The Puzzle: Blog

They say “everything is bigger in Texas,” and that includes the drive to educate and innovate in order to teach children well. You may have learned 11 fascinating facts about Florida schools or encountered 8 interesting things about Atlanta and its schools, but here Placement Counselor LeeAnn Parker dives deep into the heart of Texas with 10 great things about our schools in the Lone Star State.

1. Texas is home to more than 28 million people from all walks of life. From the variety of tasty cuisines available along the San Antonio riverfront to Austin’s eclectic music scene, diversity is a big part of Texas life. Many schools, including St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Austin, have intentionally focused on diversity discussions.

2. St. Andrew’s teaching and learning has been transformed in recent years. Their Social Emotional Learning (SEL) program was the first of its kind in central Texas launched 20 years ago.

3. Headwaters School in Austin has a unique campus where the facilities and the community are linked. You will often see groups of students heading to the local park or the new Austin Public Library, which are just blocks from the campus.

4. Austin itself provides a fantastic natural setting for learning, especially learning about history. The Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library on the campus of the University of Texas provides an in-depth look at the life and accomplishments of our 36th president, as well as a trip back in time to the tumultuous 1960s, a decade in which American politics, culture, and life changed dramatically.

5. President Johnson, who grew up in Central Texas, was the first commander-in-chief from Texas, and St. Gabriel’s Catholic School's d.lab for Making is the first makerspace of its kind in Central Texas to serve Pre-K through eighth grade students. Their approach to innovative learning including using Apple Education tools, Google Apps for Education, and creating project-based learning environments.

St. Gabriel's Catholic School

6. St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin has a long-standing commitment to diversity and equity and is another school that is no stranger to “firsts.” They were the first coeducational Episcopal school in the United States and the first integrated boarding school in the South.

St. Stephen's Episcopal School

7. There is perhaps no state with as much international flavor as Texas, where six different nation’s flags have flown at one time or another. As the only international school of its kind in the area, Austin International School uses a trilingual curriculum delivered in French, English, and Spanish to develop globally-minded students.

8. To get a glimpse of Texas history, students can visit the state capitol in Austin, built in the late 1800s, or travel to Texas hill country and Johnston City to see the LBJ ranch. Johnson was a schoolteacher himself, teaching to impoverished students in a tiny border town when he was in his 20s, and visitors to the ranch can see the one-room schoolhouse where LBJ learned his ABCs.

9. Texas is also about achievement. In sports, for example, the San Antonio Spurs won four NBA titles in the late 90s and 2000s. San Antonio’s Saint Mary’s Hall is one of the only high schools in the U.S. who host an Advanced Placement Training program over the summer, pushing its students to the highest level of academic achievement.

10. There is no more famous landmark in San Antonio than the Alamo, the mission-turned fort-turned symbol of the Texas Revolution. TMI Episcopal School, located a half-hour drive from the historic site, has its own unique background as a religious, boarding, and military school in southern Texas. The students and faculty hold daily chapel in the gorgeous All Saints Chapel which has become a focal point on campus.

TMI Episcopal School's Johnston Amphitheater

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the schools we work with in Texas; we also work with many schools in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and beyond. To learn more about your job options in this state, be sure to reach out to your Placement Team.

Not a current candidate with us but want to get a Texas job search started? Apply today–our personal job placement services are completely free (yes, you read that correctly) and now is the best time of year to get started with us ahead of the busy recruitment season that begins in January. Check out these FAQs to learn more.

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