In a hearing on Wednesday, senators probed Michael Williams, the new head of the Texas Education Agency, on student assessments and funding for remedial tutoring.

Amid concerns over the safety of Texas' public schools in the wake of the Connecticut school shooting, at least a dozen of the state's districts are considering policies that would permit employees to carry concealed handguns.

State Sen. Kel Seliger, the Amarillo Republican who leads the Senate's Higher Education Committee, filed a bill Tuesday offering broad changes to student assessment and high school graduation requirements in the state.

A new national report puts Texas high school graduation rates at slightly above average, contrasting with a federal study released late last year that ranked the state among the best at graduating students within four years.

State Rep. James White, R-Hillister, has filed legislation that would require the state to study the effects of cutting financial ties with the federal government. The bill is not intended as a call for secession, White said.

The Texas Ethics Commission stands poised for change during the 83rd legislative session. But any efforts to reform it will face a challenge, because the lawmakers the commission was set up to regulate are the ones setting the rules.

In the wake of the Connecticut school shooting, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst called Friday for the state to consider funding specialized firearms training for school employees.

After successfully fending off another challenge to his speakership, Joe Straus faces a tough task in the session. He will have to tackle issues that have been thorny for Republicans in the past, without further alienating the far right.

The School Land Board voted Tuesday to release $300 million into the Available School Fund for public schools. The funds had been caught in a standoff between the Legislature and the board, whose members include Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson.

A final decision in the school finance trial against the state involving more than two-thirds of its districts and charter schools likely won’t happen until after the lights go out in the 83rd Legislature. But that doesn’t mean what’s happening inside of the courtroom now won’t have an impact on policy under the pink dome.

Some Texas legislators are emphasizing the need for teachers and other school personnel to have increased access to firearms on campus. Ahead of the 83rd legislative session, bills have been proposed with that mission in mind.

For public education in Texas, 2012 was the year of accountability. At the state's universities, the competition for dollars to boost research and status heated up. Here's a look back at the year's biggest stories about public and higher education.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Sen. Dan Patrick gave the first details of what they promised would be a wide-ranging set of proposals for public education policy during the upcoming legislative session.

A report released Wednesday, the result of a year-long effort from a commission of top education thinkers, offers a sweeping set of recommendations aimed at improving the teaching profession in the state. 

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, on Wednesday will unveil education reform legislation that some expect to reignite a fiery debate over the potential use of school vouchers in Texas.