Note: This article originally appeared on Medium.
With the right reforms, Texas can move forward for our children
by Andrew Benscoter, Ed.D., Chief Education & Growth Officer at Upbring
In May, 25 students proudly earned their high school diplomas from the Trinity Charter Schools (TCS) Reclaim Academy. Graduations are always a special occasion, but this ceremony in Tyler was remarkable because of all they had overcome to get to this moment — and because their degrees had been completed online.
TCS partners with my organization, Upbring, to provide educational services within residential treatment centers (RTCs) throughout Texas. More than 90% of TCS students are identified as at-risk, and 75% are or have been in foster care. According to the Texas Education Agency, students in foster care have the lowest graduation rate and highest dropout rate of all highly mobile student groups. In fact, you are much more likely to graduate from high school if you’re homeless (80%) than if you are in state care (62%).
Low educational achievement has a lifelong ripple effect. In addition to diminishing their earning potential, children who have been in foster care have higher rates of unemployment and incarceration than their peers. Perhaps most heartbreaking, the National Center on Housing and Child Welfare estimates 1 out of every 4 youth in foster care will become homeless by age 22.
As you can imagine, it is very hard for anyone — much less a young person with a history of abuse and neglect — to reverse this trend. But state-supported virtual education is a proven solution that gives at-risk students a second chance to graduate. Yet, despite years of advocacy and debate, Texas doesn’t have a permanent plan for virtual education.
That’s why I urge our state legislature to prioritize virtual education and pass a final bill in the next special session, so we can help at-risk students change the trajectory of their lives.
The backstory: On June 12, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an order allowing state schools to continue providing virtual education services to students in grades 3–12 through the 2024–25 school year. Current provisions were on the brink of expiring and a robust virtual education bill, SB 1861, did not survive a final vote in the House in the last days of the regular legislative session. Abbott called for a special session on education savings accounts (ESAs), which began Oct. 9. A bill including a provision for virtual education was introduced in the House but was not debated before that special session adjourned. Now, a fourth special legislative session has convened — and virtual education is finally on the docket.
I’m grateful for the governor’s intervention on virtual education, as I have testified before the House Select Committee on Educational Opportunity & Enrichment. Unfortunately, it’s a temporary one. Unless an education bill encompassing virtual learning is passed in this special session, Texas will likely not revisit the topic until 2025. This is a missed opportunity to positively impact the lives of Texas families and communities.
We know virtual education works for students for whom traditional in-person learning is challenging or unsustainable — not only the 20,000 kids in Texas state care but also students in rural areas and those with anxiety, behavioral or sensory issues. TCS implemented virtual learning back in 2017 to help students catch up in the classroom. Today, that model has evolved into the Reclaim Academy, an inclusive, tuition-free and self-paced online program. Reclaim Academy is more practical than a GED program and allows students to build trusted relationships with peers and caring adults. The Reclaim Academy can follow foster youth wherever they land next — which is key, considering they may switch schools five or more times in their academic careers.
Thanks to the pandemic, many K-12 school districts finally have the infrastructure, staff training and standards to deliver high-quality virtual education. Texas can and should take advantage of this momentum. A final virtual education bill would also help school systems and educators plan ahead with confidence, instead of operating in funding and regulation limbo.
Virtual learning may not be for everyone. But it can help the right students, in the right circumstances, reclaim their education and their futures. The words of our TCS spring graduates stick with me, months later. “A lot of people … told me they never thought I could do it because I had my kids,” said one young mother. “[TCS] encouraged me to actually finish.”
Upbring and TCS are ready to reach more vulnerable youth through high-quality virtual learning. And we’ll stand by them for as long as it takes to earn their high school diplomas.
Now the question is: Will Texas act before more students fall through the cracks?