Wasting Money on an Already Failing System is Unacceptable

I read an article written by one of my classmates, and I do not agree with the idea of segregating genders. I think that plan would be as ineffective as teaching abstinence as the only option for birth control. Our education system in Texas is failing, and it would be irresponsible to use almost $870,000 on a hypothesis that has no proof of success.We cannot prevent teens from having sexual contact, and since that is done outside of school this idea is redundant. 

I think a better plan would be to improve the education and self worth of our youth. Teens with long term goals are less likely to become pregnant at a younger age. Statistics show that the more educated a woman is the less children she has. If a student receives quality public education and better preparation for the future, I think the teen pregnancy rates would decline. Practicing safe sex goes along with being educated, and conservative law makers need to stop being naive about the issue of teen sex. It is impossible to prevent teen relations, but with all around better education the teen pregnancy rates will decrease. 

Don't Give up on the Future of Texas

The education system in Texas is in as much of a crisis as the state budget. The state’s priorities are all mixed up, and mistakes made today will effect generations of Texans. The disconcerting fact that we ranked second to last for having a population of 25 and older with a high school diploma should be a huge wake up call for all Texans. It is imperative that we completely revamp our thought processes on how we operate the education system in Texas. Our population is growing steadily, and we have the second youngest population in the nation to educate.

Education is like building a house and you need to start with a strong foundation. Parents should take their role as their child’s first educator seriously, but that is not the case for all. Programs like pre-k are suppose to pick up that slack, but funding is being slashed. We are forced to hold ourselves to a higher standard since integrating global markets are forcing the U.S. to compete on a global stage. In order to be competitive in this country and the world, we must support job growth and advances in technology. Texas leads the nation in low wage jobs, and that is not supporting the advancement of this state.

A one size fits all solution rarely works for anyone and especially in education. Higher education isn’t for everyone, but that is not the only way to earn a family sustainable wage. In the E.U. they integrate vocational education starting in middle school along with the regular curriculum. This helps students figure out their interests before they finish high school and gets them into the work force faster. For students who want to become doctors or in other high level professions, our education system should offer more specialty schools to prepare students more thoroughly.

I understand with our tight state budget those ideas I have listed could only be long term goals. An attainable solution that could increase our state revenue is to have a more skilled population. In the past there were apprenticeships and more on the job training opportunities which resulted in a economic growth. We need to get back to our roots and take care of our people. Educating our population and providing family sustainable wages reduces our burden for Health and Human Service costs and increases the revenue for the state. The building blocks for economic growth and the future of Texas lies in how we educate the people.

Texas Women's Health Issues Today Effect Tomorrow

Texas Slowly Takes Away Women's Rights

I agree with your stance that Texas is not taking women's health and reproductive rights seriously. In my first post on my blog I talked about how Rick Perry has destroyed the Women's Health Program in Texas. Federal funds cannot legally pay for abortion services, so attacking Planned Parenthood under that pretense is absurd. I do think women should have the choice to make their own decisions about their reproductive health. More importantly preventive measures are essential to avoiding those tragic decisions in the first place. The answer is not to cut spending and accessibility for women's health. 

If Texas truly wants to spend less on state funded healthcare, and avoid fighting unconstitutional wars on abortion clinics then they need to stop unplanned births. Clinics such as Planned Parenthood are necessary to keep low income women healthy, and help them plan their families more responsibly. It is irresponsible for policy makers to cut spending for state family planning programs and then force tax payers to fund Medicaid to pregnant women and their offspring when it could have been avoided for a fraction of the price. 

Women who postpone having families until later in life are more likely to have a college education, and a good paying career. When they are given those options, they can provide a better future for their families. An African proverb states “Educate a boy, and you educate an individual. Educate a girl, and you educate a community.”