FIGHT BACK: Eliz Markowitz for Texas Board of Education
I am native Texan, currently living in Fort Bend County, who was raised in Sugar Land, Texas. I grew up in a household where education was emphasized; my parents always told me that education was the key to success. My mother was both a Latin and English teacher, who also taught Catholic Christian Education courses in her free time. When she wasn't teaching others, she made sure that she was teaching me both practical and educational lessons. While my father worked in the oil industry, and was often away for work, he believed that eduction starts in the home and takes many forms. I remember spending many of my younger days working through various workbooks, reading stories, playing musical instruments, and participating in various arts and sports activities. I started my formal educational at Sugar Mill Elementary school in Sugar Land, Texas and, after spending seven years in both Holland and England, ended the K-12 journey in 2002 when I graduated from James E. Taylor High School in Katy, Texas. Not wanting to part ways with the Lone Star State, I pursued my higher education goals in Texas.
In 2002 I began my undergraduate journey at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, where I obtained my B.S. in Computer Science and Studio Art. During my time at Trinity, I first entered the education sector upon obtaining teaching jobs at both The Princeton Review and the Southwest School of Art, where I was able to teach both academic subject matter and the creative arts. Not only did I find students that were eager and willing to learn, but I also found a career that filled me with a sense of satisfaction. While I did not realize it at the time, my experience at The Princeton Review would turn out to be one of the most important experiences of my life.
However, planning on entering the technology field, and in order to further my understanding of the principles of business and management, I received my M.S. in Management of Technology from the University of Texas - San Antonio in 2009. After a personal loss that required a move back to the Houston area, I thought my skillset would be most useful in the healthcare field, and entered a program in Health Informatics at the University of Texas Health Science Center - Houston. While at UT - Houston, I conducted research on improving the usability of electronic medical records through a fellowship from The Association for Healthcare Research and Quality and worked with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology on projects focused on Patient-Centered Cognitive Support under the Strategic Health IT Advanced Research Projects Program (SHARP).
It was during my time at UT-Houston, however, that I realized my true passion was in the field of education. Upon concluding my M.S. in Healthcare Informatics at UT-Houston, I attended the University of Houston, where I received my doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction - Learning, Design, & Technology in 2017. While at the University of Houston, I was a teaching assistant to a number of courses and had the opportunity to develop and implement a course aimed to help undergraduate education students pass the TExES Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) Exam, a required exam for educators in the state of Texas. Based on my experiences at The Princeton Review and the successful implementation of the PPR course, I wrote my dissertation, Personality Characteristics and the Nature of Standardized Test Score Interventions, which examined the problematic nature of standardized testing as a means of measuring both student achievement and instructor effectiveness.
I continue to work for The Princeton Review where I am a teacher and tutor for the ISEE, SSAT, SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, MCAT, and a myriad of academic subjects. I also have the pleasure of being a corporate trainer for The Princeton Review, a role that allows me to help mold future educators throughout the nation. Additionally, I have spent the past decade working with the research and development department to create new materials for future students. Not only have I had the opportunity to be both a contributing author and co-author on a number of texts, but I also was the primary author of the book, High School Algebra I Unlocked: Your Key to Mastering Algebra I.
All of the aforementioned events and experiences have contributed to my desire to improve the state of education in Texas. Having spent the majority of my life as a student of the Texas education system, and nearly half of my life as an educator of Texan students, I have a unique perspective regarding the good, the bad, and the ugly of our state's education system. Not only will I be able to promote issues that matter to students and parents, but I will also be able to advocate on behalf of educators and stakeholders to ensure that all parties benefit from changes to our education system. Together, I have no doubt that we can achieve a better Texas education system.
https://www.eliz4tx.com
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