Texas GOP Vote

This is Part II of my personal interview with Tom Pauken who is seeking the position for Governor of Texas. We must not be blind to the achievements and failures of our Texas leadership at such a critical time as now. With Battleground Texas on our heels, we must elect a governor who will Keep Texas Red.   Read more »

Last year, I took two courses from Hillsdale College on the Constitution. This course is similar to what many Hillsdale students take, but what intrigued me was not just the course itself, as excellent as it was, but the concept. Hundreds of thousands have taken this course, and Hillsdale showed how they can easily extend their reach while providing an inexpensive education to millions.   Read more »

I submitted written testimony today on Texas House Bill 5. The bill, authored by House Public Education Committee Chairman Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock of Killeen, is being discussed in committee this afternoon.

HB 5 replaces the STAAR test system with one that focuses on real learning and opportunities by: A) Reducing the number of required tests from 15 to five; B) Preserving accountability in our public education system by rating schools;

There are many reason why we need to address our national immigration policy. The current system is broken. It is a national security problem. It creates and encourages lawless behavior. But in addition to these problems that need to be addressed, there is an even bigger issue. We are an ageing society, and we simply need more young workers to serve as taxpayers. Yes, we don't need more taxes, we need more taxpayers!   Read more »

One of the trends we've been watching closely is the shift in attitudes when it comes to the "college for all" mentality that has dominated public policy in recent decades. Now, a plan in support of that shift is picking up steam at the Texas Legislature.

Workforce Commissioner Tom Pauken, who has been sounding the alarm about the need for more skilled workers, says the plan "is clearly going to pass the House. There's a recognition in the importance of multiple pathways to a high school diploma and the value of career and technical education."   Read more »

We've been telling you about the push in Austin to bring balance to the Texas education system. Many feel there's too much emphasis on sending every single student to college and not enough recognition that the skilled trades are a great option for many. The Texas Tribune reports on Houston Sen. Dan Patrick's bill to move the state away from the "college for all" model of education.   Read more »

Judging from the first few weeks of the new Texas legislative session, lawmakers are responding to calls for major education reform. Employers, educators, and parents have been calling on our state elected officials to allow for more flexibility in the high school curriculum rather than a “one size fits all” approach to education which pushes all students to go to a four-year university.   Read more »

What a difference four years makes!

When I joined the Texas Workforce Commission in 2008, I was stunned by the lack of appreciation for vocational education -- even here in Texas. State educational policy had become more of a “one size fits all” approach to education, oriented towards making every student “college-ready.”

This elitist-designed educational policy, which viewed vocational education as a stepchild, had the unfortunate effect of choking off the pipeline of skilled workers both in Texas and nationally.   Read more »

I am often asked, why do you place yourself in a group, and box yourself in when you should assimilate into America. The answer is twofold. First, because of government categorization, Latinos have to select a box that gives us a sense of togetherness. Second, there are some extreme groups who often target Latinos with hate or negative stereotypes that fulfills their racist drive. So I place myself in a Latino group as a coping mechanism

For over two years now, I have been writing about unethical businesses using employee misclassification as a strategy to create an unfair competitive advantage over legitimate employers in the marketplace. According to an article this week on Construction Citizen, we may finally be moving in the right direction thanks to business leaders, the Texas Workforce Commission, and a bipartisan group of Texas legislators coming together to take action for the upcoming session of the Texas Legislature.