There’s little research that indicates closing districts will improve outcomes for students, but letting chronically low-performing and financially mismanaged schools stay open doesn’t work either.
school finance
Posted in
Public Education
Citing Resources, Several Districts Steer Clear of School Funding Suits
Already facing budget cuts, almost half of the school districts in Texas haven’t signed on to one of the five school finance lawsuits filed against the sate.
Posted in
Public Education
Slideshow: Save Our Schools Rally at Texas Capitol
Hundreds of educators, lawmakers and parents descended on the Capitol Saturday to protest cuts to public education. Here are some images from the scene.
Posted in
Public Education
Who Will Lead the Senate Education Committee?
Sen. Florence Shapiro’s departure means the end of a nearly two-decade-long tenure in the state Senate — and an opening in the top position on the Senate Education Committee for the first time since 2003.
Posted in
State Government
Districts Take Advantage of STAAR Rule Change
School districts are taking advantage of the Texas Education Agency’s decision to waive the requirement that STAAR exams count for 15 percent of students’ grades for the 2011-12 school year.
Posted in
Public Education
Schools Cope as Classes Expand and Staffs Shrink
As state spending contracted in the 2011-12 school year, classroom sizes ballooned. And the fastest-growing school districts have been hit the hardest by larger classes.
Posted in
Energy
Weekend Insider: Class Sizes, Groundwater Limits
In this episode of the Texas Tribune Weekend Insider, we look at growing elementary class sizes and limits on groundwater use in West Texas.
Posted in
Public Education
Video: Arne Duncan Town Hall Meeting
Full video of Thursday’s town hall meeting with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on the campus of Austin Community College.
Posted in
Higher Education
At Public Universities, Graduation Rates Lag. But Do They Matter?
The four-year graduation rates at Texas’ public universities are staggeringly low. State officials acknowledge the numbers are dismal and are working to improve them. But not all higher ed leaders buy into the notion that such metrics matter.
Posted in
Public Education
Texas Lawmakers to Study School Finance
As more than 500 school districts sue the state over how it funds its public schools, Texas lawmakers announced today they would form an interim committee to study school finance.
