Parent Renee Ingram came to the Lake Worth ISD\u2019s community meeting with a question: What happens to students who cannot keep up?<\/p>\n
Her fourth-grade daughter struggles in her math class. Her seventh-grade son performs well but comes home talking about how stressful school has become. As the district moves through lessons at a faster pace than before state-appointed leadership took over, Ingram\u2019s daughter has had more meltdowns at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand why they\u2019re doing this, don\u2019t get me wrong, and some of it needs to be done,\u201d Ingram said. \u201cI just don\u2019t know pushing the kids as fast as they\u2019re pushing them is the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parents, grandparents and community members gathered Sept. 23 inside Lake Worth ISD\u2019s Howry Annex for the district\u2019s most recent vision and community session. Ingram was among the 10 residents who attended the district\u2019s latest effort to gather feedback as state-appointed leaders overhaul academics.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath installed a five-member board of managers and Superintendent Ena Meyers on April 23. Years of low academic performance, including five consecutive unacceptable ratings at Marilyn Miller Language Academy, triggered the intervention.<\/p>\n
At the Sept. 23 meeting, families chose between three of eight topics to discuss in small groups, at round tables set up across the room. Attendees could pick from academics, curriculum, school safety, culture, parent engagement, extracurricular activities, the school board and district communication.<\/p>\n
In a survey sent out to parents before the meeting, academics drew the most interest, Meyers said.<\/p>\n
Ingram\u2019s questions showed leaders why.<\/p>\n
Her fourth-grade daughter sometimes struggles to understand lessons and doesn\u2019t always advocate for herself when she needs help, she told administrators Kasie Longoria and Kevin Alaniz.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Longoria told her that students who have not yet mastered a lesson are supposed to receive a second round of instruction with their teacher, which could last anywhere from 25 to 30 minutes. Students who demonstrate mastery of the subject can move into a separate learning space to work more independently, she said.<\/p>\n
Still, Ingram\u2019s daughter sometimes comes home saying she asked for help but never received it, Ingram said.<\/p>\n
Longoria then told her that students can return to their teacher if they need more assistance. Administrators would reinforce that expectation with campus leaders, Longoria said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think academically, the kids struggling is what they need to improve on,\u201d Ingram said. \u201cThey need to understand why certain kids are struggling and what\u2019s going on there.\u201d<\/p>\n
At a Sept. 28 board meeting, Meyers emphasized to managers that the district is working hard to accelerate academic improvement.<\/p>\n
While the district received a D rating in 2026, four of its five campuses improved their state accountability ratings, including Lake Worth High School, moving from a C to a B.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Back at the community session, Meyers told families that about 31% of Lake Worth students are currently performing at or above the national average in reading on the district\u2019s beginning-of-the-year assessment. About 36% reach the national average in math.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meyers wants to move more students to \u2014 at least \u2014 the national average, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur teachers are diving in,\u201d Meyers said. \u201cThey\u2019re taking coaching. They\u2019re asking great questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the recent board meeting, the board of managers reviewed progress measures tied to long-term goals they set earlier in the school year for early literacy, math, middle school readiness and college, career and military readiness. Meyers plans to regularly bring those results back to the board.<\/p>\n
The district faces a challenge, though: Getting enough families into the room to provide feedback. The Sept. 23 session was further evidence of that, elected trustee Mary Wilson Coker said. She\u2019s also heard some of Ingram\u2019s concerns from other parents across the district, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like it\u2019s my job to stay engaged with the district,\u201d said Coker, who was replaced by the state-appointed managers and who attended the session as both a former board member and a grandparent. \u201cWe all want them to be successful. We want our kids to do better and have the best education possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
She wished more families attended, she said. She also urged district leaders not to lose sight of students\u2019 voices as they make changes.<\/p>\n
Regardless, attendance at meetings does not necessarily reflect parents\u2019 interest in their children\u2019s schools, Ingram said.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of parents work two or three jobs and don\u2019t have time to come down, especially in this district,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The district is considering a 6 p.m. start for its next community meeting in January, rather than 5:30 p.m. Ingram believes that change could help more working parents participate.<\/p>\n
Leaders also encouraged families to complete a community survey that will be incorporated into district and campus improvement plans.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But another meeting or survey may not be enough to determine whether parents are actually being heard, Ingram said.<\/p>\n
She wants to see what happens in classrooms. How is her fourth-grade daughter supported? Will her seventh-grade son\u2019s complaints cease?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as they\u2019re helping the kids academically and they\u2019re showing the changes they\u2019re saying they\u2019re going to do, I think that will make me believe,\u201d Ingram said. \u201cUntil then, I\u2019m not going to believe or disbelieve until I see the proof.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org<\/a> or @matthewsgroi1<\/a>.<\/p>\n