At Year's End, Lots in Flux For Public Education
From the appointment of a new Texas education commissioner to Congress passing a rewrite of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, these are the top public education stories of 2015. Full Story
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Mike Morath on Being the Next Texas Education Commissioner
Mike Morath got the nod Monday to be the state's next education commissioner. Morath made his name as a member of the Dallas school board — he supported the reforms of former superintendent Mike Miles, and he was a leader in last year’s failed effort to use the "home-rule" process to remake the district. Full Story
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Dallas Trustee is Next Education Commissioner
Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday appointed Dallas Independent School District Trustee Mike Morath as the state's next education commissioner, describing the investor as "a proven education reformer." Full Story
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A Sharper Tool for Mining Public Education Data
We're pushing out our revamped Texas Public Schools Explorer, which lets you easily find graduation rates, test scores and more for all of the 1,219 school districts and 8,646 public school campuses in Texas. Full Story
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Senators Tackle Improper Student-Teacher Relationships
Posed with a troubling, social media-driven trend — a steady rise in improper student-teacher relationships — Texas senators began work Monday to figure out what, if anything, they can do about it. Full Story
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![TEA general counsel, Von Byer during the Senate Education Committee on December 7, 2015]()
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Agency Urged to Include Variety of Schools in Pre-K Program
Early education advocates on Tuesday urged the Texas Education Agency to ensure that a diverse group of school districts will be able to apply for funding through a new state grant program designed to bolster the quality of pre-kindergarten. Full Story
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![Pre-K teacher Josefina Pineda teaches her students the concept of "push" by having them join hands and push back and forth in her classroom at the Dallas Independent School District elementary school Cesar Chavez Learning Center in 2013.]()
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Who Will Abbott Choose as the Next Texas Education Chief?
A look at who might be among Gov. Greg Abbott's choices as he ponders the possibilities to fill the post Texas Education Agency Commissioner Michael Williams will leave in January. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to appoint a new commissioner of education.]()
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Education Board Rejects Panel to Review Textbook Errors
Weeks after a Houston-area mom sparked an uproar over a caption in her son’s textbook that described African slaves as “workers,” the State Board of Education tentatively approved several changes to its textbook adoption process. Full Story
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![State Board of Education members work their way through proposed revisions to social studies textbooks at a meeting with publishers in Austin on Monday, October 20, 2014.]()
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SBOE: School Boards Can't Hire Just Anyone as Superintendent
The State Board of Education on Wednesday rejected a rule change that would have allowed school boards to hire anyone they wanted as superintendent — even if the candidate had no public education experience. Full Story
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![State Board of Education Vice Chair Thomas Ratliff leafs through binders at the meeting listing proposed changes to Texas textbooks in a SBOE meeting in Austin on Monday, October 20, 2014 .Textbook publishers were invited to meeting where public concerns regarding their textbooks were discussed.]()
Credit: Martin do Nascimento -
Video: The Future of Public Education Policy
On 11/13, I talked about the future of public education policy in Texas with state. Rep. Mary González, D-Clint; Lizzette González Reynolds of the Texas Education Agency; El Paso ISD Superintendent Juan Cabrera; and Eduardo Rodriguez of the Council on Regional Economic Expansion and Educational Development. Full Story
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2015 Tribune Festival: Audio From the Public Ed Track
The Public Education track at The 2015 Texas Tribune Festival featured panel discussions on turning around struggling schools, pre-K, public education and the Legislature, and charter schools. There was also a conversation with Education Commissioner Michael Williams. Full Story
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Education Commissioner Leaving at Year's End
Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams informed Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday morning that he will step down from his position at end of the year, Williams' office confirmed. Full Story
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State Ups Passing Standards on Public School Exams
It will get harder for Texas public school students to pass standardized tests this year, Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams announced Tuesday, but the state will ease into the tougher passing standards more slowly than originally planned. Full Story
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Study Finds Childhood Obesity Program Failed
A four-year, $37 million state program to improve physical education at high-poverty middle schools failed to reduce obesity rates, according to a study by the University of Texas at Austin. Full Story
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State to Ride Herd on Failing Schools
If school district leaders can’t fix failing schools, the state may strip their authority under a new law effective Sept. 1. This story is part of our 31 Days, 31 Ways series. Full Story
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New Truancy Law Poised to Put More Pressure on Schools, Parents
When the state's new truancy law takes effect Sept. 1, students will no longer potentially face criminal sanctions for skipping school. But there are new directives for public schools and the courts. This story is part of our 31 Days, 31 Ways series. Full Story
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Analysis: Schools Are Changing, and Not the Way You Might Think
The public school population in Texas has grown dramatically, and in a way some might find surprising: Most of the growth has come in the numbers of economically disadvantaged students. Full Story
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Analysis: Texas Schools, by the Numbers
You can peek at the state’s near future in the latest numbers from the Texas Education Agency: 51.8 percent Hispanic, 29.4 percent Anglo, 12.7 percent African-American, 3.7 percent Asian. Full Story
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![A reading assistant reads on the classroom floor with a small group of fourth graders at Wanke Elementary School in San Antonio on March 9, 2012.]()
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Schools, Courts Worry About New Truancy Law
Juvenile justice advocates applauded when the Texas Legislature decided this year that repeated school truancy will no longer be a crime. But school and court officials worry they are losing tools that have actually worked at keeping kids in school. Full Story
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Pearson Loses Bulk of Texas Testing Contract
For the first time in three decades, a new company will develop and administer the state-required exams Texas students begin taking in the third grade. Full Story
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