"In Texas, school districts are run by elected school boards and the superintendents they hire, with no formal role for city officials. Brent Beasley, director of the Fort Worth Education Partnership, has long lobbied for city council members to get more involved in education in their districts. The partnership advocates for high-quality education options in … Continue reading Should city leaders play a greater role in improving schools across Fort Worth? →

     For Father Richard, God shows us our soul’s calling through spiritual practice and letting go of the ego’s drive. He writes:Our age has come to expect satisfaction. We have grown up in an absolutely unique period when having and possessing and accomplishing have been real options. They have given us an illusion of fulfillment—and … Continue reading Surrendering to Our Soul Gift →

I delivered to the Fort Worth City Council the Fort Worth Education Partnership's annual report that shows how the children of Fort Worth are performing academically today. Here is the text of my remarks to the Council and a link to our full report: I live across the street from De Zavala Elementary School in … Continue reading How are Fort Worth’s Kids Doing Academically? →

 A meditation by Richard RohrWe come to God not by doing it right, but by doing it wrong. And yet the great forgiveness is to forgive ourselves for doing it wrong. That’s probably the hardest forgiveness of all: that I’m not perfect, that I’m not unwounded, I’m not innocent. “One always learns one’s mystery at … Continue reading Letting Go of Our Innocence →

The mission of the Fort Worth Education Partnership is to support, invest in, and coordinate opportunities that increase access to high-quality educational experiences for Fort Worth children. As we go about this work, one of the words that comes up a lot is the word “advocacy.” After you do this work for a while, you … Continue reading Advocate →

I just finished reading a book I got from my wife Jamie—The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling by Stephen Cope. It is a book about the truth that every person has a unique calling and that our greatest responsibility in life is to that inner possibility. … Continue reading One Particular Vocation →

This is a compelling piece written by Lety Gomez that demonstrates the power of parent voice in advocating for equity and excellence in public education for all kids-- BrentLety Gómez is the Rocketship Texas Senior Education Organizer. She was a founding parent of Rocketship Fuerza Community Prep and a proud Rocketeer mom for many years. … Continue reading Finding My Voice, My Power, and My Path – by Lety Gomez →

There is a Buddhist thought that accurately perceiving reality is a moral act—instead of running away from reality, we must face it. When it comes to the state of the education of our children in Fort Worth, there is a temptation to want to look away. But we must face it.   The reality is … Continue reading Don’t Look Away →

I am always interested to hear about what other people are reading, and I wish I would take the time to write about each book I read and post it here. But since I'm probably not going to get that done, here are links to well-done book reviews of the last two books I read. … Continue reading Two Book Reviews →

Luke 10:25-37 We all know the story.  A lawyer asks Jesus, What must I do to inherit eternal life?  And Jesus accepts the lawyer’s answer of loving God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind, and your neighbor as yourself.  Jesus affirms the man's answer as a good one. The scene would be over … Continue reading The One By the Side of the Road →