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Morgan Smith was a reporter at the Tribune from 2009 to 2018, covering politics, public education and inequality. In 2013, she received a National Education Writers Association award for “Death of a District,” a series on school closures. After earning a bachelor’s degree in English from Wellesley College, she moved to Austin in 2008 to enter law school at the University of Texas. A San Antonio native, her work has also appeared in Slate, where she spent a year as an editorial intern in Washington D.C.
With the help of a new law, the Dallas Independent School District is designing a program that will funnel money saved when students graduate early into expanding pre-kindergarten offerings. Full Story
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After hearing brief arguments on whether to reopen evidence in the school finance case because of laws passed during the legislative session, state district court Judge John Dietz announced Wednesday that a new, six-week trial will begin in January. Full Story
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Senators on Tuesday tentatively approved a resolution that aims to solve the state's transportation funding woes by diverting future revenue from the Rainy Day Fund. Full Story
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Flanked by high school cheerleaders, a rabbi and an off-duty Santa, Gov. Rick Perry ceremonially signed legislation Thursday clarifying that school districts can acknowledge traditional winter celebrations. Full Story
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The former House public education chairman on the politics of education policy in Texas, what's next in the school finance trial and why he doesn't like the word "voucher." Full Story
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High school students won't have to retake standardized exams they failed in the six subjects that newly signed House Bill 5 eliminates from the state's testing requirements, the Texas Education Agency announced Wednesday. Full Story
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A complaint being filed with the U.S. Department of Justice seeks to declare that a Dallas County court’s process of prosecuting truancy as a crime is unconstitutional. But officials in the county say the initiative has been a model of success. Full Story
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After the second year of a new statewide assessment program, Texas students' scores on standardized tests remain roughly the same, according to new data released by the Texas Education Agency. Full Story
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Gov. Rick Perry signed House Bill 5 on Monday, ending weeks of speculation that he might veto the high-profile education legislation that adjusts high school graduation standards. Full Story
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State District Court Judge John Dietz will hear new evidence in the sweeping school finance trial as he considers the effects of changes made during the recent legislative session. Full Story