The latest Texas Education Agency news from The Texas Tribune.
A new direction for standardized testing, expansion for charter schools, No Child Left Behind jettisoned and the aftermath of a cheating scandal: 2013 was a significant year for Texas public education policy. Full Story
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Texas will shut down campuses at six charter schools under a new law that includes heightened financial and academic performance rules. Full Story
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When schools turn to private entities for management, the arrangement can raise questions about how best to ensure financial accountability. Full Story
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Texas public school students continue to lag behind the national average in reading scores, according to the National Assessment of Education Progress scores released Thursday. Full Story
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In a new web ad, Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Pauken criticizes what he calls "an elitist educational system pushing everybody to go to a four-year university." Full Story
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As No Child Left Behind awaits congressional reauthorization, the tutoring industry is energetically pushing federal policymakers to preserve public funding for tutoring. This is the fourth story in a series on the program. Full Story
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Few companies that sprang up in Texas to take advantage of federal funding for tutoring under No Child Left Behind offer a better window into the obstacles to the program’s success than Austin-based Tutors with Computers. This is the third story in a series on the program. Full Story
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After hundreds of millions in federal dollars were spent on No Child Left Behind tutoring in Texas, it is difficult to find anyone willing to call the program an unqualified success. And there is disagreement on why the program didn't meet expectations. This is the second story in a series on the program. Full Story
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A Texas Tribune investigation of a No Child Left Behind tutoring program has uncovered years of inaction by state officials while money flowed to tutoring companies, delivering few academic results. This is the first story in a series on the program. Full Story
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Under a federal waiver that was announced Monday, only the lowest-performing 15 percent of Texas public schools will be subject to a series of federally prescribed interventions. Full Story
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We have liveblogged each of the sessions from The 2013 Texas Tribune Festival's Public Education track, which featured panel discussions on early childhood education, charter schools, innovations in teaching and public education reform. Full Story
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Key charter school legislation would not have passed during the last legislative session without a provision removing much of the State Board of Education's authority in approving applications, state Sen. Dan Patrick said Wednesday. Full Story
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A past Texas State Board of Education chairman and outspoken creationist urged his former colleagues on Tuesday to approve high school biology textbooks he said would "strike a final blow to the teaching of evolution." Full Story
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The Texas Education Agency is stepping up its scrutiny of accountability violations with a new department devoted to investigating complaints of cheating. But questions remain about the agency's ability to effectively operate the division. Full Story
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A state request to waive No Child Left Behind testing requirements for students in elementary and middle school has been denied by the federal government, thwarting a state effort to end some tests for high-performing students. Full Story
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The number of full-time cyber schools serving public school students will double in the upcoming year despite a history of lackluster performance and a new law limiting how many online courses students can take at the state’s expense. Full Story
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We've obtained the complete set of curriculum content produced by CSCOPE. Review the more than 10,000 lessons in social studies, science, math and language arts for yourself in our searchable interactive to see what the controversy is — or isn't — about. Full Story
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A group of plaintiffs in the Llano Independent School District has obtained a court order banning the use of CSCOPE lessons until those lessons get State Board of Education approval. Full Story
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Charter schools with ties to faith-based organizations have cropped up across Texas. Proponents say that's a result of smart budgeting, but critics have concerns about oversight and worry that faith-based instruction could enter some classrooms. Full Story
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Under a new accountability system, Texas schools are placed in two categories: "met standard" or "needs improvement." The state education agency announced Thursday that 93 percent of Texas school districts achieved the first designation. Full Story
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