In defiance of Attorney General Ken Paxton, Austin ISD’s Pride Week marches on
Paxton equated the week of LGBTQ-inclusive activities with sex education in a letter to the district. Austin ISD says it’s about acceptance. Full Story
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![Joaquin Becerra Tharps, 2, plays with bubbles at the AISD "Pride Out!" Party in the Park event at Eastside Early College High School in Austin on Saturday, Mar. 26, 2022.]()
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Explore Texas public schools’ college readiness, demographics and teacher salaries
Use our database to learn about Texas public school districts and campuses, including hundreds of charter schools and alternative campuses. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the state waived accountability ratings for the 2020-21 school year. Full Story
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![Students work at their desks at Blanco Vista Elementary School in San Marcos on Aug. 23, 2021.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott wants task force to examine state teacher shortage
Teaching demands during the pandemic have exacerbated the nation’s teacher shortage. Abbott wants a task force to investigate. Full Story
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![Kara Huesser, substitute teacher, helps a student at Buda Elementary School in Hays CISD on Jan. 18, 2022.]()
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Texas schools struggle to stay open as teachers and bus drivers call in sick with COVID-19
School district leaders are desperately trying to fill vacant roles to stay open and some say they have no choice but to close. Full Story
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![Teachers guide students outside of Linder Elementary School in Austin on the first day of classes after the winter break on Jan. 5, 2022.]()
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A Texas charter school had to remove an anti-racist quote from its website before it could open
After lawmakers passed a law about how racism was to be taught in Texas schools, Essence Preparatory in San Antonio was sent back to the drawing board. Full Story
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![Akeem Brown, the superintendent of Essence Preparatory Charter School in San Antonio. The school, which focuses on an antiracist curriculum, has encountered pushback due to anti-CRT legislation in Texas.]()
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Texas education officials investigating whether Keller school district has books with sexually explicit content
The district appears to be the first one to be investigated since Republicans started raising questions in October about content in public school libraries. Full Story
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![The library at Blanco Vista Elementary in San Marcos on Nov. 4, 2021.]()
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Republican bill that limits how race, slavery and history are taught in Texas schools becomes law
The so-called “critical race theory” law prohibits teachers from discussing “a widely debated and currently controversial issue of public policy or social affairs.” Full Story
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![Students walk between classes at Chapa Middle School in Kyle on August 24, 2021.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott calls for criminal investigation into availability of "pornographic books" in public schools
It’s unclear why the governor tasked the state's education agency, which does not employ law enforcement officers, to perform the investigation. Full Story
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![The library at Blanco Vista Elementary in San Marcos on Nov. 4, 2021.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott tells state agencies to develop standards to block books with "overtly sexual" content in schools
Abbott targeted two books that have been removed by schools recently that center on LGBTQ characters. One of the books includes a graphic illustration and the other includes depictions of sex. Full Story
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![Shelves filled with books at a school library in San Marcos.]()
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Texas House committee to investigate school districts’ books on race and sexuality
State Rep. Matt Krause, a candidate for state attorney general, asked school superintendents to confirm whether any books on a list of 850 titles are in their libraries and classrooms. Full Story
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![Books at McCallum High School in Austin on Jul. 31, 2013.]()
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Justice Department argues Texas ban on school mask mandates violates disabled students’ rights
Plaintiffs say the governor’s order denies children with disabilities, who are at a high risk of illness and death from the coronavirus, access to public education. Full Story
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![Kindergarten students work at their desks at Blanco Vista Elementary School in San Marcos on Aug. 23, 2021.]()
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Watch U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona talk about the effects of the pandemic and more at The Texas Tribune Festival
Cardona spoke about how students, teachers, schools and districts have fared during the pandemic — and what happens now. Full Story
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![U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona at a press briefing in the White House Press Briefing Room on Aug. 5, 2021.]()
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Texas’ ban on school mask mandates draws federal investigation for possibly violating the rights of students with disabilities
The U.S. Department of Education announced the inquiry days after the Texas Education Agency quietly updated its guidance to say school districts can’t require masks. Full Story
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![Fifth graders at Jacob’s Well Elementary School in Wimberley work from behind desktop barriers meant to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on Sept. 4, 2020.]()
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After the omicron surge in early 2022, COVID-19 cases declined in Texas schools
Student and staff COVID-19 cases declined after districts reported their highest levels in January since the pandemic began. But the data is incomplete and likely an undercount. Full Story
![Students work at their desks at Blanco Vista Elementary School in San Marcos on Aug. 23, 2021.]()
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Texas lawmakers send Gov. Greg Abbott a bill that funds virtual learning, but could leave out many students of color
The bill would pay for virtual learning until September 2023, but won't fund it for students who have failed their STAAR exams. Full Story
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![Candace Hunter’s children are home-schooled due to the pandemic and have been struggling to manage the onslaught of assignments that come with remote learning. Her son is photographed here in Austin on Nov. 13, 2020.]()
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Texas is one step closer to funding virtual learning, but could leave out many students of color
The bill, which would provide funding through September 2023, will head back to the Senate before reaching Gov. Greg Abbott's desk. Full Story
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![Sophomore Alexis Phan does her Algebra 2 homework remotely, from her home in Pflugerville on Nov. 16, 2020.]()
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More Texas students tested positive for COVID-19 last week than at any time last school year
There have been 20,256 reported cases among students across the state since the school year began. Full Story
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![Students eat lunch in the cafeteria at Chapa Middle School in Kyle on Aug. 24, 2021.]()
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Texas says schools now must notify families of positive COVID-19 cases in classrooms
This is a reversal of the Texas Education Agency’s previous guidance, which didn’t explicitly require school districts to notify parents of a close contact with the virus. Full Story
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![Students arrive at Morehead Middle School on Aug. 19, 2021, in El Paso. The school district, EPISD, as of today voted a mask mandate for all teachers, staff and students in school facilities, defying Gov. Abbott's order that restricted local entities from instituting mask mandates.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Joe Biden takes aim at states blocking mask mandates, setting Gov. Greg Abbott up for showdown with feds
Biden said he will use the U.S. Department of Education’s civil rights enforcement authority to deter states from blocking mask mandates in classrooms. Full Story
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![President Joe Biden delivered remarks on the nation's COVID-19 response and vaccination program during a speech in the East Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 18, 2021.]()
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Across Texas, frantic parents search for options to keep kids safe in school
For the second straight year, schools must worry about keeping their staff and their children safe and ensure that they’re providing the best possible education during a pandemic that has killed more than 50,000 Texans. Full Story
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![A fifth-grader at Jacob’s Well Elementary School in Wimberley works on their laptop behind a clear barrier meant to stop the spread of COVID-19 on Sept. 4, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune