When a community has limited access to grocery stores, when STAAR scores are low and when the median income is much lower than the rest of a city, what is the right thing to do? [Hint: Read to the bottom to find out what you can do!]

A. Close schools and pretend food deserts aren’t real.

B. Build freeways around the community since land is cheap. 

C. Provide tax credits to businesses even when they don’t provide jobs in the community. 

D. Start RISE program (just like the failed "fire your way to excellence" Apollo program) and fire lots of the teachers, lowering morale so even more teachers leave. Waste available funds on test prep and really expensive canned online curriculum.

E. Lower class size and reduce STAAR prep (now 40-60% of the year or more) so kids can have meaningful learning after two COVID years. This takes trust. Provide teachers with good salaries, respect, and training to improve learning and kids’ well-being. Partner with the city so there are grocery stores and other resources in poor communities just like everywhere else.

Unfortunately, policymakers have historically chosen A, B, C or D. Instead, let’s choose E and pay attention to the harm caused by neglecting communities and the harm caused by the over-reliance on standardized testing. 

Read below for three ways you can LEAN INTO E!

ATTEND the June 25th CVPE Educate and Advocate Forum.  Learn more and buy a ticket today at houstoncvpe.org/forum.

VOTE for Coretta Mallet Fontenot for State Board of Education, District 4, in the Democratic Runoff. Early voting is May 16-20. Election Day is May 24.  Coretta is a veteran educator who will stand up for strong public schools and for textbooks that tell the full history of our country. Her opponent has received gobs of money from charter supporters and the charter PAC industry. Find your polling location and sample ballot at harrisvotes.com.

Support the next Northeast Community Farmers’ Market this Saturday, bringing healthy food access and choice to the Trinity Gardens, Kashmere Gardens and Settegast neighborhoods. Come this Saturday, May 21st at 5425 Troost St off Lockwood and 610 from 9-noon. Read more at urbanharvest.org/farmers-market/northeast-community-2/