public education

PAC Uses Football to Target Voucher Proposals

By Maurice Chammah, The Marshall Project Oct. 11, 2012

In a video that ponders potential threats to the viability of high school football, Progress Texas PAC urges Texans to fight plans to institute school voucher programs. Full Story

TribuneFest: A Conversation About Educating Latinos

By Evan Smith Oct. 8, 2012

At the 2012 Texas Tribune Festival, New York Times reporter Manny Fernandez talked about educating the emerging Hispanic majority with Sarita Brown of Excelencia in Education, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD Superintendent Daniel King, South Texas College President Shirley Reed and University of Texas at Brownsville President Juliet Garcia. Full Story

Education: The Other Infrastructure Problem

By Ross Ramsey Oct. 8, 2012

The state's biggest education deficit is in its fastest-growing population. If that persists, Hispanics will have problems operating at full potential in the Texas of the future. Full Story

In Pilot Program, Student IDs Track the Students

By Maurice Chammah, The Marshall Project, and Nick Swartsell, The Texas Tribune Oct. 8, 2012

A San Antonio district has implemented a pilot program to track students while on campus, having them wear radio frequency identification chips on cards around their neck. Administrators say it's the best way to make sure they get all the state money they're entitled to. Full Story

Students scan their radio frequency identification tags as they pass through the lunch line at Jones Middle School in San Antonio, September 14, 2012. — Credit: Jennifer Whitney

For Some Teachers, Classroom Strain Runs Deeper Than Budget Cuts

By Morgan Smith Oct. 5, 2012

Some consequences of the Legislature's more than $5 billion budget cut to public schools — like a loss of morale and stress levels in the classroom — aren't easily measured. But the pressure on teachers may have more complex origins. Full Story

At Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Keenan Hurley (left), 18, and Roby Attal, 17, react to missing their target during a physics lesson on projectile motion that used Hot Wheels cars. — Credit: Eric Kayne

Study: Virtual Schools Show Poor Performance, Provide Little Savings

By Audrey White Oct. 4, 2012

The Texas Virtual Schools Network may not lead to improved student performance or cost savings for the state, according to a study released today by Raise Your Hand Texas. Full Story

TribuneFest: A Conversation About Standardized Testing

By Morgan Smith Oct. 3, 2012

At the 2012 Texas Tribune Festival, I talked about standardized testing and accountability in public education with Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams, Carolyn Heinrich of the LBJ School of Public Affairs, former Texas Workforce Commission Chairman Tom Pauken and Bill Hammond of the Texas Association of Business. Full Story

Select Texas Districts Aim to Pilot Testing Reforms

By Morgan Smith Oct. 2, 2012

Thanks to a new law, a consortium of school districts could offer a new way forward as policymakers address the increasingly heated opposition to the state's high-stakes standardized test-based accountability system. Full Story

Schools Turn to Parents' Dollars for Support

By Morgan Smith Oct. 1, 2012

Parents are opening their pocketbooks to fund everything from outdoor classrooms to extra teaching positions in public schools when state and district money falls short. But the influx of private dollars concerns civil rights advocates who say it only exacerbates existing inequities in the public school system. Full Story

Students at Austin ISD's Casis Elementary explore the pond in their newly built outdoor classroom. — Credit: Callie Richmond

Abbott Weighs In on School's Bible Verse Controversy

By Morgan Smith Sept. 28, 2012

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has stepped into what has become a national headline-grabbing controversy over cheerleaders at an East Texas school displaying Bible verses at football games. Full Story

Attorney General Greg Abbott at a press conference after the ceremonial bill signing of human trafficking legislation on May 25, 2011. — Credit: Bob Daemmrich

TribuneFest: A Conversation with Four Superintendents

By Evan Smith Sept. 28, 2012

At the unofficial kickoff of the 2012 Texas Tribune Festival, I talked with the superintendents of the Corpus Christi, Harlingen, Houston and Northwest school districts about the state of public education. Full Story

Report Examines How Budget Cuts Affected Texas Schools

By Morgan Smith Sept. 27, 2012

A coalition of nonprofit foundations and the Houston-based advocacy organization Children at Risk have released the initial findings of their comprehensive report on how the 2011 budget cuts have affected public schools. Full Story

Guest Column: Schools Should Offer Multiple Paths

By Tom Pauken Sept. 26, 2012

Public schools should spend less time on testing and on a one-size-fits-all approach to education. Not all students want or need to go to college. Full Story

Guest Column: Schools and the Talent Shortage

By Tony Bennett Sept. 26, 2012

The manufacturing sector is short of skilled workers, and many of those jobs will go to students who don't have four-year college degrees — and who don't need them. Full Story

Texas SAT Scores Drop, but Participation Rates Surge

By Morgan Smith Sept. 24, 2012

More black and Hispanic students in Texas are taking the SAT, but they aren't doing as well, according to a report released Monday by the Texas Education Agency. Full Story

Liveblog: Public & Higher Education at The Texas Tribune Festival

By David Muto Sept. 22, 2012

We're liveblogging this weekend from The Texas Tribune Festival's Public & Higher Education track, which includes panels on the future of school finance, standardized testing, the emerging Hispanic majority and the upcoming legislative session. Full Story