USA Today – Richard Whitmire
“Some describe this slice of impoverished South Texas as a DMZ, which is harsh but understandable. After all, U.S. Customs and Border Protection doesn’t bother setting up a true screening until 73 miles north in Falfurrias, which leaves this piece of Texas as, well, a bit of a DMZ. All that makes the Rio Grande Valley an unlikely birthplace for an education revolution. Nevertheless, it’s happening here, and there are national implications that can’t be avoided. Here’s the big question: Is it possible to take thousands of low-income Latino kids, send 99% to four-year colleges and then see two thirds of them end up with degrees? That seems improbable, but the early results from this large scale experiment by IDEA charter schools — serving 15,000 students in the Valley alone — look promising. For eight years in a row, close to 100% of their graduates have been accepted into four-year colleges.”(more)