Latest effort to block school ratings cracks Texas districts’ once-united front
Dozens of districts sued Texas saying the ratings painted an unfair picture of their schools. Others voluntarily have released their own. Full Story
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![Students leave the classroom to work in the computer lab at Mata Intermediate School.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Texas education commissioner calls for student cellphone ban in schools
Mike Morath made the recommendation as concerns rise that phones are harmful to students’ mental health and distract them from learning. Full Story
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![High school students walk to their next class after the bell rings at Elsik Ninth Grade Center in Houston on March 28, 2018.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Dozens of Texas school districts press state to suspend new student data reporting system
The superintendents said they haven’t received enough support from the state or time to fix errors the system generated. Full Story
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![TEA Commissioner Mike Morath addresses the State Board of Education on June 26, 2024, at the William B. Travis Building in Austin.]()
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Texas school districts say upgrades to the state’s student data reporting system could hurt their funding
The Texas Education Agency says there’s time to fix problems before officially reported data is used to determine how much money districts get. Full Story
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![A school bus drives past the Texas Capitol Complex as State Board of Education members hold a meeting in the William B. Travis building on Nov. 17, 2023, in Austin.]()
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After six years of low scores for students learning English, Texas educators say it’s the test’s fault
Students’ scores in a test that gauges their English skills have been low since a redesign introduced computer scoring. Full Story
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![The library at West Avenue Elementary in Waco on April 5, 2024.]()
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Judge blocks Texas from releasing this year’s school accountability ratings
The ruling marks the fifth consecutive year Texas families have not received a full picture of their schools’ ratings, which are used to determine how they are performing. Full Story
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![Lorenzo G Alarcon Elementary School received Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to create a calming and quiet room with the school counselor in San Elizario, Texas on July 23, 2024.]()
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Texas’ Christian-influenced curriculum spurs worries about bullying, church-state separation
Some secular groups and members of other faiths say the curriculum could give schools too much control over how children are taught religion. Full Story
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![A monument to the Ten Commandments on the grounds of the Capitol in Austin on June 24, 2024.]()
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Some Texas school officials are skeptical that a K-12 curriculum with Christian influences is the lifeline state leaders promise
Proposed lesson plans could improve student performance and help teachers, Texas education officials say. Not all district leaders and education advocates are convinced. Full Story
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![Cactus Elementary School in Cactus on Jan. 28, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas education leaders unveil Bible-infused elementary school curriculum
The proposed curriculum overhaul was released a week after the Texas GOP proposed requiring the Bible to be taught in public schools. School districts that opt to use them will get more funding. Full Story
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![Mrs. Eden's fourth grade class practice reading tables during a lesson on April 24, 2024 at Jack Frost Elementary School in Georgetown.]()
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Texas schools illegally suspended thousands of homeless students
A 2019 law banned schools from suspending homeless students from school grounds but didn’t include money for enforcement. Full Story
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![Danielle Stephen, 20, participates in a Christian service May 8 in Houston's Montrose neighborhood. Stephen, who was kicked off campus and into the streets as a high school student, attended the outdoor service to support people struggling with homelessness.]()
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Houston ISD superintendent accused of funneling tax dollars out of state
A state lawmaker and Houston residents urge the Texas Education Agency to investigate whether the state-appointed superintendent improperly sent public funds to out-of-state charter schools. Full Story
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![Mike Miles, the state-appointed superintendent of Houston ISD, discusses public education in Texas' largest city with Jacob Carpenter, team leader of the Houston Landing, at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Sept. 23, 2023.]()
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Some South Texas school employees could be barred from holding elected office after fraud investigation
A state-appointed board of managers overseeing the La Joya Independent School District is set to consider the policy this week. Full Story
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![The Texas Education Agency has replaced the entire school board of La Joya Independent School District.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Texas will use computers to grade written answers on this year’s STAAR tests
The state will save more than $15 million by using technology similar to ChatGPT to give initial scores, reducing the number of human graders needed. The decision caught some educators by surprise. Full Story
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![Nimitz Middle School 7th grade teacher Pricilla Martinez leads her class in an activity Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 in Odessa. Martinez said that due to the increased amount of families moving to the Permian Basin, they sometimes teach 38 to 40 kids per class. “It’s been six weeks and I still don’t know all of their names… Its embarrassing to me,” Martinez said.]()
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Texas places state’s largest charter school network under conservatorship
The state had been investigating IDEA Public Schools since 2021 and raised questions on its spending on things like a luxury driver and private jet. Full Story
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![The San Juan Idea Public Schools on Nov. 23, 2010, in San Juan.]()
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After 7 years of state oversight, Texas’ takeover of Marlin ISD starts winding down
The transition at the Waco-area school district will shed light on how a democratically elected school board resumes control after a takeover. Full Story
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![Commissioner of Education Mike Morath, far right, answers questions from State Board of Education members during a hearing Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023 at the William B Travis Building in Austin.]()
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Texas children are still struggling with math after the pandemic. Some schools are trying a new approach.
Policy experts worry students will fall short of the state's future workforce needs. Educators hope the new curriculum will help them. Full Story
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![Third grade teacher Eran McGowan helps students work through math problems at the Eddie Bernice Johnson STEM Academy in Dallas, Texas on Feb. 5, 2024.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Education Agency takes over La Joya ISD after investigating school board for fraud and conflicts of interest
The TEA appointed a “board of managers” to replace the district’s school board trustees and named a new superintendent. Full Story
![The Texas Education Agency has replaced the entire school board of La Joya Independent School District.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ school ratings remain in limbo as the state and school districts fight over how strict the grading should be
Dozens of school districts sued the Texas Education Agency last fall, claiming revisions to the state’s accountability system would hurt them. Full Story
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![STAAR themed decorations adorn the hallways of Wharton Elementary School in Wharton on April 21, 2018.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Struggling to find teachers close to home, some Texas schools are looking overseas for help
Public schools got little help from lawmakers this year to address the state’s chronic teacher shortage, so they’ve turned to other creative solutions — like leaning on cultural exchange programs to recruit international teachers. Full Story
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![Ilona Cabudsan in front of Aldine ISD's Hambrick Middle School, in Houston, on Dec. 18, 2023.]()
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An effort to prepare West Texas students to work in the oil and gas industry is expanding
The expansion, which will start with a smaller pilot in four high schools between Texas and New Mexico, is being paid for by the Permian Strategic Partnership, a group funded by major energy producers. Full Story
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![From left, Legacy High School juniors Giovanni Parra, 17, Luke Frysak, 17, and Isaiah Estrada, 16, take part in a lesson on electrical circuits during their Oil and Gas Production II class Monday, Nov. 6, 2023 in Midland.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune