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EDITORIAL: Aiming for Tech Success: High School Project Could Help Texas Catch Up

Posted on: Sunday, 18 December 2005, 18:09 CST

By The Dallas Morning News, The Dallas Morning News

Dec. 18--Texas urgently needs to make up a lot of educational ground, especially in its high school science and math classes. The Texas High School Project is trying to help it do just that.

The project started two years ago with $130 million, half from the state and the rest from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation and the Communities Foundation of Texas. The project was awarded $71 million more Thursday from these foundations and from Austin technology executive Jim Truchard.

If the project reinvents the way students are taught the essential math and science skills necessary to shape this century, what a success that will be. This is an investment in the economic future of Texas, a state where too few students finish high school and too many of those who do lack proficiency in the cutting-edge math and science required for high-tech fields.

The project's goal is to eventually develop centers across the state to help teachers improve their science, math, engineering and technology instruction and to annually reach 25,000 students â€" particularly low-income and minority students who continue to lag other students in math and science skills.

Reaching 25,000 students a year is a worthy target, but that is only a fraction of the state's high school-age residents. Ultimately, state and local officials will have to carry the load, starting with lawmakers breaking the school finance logjam and sharply increasing the dollars that go to public education. Local educators must be willing to redesign high school math and science studies to reach the average student as well as the best and the brightest.

The greatest service the Texas High School Project can do is to draw state lawmakers and local school districts a road map on how and where to effectively invest money. The project's success is critical for the sake of today's student and tomorrow's Texas.

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Copyright (c) 2005, The Dallas Morning News

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The Dallas Morning News

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