After much hand-wringing by public officials and business leaders over the dropout crisis, a patchwork of last-resort schools and programs has emerged statewide. Gauging their performance is tricky, but there’s no question that the students they serve might otherwise be on the street or in jail.
education
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Stiles and Thevenot collaborate on the salaries paid to superintendents, and even compare them on price per student… Ramsey’s look at redistricting and next year’s elections… Aguilar’s report on jails, brought to you by the federal agency that’s in the ag business… Rapoport’s peek at the power behind Texas pre-kindergarten programs… Smith’s conversation with Dan Patrick, in three parts… Grissom’s narrative on a circular immigration and deportation route financed by two governments… Ramshaw finds doctors agreeing on public policy and split on strategy and tactics… Hu’s latest Stump Interrupted puts the camera on Farouk Shami… Hamilton’s story on two retired cops who are taking on cargo theft in Texas… And Kreighbaum and Stiles pop open the itineraries of your folks in Congress. The best of our best from December 12 to 18, 2009.
Posted in
Public Education
An Escape with Few Takers
When public schools fail, students are allowed to transfer to better campuses. But only a tiny fraction ever do.
Posted in
Demographics
Outbound Brains
Border communities struggle to keep younger, educated residents when larger cities dangle economic and quality-of-life opportunities. They’re afflicted with the reputation of being black holes of talent — where escape is necessary in order to prosper.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Super Salaries
School superintendent salary data offers a unique window into the vast diversity of Texas districts, from massive to miniscule, and the way they pay their chief executives. One new trend: Performance pay.
Posted in
Public Education
TribBlog: Superintendents as Bonus Babies
Mindful of the down economy, more public school districts are paying their superintendents bonuses rather than giving them raises.
Posted in
Public Education
Does Texas Pre-K work?
One education model — with unproven results — serves almost a third of pre-kindergarteners in Texas. Its grade? Incomplete.
Posted in
Public Education
Race to the Bottom Line
The feds want Texas to sign onto a movement toward national education standards in order to get up to $700 million in “Race to the Top” money. Texas officials say our students —and our curriculum — aren’t for sale.
Posted in
Public Education
TribBlog: El Paso ISD Embraces Honest Grading, Sort Of
The El Paso school board this week dumped a controversial policy requiring teachers to give automatic grades of 50 to students who didn’t earn them. But teachers are still allowed to do so at their discretion.
Posted in
Public Education
2010: Survival of the Fittest?
Even if Cynthia Dunbar doesn’t seek reelection to the State Board of Education, another conservative Republican stands ready to take up the cause.
