The call caught FWISD mother Adrienne Haynes off guard.
A Dunbar High School counselor was checking in about her son鈥檚 academic progress 鈥� something she said she had not experienced before then.
鈥淚 give credit to the superintendent,鈥� Haynes said. 鈥淏efore her, a lot of times we wouldn鈥檛 know what was happening in the schools.鈥�
Each grade level saw improvements on recent midyear . The average reading score increased by 1 to 8 points while the average math score bumped up 1 to 5 points.
Are recent improvements enough to keep Karen Molinar as superintendent?
As , the future of Molinar, say are driving gains, remain uncertain. Education Commissioner Mike Morath hasn鈥檛 said what his criteria for district leadership are, leaving one question hanging in the balance.
Whether the educator who鈥檚 spent nearly three decades in FWISD stays rests with Morath, who is expected to reveal the answer sometime this spring. The commissioner has said Molinar is a candidate.
Haynes already knows her choice as she echoes the sentiments of others from parents and teachers to the mayor.
鈥淪he needs to remain,鈥� she said. 鈥淪he knows our community. She鈥檚 been around to know our needs.鈥�
鈥楻eal progress鈥�
Trustees went over the NWEA Measures of Academic Progress exam results at a Feb. 10 meeting.
Average scores are encouraging as students appear to be moving in the right direction, said Leila Santill谩n, chief operating officer for the Fort Worth Education Partnership. She focused on scores because , while other measurements changed.
鈥淭hat is real progress for our students and should be celebrated,鈥� Santill谩n said.
The test compares students against peers nationwide. NWEA updated its comparison last year to reflect post-pandemic student performance.
The refreshed metric shows the nation鈥檚 since 2020, according to NWEA.
Molinar presented FWISD data that showed year-over-year gains in students meeting growth goals and improvement on how they performed compared nationally. However, she stressed that comparing those factors to last year鈥檚 results is complicated because of the test鈥檚 updates.
Trustee Kevin Lynch asked whether the district can predict performance on this spring鈥檚 STAAR, the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, based on the midyear results. An internal district report does project gains, Molinar responded.
The tests measure different aspects of student learning. MAP examines how kids improved throughout the year, while STAAR evaluates mastery of state standards.
鈥淭here are great things going on these campuses every single day,鈥� Molinar told trustees. 鈥淲e saw that in our data, but we鈥檙e seeing it every day.鈥�
Houston raises hope, concerns
Haynes has been talking with other parents about the takeover. Many are hopeful the intervention could bring for their children.
They鈥檝e seen the , which the state took over in 2023.
. Three years ago, 56 Houston campuses were failing state academic accountability standards.
Now, nearly half of third graders read proficiently. Students outperform state averages in algebra.
Fort Worth students deserve similar progress, Haynes said.
They鈥檝e seen improvements in the past year. Third-grade reading proficiency is now 41% 鈥� .
The district , a drop of 20 schools. Texas intervened in FWISD after a now-closed campus was rated F for a fifth year. And two more campuses teeter toward triggering .
鈥淲e want our kids to stop having the crumbs at the end of the bag,鈥� Haynes said.
But Houston鈥檚 wide-sweeping reforms had a downside, FWISD board President Roxanne Martinez said: teachers left in droves.
In 2024, Houston had a teacher turnover rate of 19.7%, according to state data compiled by the Dallas-based Commit Partnership. That was slightly higher than the state鈥檚 19.1% and FWISD鈥檚 16.9%.
Houston鈥檚 most experienced teachers left following the takeover. State data shows the district lost 881 teachers with at least six years of experience between 2023 and 2025. At the same time, Houston gained 562 first-year educators and 355 second- to fifth-year teachers.
鈥淥ur teachers are aware of what has happened in Houston,鈥� Martinez said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 been a lot of anxiety and concerns around what鈥檚 going to happen here.鈥�
The number of uncertified teachers , according to a University of Houston report. Before the intervention, Houston employed fewer than 100 uncertified teachers in a given year.
Now? Thousands 鈥� 2,149 to be exact, state data shows.
Fort Worth ISD has 58 uncertified teachers.
鈥淭hat will create more disruption in our classrooms directly affecting our students," Martinez said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the last thing we need right now.鈥�
鈥楴ot by accident鈥�
FWISD鈥檚 improvements reflect Molinar鈥檚 leadership as she ensured lessons are uniform across the district and , Martinez said.
At a recent workshop, trustee Anne Darr praised and for showing results.
鈥淭hese academic gains are not by accident,鈥� Martinez said. 鈥淭hey are intentional.鈥�
Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, a FWISD mother who leads the parental advocacy group Parent Shield, acknowledged the new scripted lessons initially came with some grumbling from some teachers and staff.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about what鈥檚 actually working for kids,鈥� Dorsey-Hollins said. 鈥淐learly, some of what Dr. Molinar is doing is working.鈥�
Nevertheless, will result in nine new , which worries Martinez and Dorsey-Hollins. Students and parents, they said, need stability.
That depends on keeping Molinar, they argue.
鈥淎t least we know there is somebody here who is committed to our district, who is a resident, who knows Fort Worth and whose receipts are showing improvements,鈥� Dorsey-Hollins said.
Parents and teachers need leadership they can trust, Martinez said. Many community members do not trust the state due to a lack of transparency and communication about the takeover, she said.
鈥淜eeping Dr. Molinar in place will alleviate the community鈥檚 concerns,鈥� she said. 鈥淎t least there will be some trust there.鈥�
Jacob Sanchez is education editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or .
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy .
This first appeared on and is republished here under a .
