OF
OF THIS
OF THIS CHALLENGING SCHOOL YEAR.. AND THERE'S NO DOUBT MANY
STUDENTS ARE STRUGGLING IN
NEW LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS.
THE KVUE DEFENDERS DISCOVERED--
EVERY MAJOR SCHOOL DISTRICT IN
CENTRAL TEXAS
REPORTS AN INCREASE IN THE
NUMBER OF MIDDLE AND
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FAILING AT
LEAST ONE
CLASS AT THE HALFWAY POINT IN
THE SCHOOL YEAR.
HERE'S INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER
TERRI GRUCA.
TERRI GRUCA. AS A MOM OF THREE BOYS -- I HAVE
SEEN THE CHALLENGES OF SCHOOL DURING THIS PANDEMIC
FIRSTHAND...
LAST WEEK'S SNOW AND ICE STORMS
DIDN'T HELP... FORCING
SOME SCHOOLS TO STAY CLOSED,
BECAUSE OF
DAMAGE LIKE THIS.
THE SPOTTY INTERNET SERVICE, THE
STRUGGLE TO
KEEP KIDS FOCUSED AND ENGAGED -
WHILE
TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATOR S
WORK SO HARD TO HELP
US ALL.
THIS STORY IS ABOUT MORE THAN
JUST NUMBERS IT'S
ABOUT THE IMPACT ALL OF THIS HAS
HAD ON EDUCATION
AND WHAT FAMILIES ARE SEEING AND
DOING AS A
RESULT.
HANDSTAND -- I WANT TO SHOW YOU
SOMETHING
MOST OF US LONG FOR INTERACTION
THESE DAYS.
WE SEE IT MOST IN OUR KIDS.
THE STRUGGLES OF SCHOOL THAT
BEGAN WITH THE
PANDEMIC LAST SPRING LINGER.
6TH GRADER
"LEARNING VIRTUALLY WAS REALLY
HARD FOR ME."
THE CHAMBLEE'S LIVED IT...
"IT REALLY WASN'T A GOOD
EXPERIENCE."
"IT WAS ROUGH, IT WAS ROUGH FOR
MY KIDS, IT WAS ROUGH FOR MY
WIFE AND I, KNOWING THEY MAY GET
ON THE COMPUTER FOR
MAYBE AT MAX AN HOUR."
SO THEY PACKED UP
TO MOVE SCHOOLS IN THE MIDDLE OF
A PANDEMIC.
A MOVE TO TEXAS MADE LEARNING
AND MAKING FRIENDS
EVEN MORE DIFFICULT FOR 13 YEAR
OLD REESE
MCCRACKEN.
"IT WAS KIND OF HARD SINCE IT
WAS SUCH A BIG SCHOOL AND WITH
COVID
IT WAS HARD FOR ME TO MAKE
FRIENDS."
VIRTUAL LEARNING MADE THAT EVEN
TOUGHER.
1:29-1:42
TOUGHER. 1:29-1:42 "WHEN I WAS ONLINE MY GRADES
WEREN'T AS GOOD. IT WAS HARD FOR
ME TO LEARN ON ZOOM. THE
TEACHERS REALLY DO TRY A LOT,
BUT
YOU'RE FACING A SCREEN FOR 7
HOURS A DAY AND YOU CAN'T
CONCENTRATE."
IT'S A PROBLEM PLAGUING SCHOOLS
ACROSS THE
COUNTRY AND HERE IN CENTRAL
TEXAS.
THE KVUE DEFENDERS REVIEWED DATA
FROM LOCAL
SCHOOL DISTRICTS SHOWING THE
NUMBERS OF
STUDENTS WITH FAILING GRADES.
ACROSS THE 15 DISTRICTS WE
REVIEWED THERE IS A 58% OVERALL
AVERAGE
INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF HIGH
SCHOOL AND MIDDLE
SCHOOL STUDENTS
FAILING AT LEAST ONE CLASS
COMPARED TO
THE HALFWAY POINT LAST SCHOOL
YEAR.
