There ought to be questions about whether state standards are preparing students for the challenges of college, work and the real world.

It's just that white students fell faster than black students. This is absolutely the wrong kind of gap closing.

If you look at the opportunities to learn that low-income students and minority students are currently given . . . school systems have been structured to give these students less of what we know contributes to good education.

New programs, like Texas Grant, which gives aid to students who are in need and have completed college preparatory work in high school, are being designed to help alleviate financial burdens of college students.

These classes demonstrate to college admissions and scholarship staff that students who successfully complete them can do college-level work.

Tablets are more adaptable to daily student life. We want to assure our students continue to produce college caliber work, and are ready for the rigors of a top university.