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.]()
Credit: Jennifer Whitney for The Texas Tribune -
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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Senate Shapes Plan for Private Scholarships
In its quest for school choice legislation, the Senate is backing away from traditional vouchers and heading toward a plan that would use donations to fund scholarships for low-income students trying to get out of weak schools. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick listens to debate on SB 8 franchise tax reform measure during Senate action March 25, 2015.]()
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Texas High School Graduation Rate Behind Only Iowa
Texas continues to outpace the national average in high school graduation rates, according to annually released federal data, state education officials announced Friday. Full Story
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High School Seniors Who Fail Exams Could Still Have Path to Graduation
The roughly 28,000 public high school seniors who still need to pass a state exam to get their diplomas this May could get a lifeline from Texas legislators. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick meets privately with Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, on the dais during a break in Senate proceedings Jan. 21, 2015.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune -
Williams: "Conflict of Visions" on Educator Evaluations
Education Commissioner Michael Williams said Wednesday that the state does not have the authority to satisfy federal officials’ desire for a more overarching system. Full Story
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State Will Close Three More Charter Schools
Three Texas charter schools will be shut down for failing to comply with the state education code or provisions in their charters, state officials said Thursday. Among their missteps? Failing to file with the IRS and not opening on time. Full Story
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Feds Tell Texas to Try Again on Teacher Evaluations
Rejecting a proposed Texas educator evaluation system, federal officials raised concerns about the lack of information tying standardized test results to measuring educator performance. The rejection puts the state's No Child Left Behind waiver in danger. Full Story
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Guarding State Control of Public Schools — With Money on the Line
Protecting Texas' oversight of school classrooms against federal regulation has been the most prominent feature of Gov. Rick Perry’s approach to education. Full Story
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New Math Standards a Hurdle for Some Students and Teachers in Texas
As new, more rigorous math standards hit Texas elementary and middle schools this year, school officials are reporting that they lack the resources to help teachers learn the new material. Full Story
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![Fourth and fifth grade students at the Austin Discovery School.]()
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Texas Loses Bid for Federal Pre-K Funding
Texas will not receive a share of $250 million in federal funding marked to help states expand preschool programs, the U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday. Full Story
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![Pre-kindergarten students at the Dallas Independent School District's Cesar Chavez Learning Center.]()
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Texas to Close 14 Charter School Operators
Texas will shut down 14 charter school operators that failed to meet heightened financial and academic performance rules this year, state education officials announced Tuesday. Full Story
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Against Orders, Charter Schools Stay Open
In June, the state ordered Honors Academy Charter District to close its campuses due to poor academic performance. But Honors' campuses remain open — and the district publicizes itself as accredited. Full Story
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Texas Takes Last Pass at Social Studies Textbooks
In a month, the State Board of Education will take a final vote on the social studies textbooks that will be used in the state's public schools for the next eight years. 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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Schools Face Fears of Ebola, Drop in Attendance
Though Texas schools are relying on the guidance of health officials to determine the level of risk to their communities, they are making decisions like whether to cancel classes, give notice to parents, or change health screening policies largely on their own. Full Story
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![Colorized scanning electron micrograph of filamentous Ebola virus particles (red) attached and budding from a chronically infected VERO E6 cell (blue) (25,000x magnification).]()
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Lawmakers Exploring Ways to Remove Graduation Hurdles
If roughly 47,000 high school seniors in December fail to pass the state exams required to earn a diploma, their last shot at graduating with their peers in the Class of 2015 may depend on the quick movement of state lawmakers. Full Story
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![Students in Yvonne McDaniel's English for Speakers of Other Languages, or ESOL, class participated in English-language exercises during summer school at McCallum High School in Austin on July 31, 2013.]()
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Struggling With State Exams, Students Still Advance to Next Grade
Most of the fifth- and eighth-graders who failed their state reading and math exams will likely move on to the next grade anyway. Full Story
![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.]()
Credit: Jennifer Whitney for The Texas Tribune -
Abbott to Appeal School Finance Ruling to State Supreme Court
UPDATED: Attorney General Greg Abbott will appeal a ruling that the Texas school finance system is unconstitutional, according to a notice his office sent Friday to attorneys in the case. The appeal is set to go directly to the Texas Supreme Court. Full Story
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![District Court Judge John Dietz of Austin is shown in his courtroom on Feb. 4, 2013, before he ruled that the state's school finance system was unconstitutional.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Rising Graduation Rates Spark Renewed Doubts
Texas' headway with high school graduation rates hasn't been matched by similar success in measures that track students’ college and career readiness, prompting questions about what it takes to earn a high school diploma. Full Story
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![Students at Townview Center in South Dallas.]()
Credit: Stuart Palley for The Texas Tribune
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