Top: Texas Teachers Go Door to Door as Kids Disappear From Remote Classes

The article discusses the issue of students disappearing from public schools during the pandemic and becoming "missing" due to not moving out of state, enrolling in private school, or being homeschooled. The analysis by The Associated Press, Stanford University’s Big Local News project and Stanford education professor Thomas Dee found an estimated 230,000 students in 21 states whose absences could not be accounted for. The article highlights the urgency to find these students and help them re-enter school, work, and everyday life. The missing students represent far more than a number and may have dropped out or missed out on the basics of reading and school routines in kindergarten and first grade. The article also discusses the reasons why students may have left school, such as fear of COVID-19, homelessness, lack of technology, or depression. The real tally of young people not receiving an education is likely far greater than the 230,000 figure calculated by the AP and Stanford.

The article does not provide specific information on how many teachers in Texas are participating in door-to-door efforts for checking on students not attending remote classes. However, it does mention that in San Antonio, Texas, middle school teacher Brandee Brandt and fellow eighth grade teacher Emily Countryman from Rawlinson Middle School spent the day knocking on doors to find students who had disengaged with online classes. Additionally, the article mentions that since the beginning of the school year, a squad of Rawlinson teachers have visited around 100 homes to check on students not attending remote classes. Therefore, it can be inferred that there are at least a few teachers in Texas who are participating in these door-to-door efforts.

The article does not provide an exact number of teachers currently in Texas. However, it does mention that Texas public schools employ more than 320,000 teachers, plus more than 80,000 additional professional staff members. Additionally, the article states that the number of teacher retirements in Texas has been averaging about 7,500 per year since the 2018 fiscal year. However, it is unclear if this number has changed significantly in recent years.