The latest public education news from The Texas Tribune.
Among the changes to the SAT being announced by the College Board in Austin on Wednesday: The test will revert to a 1,600-point scale, and the essay portion will be optional and scored separately. Full Story
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Though a new law removes algebra II as a core requirement for a high school diploma, many Texas universities say they have no plans to change their admissions standards to drop the advanced math course. Full Story
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At our 2/27 symposium on demographic change at the University of Texas at El Paso, I talked education with TEA Commissioner Michael Williams, UT System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa, Higher Ed Coordinating Board Chair Harold Hahn and San Elizario ISD Superintendent Sylvia Hopp. Full Story
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Boosting funding for public schools and cutting the number of standardized tests top the list of ways the state could change public education most effectively, according to the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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Full video of my 2/19 TribLive conversation at Lamar University in Beaumont with state Reps. Joe Deshotel, D-Beaumont; Allan Ritter, R-Nederland; and James White, R-Woodville. Full Story
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How the Texas State Board of Education has handled its purview over curriculum standards has cropped up in three primary races that will likely determine who will join the board in January. Full Story
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On this week's edition of WFAA-TV's Inside Texas Politics, I talked with host Jason Whitely about our story (and accompanying application) last week revealing poor higher-education outcomes for Texas students. Full Story
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Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis has released the latest of her education reform proposals, calling for the state to increase access to full-day pre-kindergarten programs and prioritize early-childhood reading programs. Full Story
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Each year, some 300,000 students begin eighth grade in a Texas public school. Use this app to track the educational milestones of every student who started eighth grade in a Texas public school between 1996 and 2001, broken down by region and county. Full Story
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Among young Texans who started eighth grade in 2001, less than one-fifth earned a higher education credential within six years of their high school graduation, according to data in the Tribune's new Higher Ed Outcomes Explorer. Full Story
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Democratic Sen. Wendy Davis is calling on her likely Republican opponent in the governor's race, Attorney General Greg Abbott, to quit defending the state's school finance system and reach a settlement instead. Abbott said Davis was focused on the past. Full Story
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Supporters of adding Mexican-American studies as an official Texas high school course say time is running out for the State Board of Education to approve the class for next school year. Full Story
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The State Board of Education voted Friday to drop an existing requirement that all students at Texas public schools take algebra II to graduate. It also approved two high-level math courses that students can take as an alternative. Full Story
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The two leading candidates for governor are making education a talking point in their campaigns. Attorney General Greg Abbott is exploring charter schools and virtual learning, while state Sen. Wendy Davis is focused on teacher recruitment. Full Story
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Lawmakers love to say that they have solved the state's school finance problems. With that system being challenged once again in court, it's clear that all they can do is readjust it every few years. Full Story
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Lawyers representing nearly two-thirds of Texas school districts in a lawsuit against the state argued Tuesday that not only was a 2013 legislative funding boost short term, but that other changes had increased costs for schools. Full Story
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Fewer government mandates and more choices for parents were among the education reform strategies gubernatorial hopeful Greg Abbott touted at an event Friday. Full Story
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A dispute in a South Texas border town that could keep hundreds of children out of school on Monday illustrates the struggles that small border communities face in upgrading long-neglected water and sewer systems. Full Story
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State Sen. Wendy Davis, in her first major policy proposal as a candidate for Texas governor, said on Thursday that she would increase the supply of teachers and give them more money. But she didn't say how she'd pay for the new programs. Full Story
Studying technology's impact on higher education and evaluating public school students' writing scores on state assessments are among the tasks Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst gave lawmakers in education-related interim charges Thursday. Full Story
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