School districts can set up sites outside of their schools, including performing arts centers, hotels and recreation centers where they can “ensure equitable access and maintain test security.”
Aliyya Swaby
Aliyya Swaby was the public education reporter for The Texas Tribune, where she worked from 2016 to 2021. Previously she worked at the hyperlocal nonprofit New Haven Independent, where she covered education, zoning and transit for two years. After graduating from Yale University in 2013, she spent a year freelance reporting in Panama on social issues affecting black Panamanian communities. She was an Education Writers Association finalist in 2017 for beat reporting and a Livingston Awards finalist in 2019 for a series on school desegregation.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2021
Texas schools are wary of losing funding gains lawmakers provided in 2019
A school finance bill in 2019 boosted funding for districts, but the pandemic has since added layers of financial uncertainty.
Posted in
Public Education
Jordan’s story: Isolated, anxious and failing online classes, an 11-year-old Texas boy considered suicide
Months of remote learning were hard on the Frisco ISD student. Like other schoolchildren across the state, he experienced mental health issues, in large part due to social isolation during the pandemic.
Posted in
Public Education
Where parents and students in Texas can turn for help with mental health concerns
Reports of depression, anxiety and thoughts of suicide among Texas students are rising as the pandemic drags on. Here is a resource guide for those seeking help.
Posted in
Politics
After a day of chaos at U.S. Capitol, Congress rejects Ted Cruz-led effort to dispute election results
Hours after pro-Trump protesters swarmed the U.S. Capitol, the House and Senate returned to resume certification of the Electoral College votes for president. Early this morning, they certified the results for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
Posted in
Public Education
Texas unveils plan to have all students take STAAR online by 2022
The report comes on the heels of Texas signing two, four-year contracts totaling $388 million with companies to develop and administer the standardized tests.
Posted in
Public Education
Texas hires two companies to run STAAR, moving toward statewide online testing
Contracts totaling $388 million have been awarded to Cambium Assessment and Pearson, a longtime player in testing Texas public school students, to develop and administer STAAR for the next four years.
Posted in
Public Education
Texas still blocked from taking over Houston’s school district, appeals court rules
The appeals court upheld a temporary injunction that stops Texas from ousting Houston ISD’s school board. But the legal battle is not over.
Posted in
Reopening Texas Schools
Texas school leaders urge state not to cut funding as they struggle with declining enrollment
Enrollment has fallen as schools and families grapple with pandemic closures and health concerns. Next semester, the declines could start hitting district budgets.
Posted in
Coronavirus in Texas
This high school senior plans to be the first in her family to attend college. She has to finish virtual school first.
Isabel Suarez, a Pflugerville High School senior, cares for her two younger siblings while their mom is at work. She balances that with completing piles of homework assignments this fall during the pandemic.