OVERALL 29% OF HIGH SCHOOL
STUDENTS IN THE 15 LARGEST
CENTRAL TEXAS SCHOOL DISTRICTS
ARE FAILING AT
LEAST ONE CLASS HALFWAY THROUGH
THE CURRENT
SCHOOL YEAR. THAT'S UP FROM 22%
AT THE HALF WAY POINT LAST
YEAR. AT SOME INDIVIDUAL
DISTRICTS ITS MUCH WORSE.
GRAPHIC
48% OF HS STUDENTS IN
BASTROP ISD ARE FAILING AT
LEAST 1 CLASS HALFWAY THROUGH
THE SCHOOL YEAR,
FOLLOWED BY 44% OF HIGH SCHOOL
STUDENTS IN
HAYS CISD, 43% IN PFLUGERVILLE
ISD, 38% OF
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN HUTTO
ISD, AND 33% OF HIGH
SCHOOL STUDENTS IN AUSTIN ISD
GRAPHIC
OVERALL 24% OF MIDDLE SCHOOL
STUDENTS IN
THESE 15 DISTRICTS ARE FAILING
AT LEAST ONE
CLASS HALF WAY THROUGH THE
CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR.
THAT'S UP FROM 12% AT THE HALF
WAY POINT LAST YEAR. BUT
AGAIN, AT SOME INDIVIDUAL
DISTRICTS ITS MUCH WORSE.
40% OF MIDDLE SCHOOL
STUDENTS IN BASTROP ISD
ARE FAILING AT LEAST 1 CLASS
HALF WAY THROUGH THE
SCHOOL YEAR, FOLLOWED BY 35% IN
MANOR ISD, 34% IN
GEORGETOWN ISD AND PFLUGERVILLE
ISD, 31% IN
AUSTIN ISD, AND 30% IN HAYS CISD
SUPERINTENDENT 3:34-4:00
"WE'RE ASKING A LOT OF KIDS THAT
HAVEN'T
HAVEN'T LEARNED TIME MANAGEMENT AND THEY HAVEN'T MATURED TO THAT LEVEL. SO REALLY EXCEPT SELF
DIRECTED SELF-PACED LEARNING.
AND THAT'S WHY THEY'RE IN CLASS,
BECAUSE THE TEACHER CAN WALK
AROUND AND AND CHECK FOR
UNDERSTANDING. THEY CAN CHECK
FOR PROGRESS. AND IF WE FOUND
THAT WE'VE HAD MORE OF A PROBLEM
AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL
IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH
SCHOOLS THAN WE HAVE AT THE
ELEMENTARY LEVEL ."
HAYS CISD SAW ONE OF THE BIGGEST
INCREASES IN
THE NUMBER OF MIDDLE AND HIGH
SCHOOL STUDENTS
FAILING AT LEAST ONE CLASS --
GOING FROM FROM
2,089 STUDENTS LAST SCHOOL YEAR
TO 4,184 THIS SCHOOL
YEAR -- A 224 PERCENT INCREASE.
HAYS COUNTY HAS A BIGGER
POPULATION OF STUDENTS THAT
LACK ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY AND
THE INTERNET.
THE DISTRICT HAS BEEN WORKING TO
PROVIDE
TABLETS AND HOT SPOTS TO
STUDENTS THAT DON'T HAVE
THEM.
SUPERINTENDENT 11:50-12:01
"THAT WAS LAST MARCH WHEN THIS
STARTED. AND I GUESS IT WAS LAST
MONTH WHEN WE FINALLY GOT ALL
OUR DEVICES IN. AND SO WE HAD WE
HAD GAPS WHERE WE DIDN'T HAVE
EVERYBODY COVERED. ."
SUPERINTENDENT 4:30-4:49
"IN EANES WE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF
AN ADVANTAGE WE REALLY DID WE
WERE ONE TO ONE WITH DEVICES
BEFORE THIS HAPPENED. OUR
TEACHERS HAVE BEEN TRAINED ON
THOSE DEVICES AND HAVE BEEN
USING THEM IN CLASSES WHEREAS A
LOT OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS DIDN'T
HAVE THAT."
EANES ISD REPORTED THE LOWEST
OVERALL
NUMBERS OF FAILING GRADES-- BUT
STILL SAW AN
INCREASE.
THEIR NUMBER OF STUDENTS
FAILING DOUBLED --
RISING FROM 35 TO 76 IN THE
MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND 83
TO 180 AT THE HIGH SCHOOL.
