Lake Worth’s failing schools prompt need for state help, education chief says

Fifth grader Jesus Cruz squinted at an image of a spiral galaxy, his voice rising just enough to catch the visitor’s ear.

“I wonder why it spirals,” he said.

Across the classroom, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath stood beside a table of laminated photos detailing spiral, elliptical and irregular galaxies as science teacher Emily Forehand guided her students through a matching game.

“Take 30 seconds of silence,” Forehand told them. “What features help you decide which picture represents each galaxy type?”

For several minutes, the Lucyle Collins Middle School students filled the room with quiet discussion and scribbles on worksheets. Morath looked down at their desks intently as he listened, hands clasped behind his back, before turning toward principal Antonio Tijerina and a sma