The Lone Star Reading Lists are recommended and compiled each year by public and school librarians who are members of The Young Adult Round Table of the Texas Library Association. The books that make this list are particularly geared towards students in grades 6, 7 and 8.

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Back in the 1950s and 1960s when I was in grade school, only church schools and some private schools required uniforms, but there was an unwritten dress code in our community. I grew up in the Bible Belt and kids dressed like their parents told them to–cleanly, and above all, modestly. Back then, if a girl wore her dress or skirt (YES!–I did write dress or skirt–girls did not dare wear pants to school or anywhere else for that matter!) too short or her blouse too low-cut, she was sent home to change–no questions asked or needed. And guys–there was no way they would allow their jeans or slacks to sag!! Everyone would have inferred that they were homosexual or weird–to say the least! In other words, in our small town Texas community, we were all raised relatively the same–by middle class parents who had respect for the Bible and the church, and passed that respect along to their children. Our parents were not so involved in school activities–not any more or less than parents today. We were of the first generation whose mothers left home to work.

When I share my school stories with my students, it opens up quite a conversation. They cannot believe how we dressed. Many of the girls have stated that they’d have to stay home from school if they could only wear dresses. Yet when I explain that my generation hadn’t come to the place of women wearing pants, they become very sympathetic. Inevitably, our conversations turn to school uniforms and school dress codes. Frequently I have about half of the class say that they don’t mind wearing uniforms. They can get more sleep because the decision of what to wear to school has already been made. They sleep in a bit, jump up, shower, sling on their school uniforms, hopefully stop for some breakfast, and they’re on their way out the door.

The other half of the class still balks at having to wear uniforms to school, so they are all about finding ways to bend the rules without actually breaking them. If the dress codes calls for a black belt, they’ll come to school with a mostly black belt, and wait to see if anyone (teacher or principal) notices. If they happen to get away with that, the next day they’ll add something different–perhaps a different color t-shirt underneath the school shirt that stands out dramatically. Here is where one of the school uniform conflicts comes in–if the rules are not enforced to the letter, then students and parents alike get upset that one student or a small group of students is getting away with something. The first thing you know all of the students are wearing some variation of a uniform.

Whether your child’s school endorses uniforms or not, students must dress so that their clothes are not a distraction to the educational process. Research has shown that school uniforms have leveled the academic playing field, but as many parents are quick to point out, several changes were enacted in schools at the same time as uniforms. In either case, students should be able to focus on the lessons of the day and not on who’s wearing what!

It’s summertime and school’s out. Your children are celebrating and you’re wondering what to do to keep them entertained and out of trouble. Go to the library and have every member of the family check out some books. Reading is the best thing you can do for your child this summer to sustain his educational knowledge. Research has shown that students lose what they don’t practice. Reading will keep your child’s imagination alive. Discuss the books with your child. Question them about the main idea. Determine if they are gaining an understanding of the book. Read with your child. For a child to see a parent reading is particularly important. It shows your child that you value reading. When the parent values reading and education, your child is more likely to do the same.

It’s almost the end of the school year and countless high schools across the State of Texas will be holding graduation ceremonies.  However, some parents are just finding out that their son or daughter will not be “walking” at the graduation ceremony because their child has not yet met the standards for the Exit level TAKS test.  Those same parents are faced with a plethora of mixed emotions–everything from feeling that they have somehow failed their child to confusion to anger at the school board for having such a policy.  However, the policy of refusing Seniors the “walk” at graduation is an individual, board by board interpretation of House Bill 72, more commonly known as “no-pass, no-play.”  It was originally written to encourage student athletes to keep their grades at a passing level if they intended to play sports or participate in extra-curricular activities.  Many saw this law as an insult to coaches who favored winning games at all costs, but others saw it as a reform that would favor the academic needs of students over the extra-curricular needs.  The law is now in its 28th year.  I don’t believe it will be going away.  And should it?  Yes, it is true that many students give up and drop their extra-curricular activities the first time they fail a six weeks grading period, but, on the other hand, this no-pass, no-play situation keeps other students working hard enough to do all that they want in school.   When parents are faced with the graduation issue, especially when the TAKS standards are the problem, please consider that your school board is giving your student one of his or her first adult lessons in life.  If you want to walk the walk of graduation, you first must talk the talk of TAKS.  Graduation from a public high school in Texas is an honor and a privilege granted to those who have met ALL of the requirements–there is no entitlement to the ceremony.

Teachers and students alike are breathing a sigh of relief as the 2007-08 school year winds down to a close. Scores have been received from the spring round of TAKS testing, and while this has some upset, others are quite satisfied. By now your students should know whether they have passed. In grades 3, 5 and 8 all students must pass TAKS in order to be promoted to the next grade level. Some parents might ask what is the point at these grades levels of holding them back. Students must have certain basic skills in order to move ahead successfully. It only harms the student if they are socially promoted without having the required knowledge necessary for success in the next grade level. Is the TAKS test the right solution to this problem? Perhaps not, but it is the test required by our state. Until the Texas Legislature comes up with something different, we’re bound to administer this one!