Public testimony on the state’s social studies curriculum has started here State Board of Education meeting. It’s easy to tell from the banks of cameras and scribes, college students with bright yellow “Save Our History” t-shirts on and people from civil rights and conservative groups itching to testify.
Brian Thevenot
Brian Thevenot was an education editor at the Tribune in 2009-10. Previously he spent a dozen years at The Times-Picayune of New Orleans, most recently as special projects editor. As part of a team that covered the worst of Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath, Thevenot contributed multiple bylines to two winning entries for Pulitzer Prizes in breaking news and public service. His Katrina reporting also won the Mongerson Prize for Investigative Reporting on the News from Northwestern University, and the Medal of Valor from the National Association of Minority Media Executives. In 2009, an eight-part series Thevenot edited, chronicling the investigation into an all-too-routine murder of a New Orleans teenager, was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in local reporting. In 2005, just before Katrina, Thevenot spent a month reporting on Louisiana soldiers in Baghdad and produced a three-part deadline narrative about squad of soldiers hit by a deadly roadside bomb, which was a finalist for Livingston Award. In 2003, he won a National Headliner Award for education reporting for his 2002 five-part narrative tracking an eighth-grader's struggle to pass Louisiana’s high-stakes standardized test. Before joining the Times-Picayune, Thevenot worked as a suburban reporter at The Philadelphia Inquirer. Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Oklahoma City, Thevenot has a degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Posted in
Public Education
The Revision Thing
Two months after their controversial meetings about proposed changes to the social studies curriculum, State Board of Education members meet today to resume their deliberations. To help you follow along as the SBOE’s ideological blocs scrap over a flood of amendments, we’ve produced this annotated version of the high school history standards.
Posted in
Demographics
The Elefante in the Room
Railroad Commission Chairman Victor Carrillo, a seven-year incumbent with a background in the industry he regulates, got trounced in the GOP primary on Tuesday by an unknown, David Porter, who spent little money on the race. He’s not the only one who thinks his Hispanic surname cost him his job.
Posted in
Demographics
Carrillo: Hispanic Surname Caused Election Loss
“Early polling showed that the typical GOP primary voter has very little info about the position of Railroad Commissioner, what we do, or who my opponent or I were. Given the choice between “Porter” and “Carrillo” — unfortunately, the Hispanic-surname was a serious setback from which I could never recover.”
Posted in
Higher Education
TribBlog: UT System Regents Hike Tuition
The cost of higher education at UT schools will rise between 9 and 12 percent over the biennium, one in which officials fear steep cuts in the state portion of higher education financing.
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State Government
HD-52: Gonzales, Gordon Appear Headed to Runoff
Gonzales and Gordon appear to be in a dogfight, and may face a runoff. The winner will take on freshman incumbent Diana Maldonado, D-Round Rock.
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State Government
RRC: Porter Leads Carillo by Wide Margin
An upset seems likely if not certain in the Republican primary for Railroad Commissioner. Victor Carrillo, the incumbent, is trailing challenger David Porter by 21 percent with nearly 80 percent of precincts counted.
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State Government
SD-5: Incumbent Ogden Leading by Huge Margin
State Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, appears to have beaten challenger Ben Bius quite badly after an ugly campaign.
Posted in
Energy
Land Commissioner: Uribe Barely Beating Burton in Early Returns
Hector Uribe is just slightly ahead in the Democratic primary.
Posted in
State Government
Agriculture Commissioner: Gilbert has solid lead on Friedman
Hank Gilbert maintains a sizable lead over Kinky Friedman with nearly half of votes counted.
