Article VII is a newsletter about Texas education policy. I’m a professor of education policy at Texas Tech. I am a Lubbock native and a proud Texan.
The name comes from the Texas Constitution. Established in 1876, Article VII says the general diffusion of knowledge is essential to preserving Texans’ liberties and rights, and it tasks the Legislature with providing “an efficient system of public free schools.” Every legislative session, agency rulemaking, and district hiring decision is, one way or another, an attempt at keeping that 150-year-old commitment. This newsletter keeps track of that promise.
Study after study, I find myself asking one question: What do our education systems actually reward, and are those rewards working for students? Much of my research uses the state’s longitudinal data system, which connects students from early childhood through college and the workforce. My policy briefs are where I summarize what I learn. This newsletter is where I tell you what I think it all means.
I write roughly twice a month. I’ll cut through the technical jargon and tell you what the statistics mean. When I’m giving you my opinion, I’ll label it as mine. If a finding cuts against something I’ve argued before, it goes in the piece anyway.
Texas first, always, but I hope the lessons will travel. If you’re a parent, a teacher, a principal, a legislative staffer with five minutes, or a researcher who wants to see the Texas data put to honest use, this is meant for you. Subscribing is free. It just means my thoughts land in your inbox, and it tells me somebody is reading.
