Greg Abbott’s Educating Texans plan will make Texas education first in the nation.
The first phase of Educating Texans will provide funding to districts that opt to implement a gold standard, high quality, accountable prekindergarten program with the goal of demonstrating long-term prekindergarten success.
To be a part of the Pre-K 4 Gold Standard requires Pre-K 4 programs to adopt the most rigorous of the already existing Pre-K instruction guidelines. All Pre-K 4 teachers must hold a bachelor’s degree – or above- plus a Child Development Associate credential. Teachers and staff must develop a culture of inclusion to engage families and increase active parental involvement in their child’s education. Program effectiveness must be measured and shared with parents, teachers, school districts and the TEA.
—Greg Abbott
Parental involvement is crucial to a child’s success in pre-k, as parents are truly the most influential teachers in a child’s life. Participating in this program would require schools to develop a written parental involvement plan. Teachers and schools should maintain a dialogue with parents to determine the parents’ views on child rearing and updates on their child’s progress. There are many strategies that can be used to commence and reinforce this communication, and those decisions should be made at the local level.