Proficiency in Research Needed!

An editorial in Monday’s Austin-American Statesman blusters impressively about the apparent negligence of state lawmakers. Referring to a previous issue of the Statesman, the unknown author rehashed the recent outrage concerning a law in effect since 2003. To sum up the description of the law, as well as present the sole numerical evidence offered, “The state Optional Flexible Year Program permits school districts to petition the Texas Education Agency for a waiver of the state-mandated 180 days of classroom instruction. The waiver exempts districts from losing state money for student absences, which means the districts can collect money for students who aren’t in the classroom. This school year, 148 districts were granted waivers, up from 58 in the previous year.” The reason this evidence falters is closely tied to the reality of Texans’ abysmal proficiencies in math, science, reading, and writing. What school in Texas should be cutting back on school time?? Getting an A, as in Absent proceeds to assert (correctly, in my opinion) that the Texas high school calendar should be extended - not reduced. American adolescents already attend a month less school per year as compared to children in South Korea. The claim of the article is that the Optional Flexible Year Program increases student absenteeism while not holding schools accountable. The author’s overt audience would seem to be Texas lawmakers, but Getting an A more effectively alerts citizens (without the use of any statistics or in-depth research) to the rubbish our state legislators may be propagating. It is hard to tell what impact the 2003 law actually had upon schools since zero lawmakers or teachers were asked to weigh in. I would have appreciated a little more detail, such as: What was the point of this law in the first place? Making sure applicable schools would receive the maximum amount of funding possible or encouraging absenteeism? The author’s logic? As anonymous as their name.