Does God Get the Glory in FWISD?

FWISD is comprised of 88 elementary schools, 20 middle schools, and 13 high schools. Out of all 121 schools, only six are ranked "exemplary" as of two years ago. For those of you who don't know, there are only four rankings in our school system: Unacceptable, Acceptable, Recognized, and Exemplary.Out of all the schools, 22 are unacceptable, 57 are acceptable, and 33 are recognized. Out of the 50 states in the US, Texas ranks 45th in education, and out of the cities in Texas, Ft. Worth is at almost the bottom of the list of the ten lowest cities (below Dallas!). As a teacher in FWISD, I can attest to the fact that these statistics are truthful. The numbers don't matter so much, but what it really amounts to is that our children are suffering. Our city is urban, though many don't think of it that way. As Christians, we are called to create shalom within the city, to be a city on a hill who's light shines bright-a city within a city, if you will. As far as education is concerned our light is dim and it is going out quickly. If there isn't a change in FWISD, the children who are in the schools now will grow up and become residents of this city. This is not good news for sweet little Ft. Worth, the great city we love so much. If our school system continues to decline, so will go the fabric of our city. 

"Out of the 50 states in the US, Texas ranks 45th in education, and out of the cities in Texas Ft. Worth is at almost the bottom of the list..."

 I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but in light of studying the book of Nehemiah this is an old problem that the Lord has given me fresh eyes to see. The truth is that I don't have a plan to do anything because I don't know what to do. There are so many people in Ft. Worth who suffer from poverty, abuse, and neglect; and our schools are filled with their children, who are suffering from the same thing. On top of that, FWISD has too many cooks in the kitchen when it comes to administration. The kids are over tested, under taught, and left out of great programs that could be extremely helpful to them. I trust that God loves the city of Ft. Worth and its residents, I trust that God has a plan to save residents of Ft. Worth, and I trust that God's plan always involves moving outward to spread the Gospel. My hopes for our education system are big because they need to be big. The problems are overwhelming, and if a group of people does not start somewhere, nothing will happen. So, I suggest we start with prayer, just like Nehemiah, and my hope is that out of it we can plan to do something, rather than nothing, to help the hurting public education system of Ft. Worth. 

" I trust that God loves the city of Ft. Worth and its residents, I trust that God has a plan to save residents of Ft. Worth..."

 The end goal of education is not knowledge, the end goal of education is not college, the end goal of education is not the pride of finishing, the end goal of education is not that children will be functioning members of society. All those things are swell, but the end goal of education is for children to grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, recognizing and praising him for giving them brains to think and to reason and to know who HE is, so that they can spread his fame with clear thoughts and a mind and heart that worships their creator. The end goal of education is Jesus Christ. Within the city, my hope is that God would get the glory due his name in every aspect of life, particularly in education. Would you join in prayer for this city's public education system? If you want to, go to The City and join the Teachers Praying for Teachers group for updates on who we are praying for each week and how you can help.Caitlyn is a member of the South University City Group.You can find Caitlyn's personal blog here.