The latest public education news from The Texas Tribune.
School districts across Texas are working to comply with a broad anti-bullying law passed by state lawmakers in 2011. Nathan Bernier of KUT News reports on how school boards have been changing their policies to prepare for the law, which will allow bullies to be moved to other campuses. Full Story
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Evan, Ross, Reeve and Thanh talk about Rick Santorum's campaign suspension, the plight of failing schools in Texas, and the latest developments in the world of political scorecards. Full Story
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Domingo Garcia's campaign for Congress may boost Hispanic turnout enough to unseat state Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, who is facing his first primary challenge in 16 years. Full Story
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In conjunction with Morgan Smith's "Death of a District" series, the Tribune presents a special video report on the role of accountability and whether the state's current standards are helping or hurting failing districts in Texas. Full Story
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Plagued by financial and academic troubles, Wilmer-Hutchins ISD was closed six years ago. Now, the area appears to be on the verge of academic transformation, with three new Dallas ISD campuses. Full Story
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Premont ISD in South Texas has made drastic moves to improve its finances — including cutting high school sports. But critics fault the state's accountability and school finance systems, which they say punish districts that serve largely low-income populations. Full Story
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The first two parts of M. Smith's series on failing school districts (plus Murphy and Seger's interactive on how districts' characteristics relate to ratings), Root on lagging GOP candidates for president trying to shore things up in Texas, Ramshaw on a "fiscal switcheroo" to get federal money for women's health programs, Galbraith talks to a West Texas farmer about crop insurance and climate change and Aguilar on the money behind a lawsuit on long rifle sales: The best of our best content from April 2 to 6, 2012. Full Story
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At our Hot Seat conversation at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, state Reps. Tom Craddick, R-Midland, and Tryon Lewis, R-Odessa, and state Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, discussed cuts to public and higher education and other by-products of the 82nd Session. Full Story
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North Forest ISD has gotten what amounts to a stay of execution. But the question of whether students would be better off attending different schools still lingers. Full Story
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At last Friday's Hot Seat conversation at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, state Rep. Tryon Lewis, R-Odessa, and state Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, talked about the impact of cuts to public education. Full Story
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Wal-Mart looks to provide a cheaper alternative to workers compensation for their employees, and a Houston school district struggles with the possibility of closure. Full Story
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Public health officials in Austin, an area with one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the state, have launched an effort to educate teens about sexual health using a familiar medium: their cellphones. Nathan Bernier of KUT News reports on how the effort compares to information students receive in school. Full Story
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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. Full Story
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Yearly state accountability ratings can make or break a school district. But there's more to determining how districts stack up. Use our interactive data application to explore how districts' demographics and finances correlate to their ratings. Full Story
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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. Full Story
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The STAAR exams are almost over, but for elected officials, educators and other members of the education community, wrangling over the new tests — and the effects of standardized testing in the classroom — has just begun. Full Story
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Here's a final roundup of Texas reactions to the last day of the U.S. Supreme Court's historic hearings on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Full Story
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Hundreds of educators, lawmakers and parents descended on the Capitol Saturday to protest cuts to public education. Here are some images from the scene. Full Story
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At this morning's TribLive conversation, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Paul Sadler laid out the case against his possible general election opponent, Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. Full Story
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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. Full Story
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