The incorrect quote is a handy distillation of the message of the actual quote. It takes courage to look beyond ourselves, as Gandhi did, to the world at large. However, the spirit of the words is the same, and few embody that spirit as wholly as Dr. Sharla Horton-Williams does.  

Dr. Horton-Williams is a Fort Worth native. After attending Catholic school as a girl, she excelled in the magnet program at Dunbar High School. She attended the University of North Texas for her undergraduate studies, during which she worked at a pre-school. After college, Horton-Williams got married and started a family.  

It wasn’t long before Horton-Williams and her husband found themselves in a position familiar to many young parents. The cost of daycare was nearly equivalent to one parent’s income, and it didn’t make sense to be working simply to pay for childcare. To be with her children and to create the childhood experiences she wanted for them, Horton-Williams started a preschool.  

Initially, the Joshua School was a Christian pre-school-only program with classes through pre-kindergarten. Before it closed, the school expanded to include classes through eighth grade. Horton-Williams ran the school for 10 years, leaving to join the YMCA as the Director of Child Development for Fort Worth.  

“At the YMCA, I was in charge of strategic planning for 55 after school programs and over 40 summer programs… while I liked what I was doing I realized it wasn’t my thing. My thing is being on a campus with students and teachers and parents. That’s where I belong,” says Horton-Williams.  

In 2012, Horton-Williams decided to get back into education. She had started the Joshua School as an untrained educator, learning as she went. Thinking it would only be for a year, Horton-Williams jumped into the public-school system to get her teaching certification, planning on returning to private school education.  

Eight years later, Horton-Williams is still a public-school educator.  

“That first year, I was what they refer to as a TiNA – Teacher in Need of Assistance… a nicer way of saying I didn’t know what I was doing,” Horton-Williams says, laughing at the memory. “I had led a school for nearly 10 years, and during that time, we had at most 200 in the whole school. My first year in public school, I had 196 kids! The scale was so much greater, and I had kids who were learning at all levels. Thankfully, I had an amazing principal, Dr. Renee Treat, who is God’s gift to education. She took me under her wing and taught me how to be a great teacher. Dr. Treat lit a fire in me to lead in school and lead in the classroom.” 

Inspired by Dr. Treat, Horton-Williams got a master’s degree in Education Administration with a Principal’s Certification from Lamar University in 2015. In 2017, she began a doctoral program at Texas A&M University which she completed this year.   

In graduate school Horton-Williams became passionate about changing outcomes for underperforming student groups and closing the achievement gap between public and charter schools. She became an expert in affecting change within the current system to achieve educational equity within individual schools and throughout an entire district. In her current role as principal, Horton-Williams trains other teachers and administrators to lead with the intent to overcome educational inequity within their own schools.  

“The picture of educational inequity is much bigger than we see on the news. It is important for people to understand all kids don’t get the same opportunities. They don’t have the same educational outcomes as kids at different schools in the same city,” Horton-Williams says. 

Children who don’t have the same educational opportunities grow up to be adults who don’t have the same career choices. To coin a phrase, our children actually ARE the future. They are future innovators, CEOs, doctors, and educators. Our public-school system should provide a level-playing field for all students, regardless of what neighborhood they live in. By not providing that level playing field, we aren’t just hindering students in disadvantaged schools. We’re hindering the future of our city, our state, and our nation.  

Gandhi’s perspective was global, but it grew from his experiences in his community. Horton-Williams’ perspective is also global, her vision for change is universal. Sharla Horton-Williams is ensuring a brighter future for all of us. Like Gandhi, she began her mission in her community, making Fort Worth an epicenter of what will hopefully be a global change.  

The post Being the Change first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

If you are wanting to help your city and all its citizens, these organizations are a great place to start.

In the fourth issue of Madeworthy, we covered Leadership ISD and their mission of educational equality across Texas.

photo courtesy of Reggie Robinson

“LISD Executive Director Patricia Arvanitis explains the organization’s philosophy. “When civic leaders understand issues, are equipped with the skills to advocate, and are connected to a mission-driven community, we believe they promote policies and practices that can eliminate disparities within our schools and ensure those we elect make the best decisions for kids.” The emphasis on diversity in every dimension creates a richer learning environment for the Fellows and produces a more representative sense of advocacy.”

