TribBlog: Graduation Gains
Though graduation rates for community colleges are stagnant nationwide, a few Texas colleges have seen improvements. But don't go busting out the champagne just yet. Full Story
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Reeve Hamilton worked at the Tribune from 2009 to 2015, covering higher education and politics and hosting the Tribune's weekly podcast. His writing has also appeared in Texas Monthly and The Texas Observer. Born in Houston and raised in Massachusetts, he has a bachelor's degree in English from Vanderbilt University.
Though graduation rates for community colleges are stagnant nationwide, a few Texas colleges have seen improvements. But don't go busting out the champagne just yet. Full Story
In the midst of state-mandated budget cuts, 135 tenured professors have accepted buyouts at the University of Texas and Texas A&M University. Full Story
In August, 60 years after the University of Texas admitted its first black student, the school welcomed the first incoming freshman class in its history in which white students were in the minority. The state’s flagship university passed the demographic milestone earlier than some had anticipated, reflecting a similar shift that is rapidly taking place at other top-level universities across the country. While the changing demographics of college campuses may grab the headlines, the more compelling issue is how the growing number of minority students presents serious social and academic challenges for financially strapped universities, even as they are under pressure to boost graduation rates. Full Story
In the 1980s, when the state’s education accountability systems were first put into place, Hidalgo’s high school was ranked among the bottom 10 percent of all schools in academic performance. Today, its students graduate at higher rates than the state average, and 98 percent complete a recommended or distinguished curriculum — all thanks to an unprecedented level of collaboration between local leaders in public and higher education that has permeated Hidalgo for the last five years and is taking hold elsewhere in the Rio Grande Valley, providing new opportunities in some of the country’s poorest counties. Full Story
Times may be tough, but higher education leaders in both chambers of the Legislature believe now is the perfect time for universities to build. Full Story
The interim principal of San Antonio's Thomas Jefferson High believes that the current juniors will be the school’s first with a 100 percent graduation rate and that many will go on to respected universities. One key factor: Allison Najera, a 2010 University of Texas graduate placed at Jefferson through a new program: the Texas College Advising Corps. Full Story
After serving eight years as a Democrat, Edinburg state Rep. Aaron Peña explains why he is joining the Republican Party. Full Story
Pena on Twitter Full Story
Pena on Tea Party Full Story
Pena on His Future Full Story