SUPERINTENDENT DR. TOM LEONARD.
SUPERINTENDENT 2:12-:27
WE FOUND IN PERSON IS IDENTICAL
SO IT'S REALLY THE KIDS
WHO ARE REMOTE WE'RE SEEING THE
MOST IN OUR DISTRICT IN THAT
DOMAIN ."
IN TEXAS PARENTS STILL HAVE THE
CHOICE TO SEND
THEIR KIDS TO SCHOOL OR KEEP
THEM LEARNING AT
HOME.
MOST SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN CENTRAL
TEXAS HAVE MORE
THAN HALF OF THEIR STUDENTS BACK
IN CLASS.
SUPERINTENDENT 5:25-:50
"IT MAY TAKE A LITTLE WHILE TO
TAKE
TAKE THE
TAKE THE KIDS WHO SLIPPED BEHIND AND CATCH THEM BACK UP, BUT COMPARED TO SOME OF THE
SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT
ARE STILL NOT OPEN IN PERSON,
WE ARE MILES AHEAD AND THAT'S
BECAUSE OF THE DEDICATION OF
OUR TEACHERS AND OUR STAFF.
EVERYONE IS WORKING HARD TO
MAKE THIS WORK."
I'M REALLY, REALLY CONCERNED
ABOUT OUR CHILDREN AND THEIR
FUTURE AND
HOW FAR BEHIND THEY POTENTIALLY
ARE."
THE CHALLENGES ARE REAL.
SUPERINTENDENT 5:04-:17
"MAYBE A FEW AREN'T PASSING AS
MUCH
MUCH WE'RE GOING TO GET THERE WE'RE GOING TO CATCH THEM UP. THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE A WALL
IN
THEIR LIVES, IT'S GOING TO BE A
SPEED BUMP AND WE'RE GOING TO
GET PASSED THIS."
SUPERINTENDENT 8:03-8:16
I GUESS THE MESSAGE I WANT TO
GIVE TO KIDS IS YOU'RE NOT A
FAILURE. THIS PROCESS MAY NOT BE
WORKING FOR YOU, BUT IF YOU'LL
BE PERSISTENT AND PERSEVERE, WE
WILL FIND A WAY TO GET YOU
CAUGHT UP. "
ROUND ROCK ISD THE SECOND
LARGEST SCHOOL
DISTRICT IN CENTRAL TEXAS HAD A
99% INCREASE IN THE
NUMBER OF MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL
STUDENTS WHO
FAILED AT LEAST ONE CLASS
.
ERIC CHAMBLEE SAY HIS 12 YEAR
OLD SON AUSTIN STRUGGLING
AND DECIDED HE NEEDED A CHANGE.
"HE'S GONE FROM MAKING SOME B,
C'S AND EVEN D'S IN PUBLIC
SCHOOL TO
NOW SHOCKINGLY NOW HE'S MAKING
A'S AND B'S AND YOU CAN SEE HIM
COME HOME AND WORK."
A CHANGE OF SCHOOLS HELPED REESE
TOO.
:26
TOO. :26
TOO. :26 "I'VE BEEN WAY HAPPIER, I'VE
LEARNED WAY MORE AND MY
GRADES ARE BETTER."
CHANGE IS HARD.
BUT IF SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES HAVE
PROVEN ANYTHING THIS
YEAR - IT'S THAT THEY CAN ADAPT.
AND THAT MAY BE THE REAL GOAL
THIS SCHOOL YEAR.
WE DIDN'T INCLUDE ELEMENTARY
SCHOOLS IN OUR
ANALYSIS BECAUSE MANY SCHOOL
DISTRICTS
TRACK GRADES AT THAT LEVEL
DIFFERENTLY.
IF YOU WANT TO SEE HOW HIGH
SCHOOLS AND MIDDLE
SCHOOLS IN YOUR DISTRICT ARE
FARING HALFWAY
THROUGH THIS SCHOOL YEAR.WE'VE
INCLUDED THAT
DATA WITH THIS STORY ON KVUE.COM
FOR THE KVUE DEFENDERS.I'M TERRI
GRUCA.
GRUCA.