Read the full story HERE.

On the cover of the same issue, we highlighted the work that Marta Plata, principal of Manuel Jara Elementary School, is doing with Parent University.

“Parent University is a ground-breaking program designed by Fort Worth Independent School District Principal Marta Plata at Manuel Jara Elementary School in Fort Worth’s Northside neighborhood. Started in 2013, the program’s mission is to empower parents by teaching them the skills they need to become partners in the success of their children, both socially and academically.”

Read the full story HERE.

On TanglewoodMoms.com, we celebrated Redmond Wortham. She was the Young Women’s Leadership Academy’s first college graduate.

Photo courtesy of FWLA

“Redmond Wortham, a member of the Young Women’s Leadership Academy of Fort Worth’s first graduating class in 2016, became the first YWLA alumna to earn a college degree. Wortham earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Texas A&M University in just three years — effectively bringing full circle the mission of both YWLA and its Foundation.”

Read the full story HERE.

Lyle Brooks wrote about Opal Lee and her mission to bring fresh produce to food deserts in the 14^th issue of Madeworthy.

Photo courtesy of United Unlimited

“Lee, Joel, and Blaylock are part of a movement that is transforming the way Fort Worth thinks about farming and food. Restaurants like Ellerbe’s and the Taste Project focus on locally sourced produce, while programs such as the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension are helping to foster the next generation of farmers. For projects like Opal’s Farm to become sustainable, however, they need donations of time and money (twenty dollars buys a bag of fertilizer) from other concerned citizens. The Opal’s Farm booth can be found out at the Cowtown Farmer’s Market, where they have a loyal following. What the farm doesn’t sell will be given away to the hungry. As the rich river bottom soil nourishes the carrots, beets, turnips, and radishes, Opal’s Farm nourishes its neighborhood and its city.”

Read the full story HERE.

Former MW/TWM writer Kam Phillips was inspired to help children in “dream deserts” by founding Dream Outside the Box.

Photo courtesy of DOTB

DOTB mobilizes college students to expose children living in dream deserts to new career possibilities. For an area to qualify as a dream desert, DOTB considers the percentage of children on free and reduced lunches, the percentage of first-generation college students, and access to mentorship and enrichment programming. They then partner with after school programs in the community.

Read the full article HERE.

Tanglewood Moms has highlighted the work that Live Thankfully does on several occasions. Here’s a bit from our first blog post on LT.

Photo courtesy of Live Thankfully

“What began as a way of marketing John’s orthodontic practice 8 years ago, has evolved into a four-part service project involving the entire community.  In the past, before Live Thankfully was established, Kelley Orthodontics gifted turkeys to its referring dentists around the holidays. In 2012, we redirected our efforts and reach out to families in our neighboring schools who were struggling to put a Thanksgiving meal on the table. That year, with the support of our dental community, we gave 60 meals to families in need.  Today, eight years later, we are an established 501c3 organization with paid employees and hundreds of volunteers. Next month will give approximately 850 meals to families adopted through 30 Fort Worth schools, while focusing on student leadership and service.”

Read the full article HERE.

CommUnity Frontline was the focus of both a documentary, 76105: Dr. King Won’t Rise, and an article.

photo credit: Jeffrey Wooten

The documentary tells the story of the Stop Six neighborhood in East Fort Worth and the growth of Community Frontline, a network of community leaders dedicated to solving the various concerns and issues that have prevented the area from flourishing for far too long. The title comes from a thesis the group returns to often: leaders from the past are gone, and it is up to current generations to actualize effective change.

Read the full story: HERE

These are only some of the stories we have featured over the years, both in Madeworthy and on TanglewoodMoms.com. Please consider supporting these organizations in their mission to help our community.

