Fort Worth ISD students see gains. Will Texas keep the superintendent behind them?

The call caught FWISD mother Adrienne Haynes off guard. 

A Dunbar High School counselor was checking in about her son’s academic progress — something she said she had not experienced before then.

“I give credit to the superintendent,” Haynes said. “Before her, a lot of times we wouldn’t know what was happening in the schools.”

Each grade level saw improvements on recent midyear exams that track students’ progress. 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 Texas takes control of Fort Worth ISD, the future of Molinar, and the reforms parents say are driving gains, remain uncertain. Education Commissioner Mike Morath hasn’t said what his criteria for district leadership are, leaving one question hanging in the balance.

Whether the educator who’s 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.

“She needs to remain,” she said. “She knows our community. She’s been around to know our needs.”

‘Real progress’

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 Santillán, chief operating officer for the Fort Worth Education Partnership. She focused on scores because they’re a consistent yardstick, while other measurements changed.

“That is real progress for our students and should be celebrated,” Santillán 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’s downward shift in student achievement 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’s results is complicated because of the test’s updates.

Trustee Kevin Lynch asked whether the district can predict performance on this spring’s 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.

“There are great things going on these campuses every single day,” Molinar told trustees. “We saw that in our data, but we’re seeing it every day.”

Houston raises hope, concerns

Haynes has been talking with other parents about the takeover. Many are hopeful the intervention could bring stronger academic improvements for their children.

They’ve seen the gains in Houston ISD, which the state took over in 2023. 

No F-rated schools. 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’ve seen improvements in the past year. Third-grade reading proficiency is now 41% — an 8-point gain from 2024.

The district now has 11 F schools, 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 the takeover law.

“We want our kids to stop having the crumbs at the end of the bag,” Haynes said.

But Houston’s 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’s 19.1% and FWISD’s 16.9%.

Houston’s 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.

“Our teachers are aware of what has happened in Houston,” Martinez said. “There’s been a lot of anxiety and concerns around what’s going to happen here.”

The number of uncertified teachers skyrocketed in Houston, according to a University of Houston report. Before the intervention, Houston employed fewer than 100 uncertified teachers in a given year. 

Now? Thousands — 2,149 to be exact, state data shows.

Fort Worth ISD has 58 uncertified teachers.

“That will create more disruption in our classrooms directly affecting our students,” Martinez said. “That’s the last thing we need right now.”

“Not by accident”

FWISD’s improvements reflect Molinar’s leadership as she ensured lessons are uniform across the district and renewed focus on phonics, Martinez said.

At a recent workshop, trustee Anne Darr praised new reading and writing lessons for showing results.

“These academic gains are not by accident,” Martinez said. “They are intentional.”

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. 

“It’s about what’s actually working for kids,” Dorsey-Hollins said. “Clearly, some of what Dr. Molinar is doing is working.”

Nevertheless, the takeover will result in nine new managers appointed by Morath to govern the district, which worries Martinez and Dorsey-Hollins. Students and parents, they said, need stability.

That depends on keeping Molinar, they argue.

“At 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,” 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.

“Keeping Dr. Molinar in place will alleviate the community’s concerns,” she said. “At least there will be some trust there.”

Jacob Sanchez is education editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or @_jacob_sanchez. 

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