Two Former Trustees Aim
to Refocus TEA Efforts on
Student Outcomes
by Dax Gonzalez
was especially interested in improving the academic performance of district students.
By the time Morath joined TEA, Dallas ISD students
had shown significant improvement in kindergarten readiness, graduation rates, and minority student performance on
Advanced Placement tests.
Reflecting on his time as a trustee, Morath said the most
important thing was to stay focused.
“Staying focused on the task of governing a school
district in a way that improves student outcomes required
lots of time and effort,” Morath said. “But it also required lots
of discipline, because it was easy to lose focus on matters
Normally sporting a sharp suit with coordinating tie, Crabill
appears cool and reserved—until he gets to talking about effec-
tive school governance or identifying with rural school board
members, having spent some of his childhood on a farm.
Spend any amount of time discussing education with
Crabill, and you hear the same passion that guides Morath:
It’s student outcomes.
Local-Level Successes
While it’s not unprecedented for a school board member
to serve as commissioner of education, it certainly isn’t com-