The post Supporting Those Who Support Fort Worth first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

photo courtesy of Reggie Robinson

LISD Executive Director Patricia Arvanitis explains the organization’s philosophy. “When civic leaders understand issues, are equipped with the skills to advocate, and are connected to a mission-driven community, we believe they promote policies and practices that can eliminate disparities within our schools and ensure those we elect make the best decisions for kids.” The emphasis on diversity in every dimension creates a richer learning environment for the Fellows and produces a more representative sense of advocacy.

Erika Beltran, Regional Director for LISD Tarrant County, describes the ideal candidate. “The profile for Fellows starts with the belief that all kids can learn. Those who take ownership of education and want to get involved over the long-term; we are looking for folks to jump in and roll up their sleeves.”

Word-of-mouth recommendations drive their recruitment strategies, allowing Leadership ISD to build an impressive statewide network of advocates currently working in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston.

Beltran continues, “Pervasive low achievement is the most significant challenge we face with public education in Tarrant County. We have to ask ourselves how else we can be effective.” LISD’s advocacy extends outward, addressing specific campus problems, increasing student and parent engagement as well as bolstering literacy initiatives, STEM, and STEAM programs.

Leadership ISD’s collective alumni function as a resource for developing practical applications of educational policy initiatives. One example, the 100×25 program aims to have 100% of Texas third-graders reading on grade level by 2025 by engaging volunteers of all walks of life.

“Currently, Texas is 47th out of 50 states in per student funding we provide our schools,” Patricia Arvanitis explains further, “The first thing our legislature needs to determine is just how much it costs to educate a child. We haven’t attempted to address this disparity since the 80’s, which is reflected in the stagnate spending we see for public schools.”

As part of their education, fellows participate in seminars on school finance with individuals from the University of Houston’s Center for Public Policy. As Erika Beltran explains, “School finance is a complex issue most people don’t understand. Things are easier to ignore if they don’t seem to affect us.” This deliberate focus clarifies how local governance ultimately impacts teachers and students in the classroom.

Patricia Arvanitis emphasizes, “Teachers are still our best bet for improving literacy and learning, which means exploring innovative ways to evaluate them, support their growth, and [do] everything possible to retain them.”

photo courtesy of Reggie Robinson

As soon as Erika Beltran met current fellow Reggie Robinson, she wanted to get him involved with Leadership ISD. Robinson loved teaching physics and often works it into conversation. “You can shine a light on an issue, but if you focus it, you’ve got a laser, and you can burn through anything.”

Robinson is the Director of Green Revolution, a youth-development program providing environmental education operated in conjunction with BRIT and supported by partnerships with Texas Parks and Wildlife, Rainwater Charitable Foundation, and Blue Zones. “I’m horrible at growing things, but I grow people. To catch them up with exposure and experience, we network with quality people and get out of their zip code.”

Starting his career as a science teacher, Robinson was also Vice Principal and a specialist in curriculum development, but LISD changed his perspective. “It has unveiled layers around education I didn’t realize were there. An administrator’s concerns are student safety and making teachers more effective, not thinking about school finance and governance. My educational prowess definitely has more swagger now.”

Leadership ISD demystifies the process of educational policy, intensifying Robinson’s desire “to advance the competitive advantage of underserved and underrepresented students by identifying allies and building a cadre of like-minded advocates.” This year, Tarrant County’s LISD is focusing their resources on the Dunbar pyramid of schools in the Stop 6 neighborhood, working alongside Fellow Q. Phillips’s outstanding CommUnity Frontline organization.

In March, a state-wide network of 50 local Fellows will convene in Austin to define the three main issues for Leadership ISD moving forward. With attention to every level from policy to the classroom, they will continue to push to make public education more efficient and inclusive. As this alignment of energy solidifies, all Texas students will have the advocates they deserve.

An Austin native, Lyle Brooks relocated to Fort Worth in order to immerse himself in the burgeoning music scene and the city’s rich cultural history, which has allowed him to cover everything from Free Jazz to folk singers. He’s collaborated as a ghostwriter on projects focusing on Health Optimization, Roman Lawyers, and an assortment of intriguing subjects requiring his research.

The post Leadership ISD: Advocating for Texas’ Educational Future first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.