Amid highly publicized technical glitches, a commission looking at the future of standardized testing decides against proposing elimination — for now — of the student accountability measure.
John Reynolds
John Reynolds was the newsletters editor for the Tribune from 2013 to 2017. Prior to that, he was a reporter for Quorum Report, a non-partisan online political newsletter focusing on the ins and outs under the Dome, for more than seven years – covering the waterfront from health and human services and redistricting to pensions and elections. A native of Atlanta, Ga., he started his journalistic career one day after the attacks of Sept. 11 in Lubbock, Texas, where he rotated through a slew of beats at The Avalanche-Journal. He received his undergraduate degree from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and studied at the University of Georgia's graduate school in journalism. When not at work, he actively attempts to convince himself he is adept at tennis with varying levels of success. And he has adopted the Austin custom of appreciating smoked meats and listening to music in grassy/muddy fields.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: Orlando Mass Shooting Reverberates Through Texas
Texas politicians react to the worst mass shooting in U.S history with prayers, acts of solidarity and political messages, with the biggest reaction owing to a pre-scheduled tweet of a Bible verse.
Posted inState Government
New in Texas Weekly: Federal Action Urged on Zika
State Senate leaders urge federal action on the Zika virus, Ted Cruz pulls out of major speech to the Faith and Freedom Coalition and Dan Patrick welcomes fellow GOP lieutenant governors to Texas — all that and more in the latest issue of our subscriber-only newsletter for political insiders ($).
Posted inState Government
The Brief: Texas Valedictorians Stoke Debate on Immigration
The debate over illegal immigration and what to do with undocumented immigrants, many of whom arrived in the country while still very young, has carried over to this year’s graduation season.
Posted in
Inside Intelligence
Inside Intelligence: About Those Mounting Attacks on Trump
For this week’s nonscientific survey of insiders in government and politics, we asked about those mounting attacks on presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Posted inPublic Education
New in Trib+Edu: Is GPA Better at Predicting Success?
In this week’s edition of the Trib+Edu newsletter: High school GPA might predict college success better than the SAT, a school meets the challenge of serving homeless students and an interview with Stephanie Cawthon of the University of Texas at Austin.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: Lawmakers Asked To Weigh In on Ride-Hailing Regulations
In a pointed instance of the saying, “actions have consequences,” representatives from Uber and Lyft appeared before a House committee on Wednesday to ask the state to address regulation of the growing ride-hailing industry.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: Travis County GOP Looks To Rein In Controversial Chair
The party took action days before Robert Morrow, the incoming chairman whose vulgar and conspiracy theory-laced posts to social media made national headlines, takes the reins.
Posted inHealth care
New in Trib+Health: Big Questions About Cost of Zika
In this week’s edition of the Trib+Health newsletter: Zika’s spread has cost implications for care for years to come, a big rate hike request by a major insurer in the state and an interview with Kristi Henderson of Seton Healthcare Family in Austin.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: Latest Trump Attacks Draw Big Democratic Backlash
A Texas congressman becomes one of the leading voices in the push by Democratic leaders against the presumptive GOP presidential nominee’s comments on the judge hearing the Trump University case.
