Full video of Thursday’s town hall meeting with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on the campus of Austin Community College.
school finance
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.
Posted in
Public Education
An Updated Guide to the School Finance Lawsuits
The latest school finance lawsuit following the state’s $5.4 billion cut to public schools suggests that schools need more competition.
Posted in
Public Education
In Fifth School Finance Suit, A Focus on Efficiency
A group of parents in Texas filed the fifth school finance lawsuit in Austin today, focusing not on whether the state adequately pays for schools but rather if the way it distributes money is efficient and equitable.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Aaronson interactively charts the legal wrangling between Texas and the feds, Aguilar on what Obama’s budget means for the border, Galbraith on congressional ambivalence about a wind tax credit, Grissom on cuts to crime victims services, Hamilton on UT-Austin’s plan to boost graduation rates, Ramsey on our woefully low voter turnout, Ramshaw on a new Super PAC targeting incumbents of both parties, Root on conservative opposition to the Keystone pipeline and M. Smith on cash-starved school districts in the advertising game: The best of our best content from February 13-17, 2012.
Posted in
Public Education
Texas Education Agency Delays STAAR’s 15 Percent Rule
Education Commissioner Robert Scott said today that he will postpone for a year a controversial requirement that new exams count for 15 percent of students’ final grades.
Posted in
Public Education
Turf for Sale: Schools Turn to Ads for Money
Texas school districts are getting into the advertising game as they look for ways to make ends meet after major state budget cuts. But some researchers question whether schools fully grasp the consequences of creeping commercialism.
Posted in
Public Education
Eissler Circulates Letter Asking for Delay of STAAR Rule
House Public Education Chairman Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, is planning to send a letter to the state education czar asking the Texas Education Agency to defer implementation of STAAR’s 15 percent rule.
Posted in
Public Education
Shapiro Says TEA Has Authority to Waive STAAR Requirement
State Sen. Florence Shapiro has sent a letter to the Texas Education Agency saying that she believes it has the power to delay a requirement that new exams count toward 15 percent of students’ final grades.
