Franetta Sinsabaugh’s frustrations with her children’s schooling had been building for a long time. Too much of the school year revolved around preparing for Texas’s standardized tests. The student-to-teacher ratio at her twins’ East Austin elementary school was higher than what state law mandated, she said. There was no money for art or science experiments or other hands-on activities — what Sinsabaugh calls “the fun parts of school” that get children engaged. Teachers told her they lacked basic supplies, like pencils and notebooks.
Then there were the racial injustices. Sinsabaugh, who is Black, felt that Black and Hispanic children were usually deemed the aggressors in bullying incidents. The family switched schools, and at their new school, she felt the educators pushed children, particularly those who are Black, into sports, when she would have liked to see them encouraged in math and science.
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