[The Battalion
TATE & LOCAL
Thursday, May 4,1989
es
exas education reforms produce
igher SAT’s, lower dropout rate
i on
WASHINGTON (AP) — Evidence that educa-
1 reform in Texas is working surfaced
Wednesday in a federal report card which gives
state higher marks for improved college en
trance-exam scores and a decline in the dropout
fate.
But, Texas still lagged behind the national av
erage for its Scholastic Aptitude Test scores and
the percentage of students who graduate from
ligh school.
See related story/Page 4
[ Randy Erben, deputy director of the Texas
bffice of State-Federal Relations, said the success
|)f the education reforms of the past few years is
vident in the report card, but acknowledged
nore work is ahead. With the second largest
lumber of school districts in the country, the
rickle-down effect of educational reform at the
itate level “is going to take some time,” Erben
aid.
According to the U.S. Education Department,
Texas ranked 17th out of 22 states that use the
SAT as the dominant college entrance exam in
1988. The average Texas score rose from 875 in
1987 to 879 in 1988, up from 868 in 1982. The
national average in 1988 was 904.
Texas also ranked 43rd in the nation in 1987
for its graduation rate, with 65.1 of students
graduating from high school, compared with a
national average of 71.1 percent. In 1986, Texas
had a graduation rate of 64.3 percent, compared
with a national average of 71.6 percent.
Texas also showed an improvement in teacher
salaries — with an increase to $25,558 in 1988
from $24,903 in 1987. Still, the state lagged be
hind the 1988 national average of $28,008, for a
27th-place ranking.
Legislation in 1987 requires school districts to
have a dropout-prevention person.
A state report indicates that 87,000 students in
grades seven through 12 dropped out in the
1987-88 school year, out of a total 3.2 million stu
dents in the state’s public schools, Joey Lozano, a
spokesman for the state Department of Educa
tion, said.
Dropouts, he said, will not have the skills they
and their employers will need in the years ahead.
The state Department of Education is also
asking the Legislature to appropriate more
money for education. “Of course, we cannot ex
pect to rank near the top in academic achieve
ment if we are not prepared to make a significant
effort in supporting education,” Texas Educa
tion Commissioner William Kirby said in Austin.
Legislation is currently before the Legislature
that would put an extra $500 million into prop
erty-poor school districts.
“The good news is that the schools are not
worse; the bad news is that we are not making
progress,” Education Secretary Lauro Cavazos
said. “That’s ... an alarmingly high figure,” Loz
ano said. “Obviously, we need to do something
about it.”
Dropouts, he said, will not have the skills they
and their employers will need in the years ahead
“and it will have an adverse economic impact.”
B ANA prof wins award
for motivating students
By Todd Connelley
REPORTER
An ability to motivate students to
achieve excellence earned a
Texas A&M professor of business
analysis and research the 1989-90
John F. Mee Distinguished Pro
fessor Award.
Dr. Warren Rose recently re
ceived the national award, the
first of its kind, from Beta
Gamma Sigma business society. It
enables Rose to travel to Eastern
New Mexico University to pre
pare its school of business for in
spection by the American Asso
ciation of Collegiate School of
Business.
The AACSB visits various busi
ness schools across the country to
see if they measure up to certain
academic standards. If those stan
dards are properly met, the
schools receive full accreditation
by the AACSB.
A&M’s school of business
achieved this accreditation both
at the undergraduate and grad
uate levels.
“1
I’m going to present a
successful blueprint they
can follow and stimulate a
research environment...
as we have here at
(A&M.)”
— Dr. Warren Rose,
business professor
Rose said he considers the op
portunity to participate in the
process a unique challenge.
See BANA/Page 4
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Sister city program pairs
B-CS with Soviet Union
By Andrea Warrenburg
STAFF WRITER
The Bryan-College Station Sis
ter City Association is building a
small bridge between the United
States and the Soviet Union.
The association, part of Sister
Cities International, which coor
dinates sister city efforts world
wide, is attempting to establish
personal and community rela
tions with Kazan, the Soviet city
paired with Bryan-College Sta
tion.
“The purpose of the program
is to break down barriers between
the United States and the Soviet
Union,” said Scott Thacher, pres
ident of the association and an
A&M assistant professor of bio
chemistry and genetics. “The
premise is that big political prob
lems, such as environment and
military control, might be helped
through mutual understanding.”
Kazan, located about 500 miles
“T
I he purpose of the
program is to break down
barriers between the
United States and the
Soviet Union.”
— Scott Thacher,
association president
east of Moscow on the left bank of
the Volga River, has a population
of about 1.2 million people. The
city is an important industrial and
cultural center, but was chosen as
See Sister/Page 4
House OKs prison reform bill, sponsor
calls it most expansive in Texas history
AUSTIN (AP) — After lengthy debate and 23
amendments, the House on Wednesday tenta
tively approved a massive prison reform package
the sponsor called the most expansive in Texas
history.
“In my opinion it’s probably the largest over
haul of the criminal justice system in the state’s
history,” Rep. Allen Hightower, D-Huntsville,
said.
House Speaker Gib Lewis said the measure
“may be the most significant piece of criminal
justice legislation that’s been passed in Texas in
the last 50 years.”
The pa'ckage, which would create 24,000 addi
tional beds in state prisons and community facili
ties, will be reviewed in two years under an
amendment that vyas debated at length.
Another vote is required for final passage of
the bill, which the Senate is awaiting before con
sidering its prison reform bill. Only two House
members voted against the package in a non-re
cord vote.
The bill sets out numerous alternative sentenc
ing and incarceration programs and authorizes
construction of space for 17,300 new prison
beds.
Total cost, including $400 million in bonds to
be approved by voters, would be $600 million,
Hightower said.
“I
If you commit a crime, you are
going to be punished, and we’re
going to have a mechanism to do
that.”
— Gib Lewis,
House Speaker
Hightower wanted a review of the plan in four
years, but lawmakers representing counties’ in
terests sought a shorter period.
Reps. Dalton Smith, R-Houston, and Glenn
Repp, R-Duncanville, argued that counties
feared the state would continue pushing its pris
oners into county jails.
A portion of the bill sets into state law a federal
court order requiring Texas prisons to stay un
der 95 percent capacity.
County judges have said the provision would
permanently shift the financial burden of hous-
■ ing excess state prisoners to local taxpayers.
Hightower said the provision only complies
with what is already mandated by the court, but
said he understood the fear that “somewhere
down the road the Legislature won’t be responsi
ble and come back and build any more prisons.”
He said programs in the bill would ease the
counties’ problems, but “in all probability, it’ll
take longer than two years.”
In the meantime, he said, “I feel an obligation
to protect the state against lawsuits in two years.”
When asked later if he thought the package
would satisfy counties, Hightower said, “It better.
That’s the best that we can do. If it doesn’t, we’ll
just have to come back in two years and do some
thing else.”
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ALL STRESSED UP AND NOWHERE TO GO?
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
Jn. 14:27
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