accountability system that led to the takeover. The start of the district’s first full school year under state control has been met with mixed reactions. Almost 800 teachers left the district before the new school year, and parents and educators have raised concerns at community meetings about rigid scripted lessons and trampling on teachers’ abilities to run their classrooms. The district’s Board of Managers and new superintendent, Peter Licata, are in the process of revising goals for student achievement and a roadmap for the superintendent.

The board’s willingness to incorporate feedback from parents and teachers is a good-faith effort to bring the community into the fold of a process in which many have felt overlooked. But listening to these concerns shouldn’t mean lowering expectations for student achievement. Fort Worth must do all it can to improve academic outcomes. For years, the district was falling behind. In 2022-23, more than half of the district’s schools earned D or F ratings, and only one-third of students were meeting grade level expectations. While it was one campus’ five consecutive years