In Texas’ biggest school districts, most students who failed up to two state exit-level tests were allowed to graduate this year because of a new state law, according to a study by one of the law’s biggest critics.
Public Education
Explore The Texas Tribune’s coverage of public education, from K-12 schools and funding to teachers, students, and policies shaping classrooms across Texas.
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Public Education
Education Board Rejects Panel to Review Textbook Errors
Weeks after a Houston-area mom sparked an uproar over a caption in her son’s textbook that described African slaves as “workers,” the State Board of Education tentatively approved several changes to its textbook adoption process.
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Public Education
SBOE: School Boards Can’t Hire Just Anyone as Superintendent
The State Board of Education on Wednesday rejected a rule change that would have allowed school boards to hire anyone they wanted as superintendent — even if the candidate had no public education experience.
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Public Education
Video: The Future of Public Education Policy
On 11/13, I talked about the future of public education policy in Texas with state. Rep. Mary González, D-Clint; Lizzette González Reynolds of the Texas Education Agency; El Paso ISD Superintendent Juan Cabrera; and Eduardo Rodriguez of the Council on Regional Economic Expansion and Educational Development.
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New in Trib+Edu: Hard to Retain Special Ed Teachers
In this week’s edition of the Trib+Edu newsletter: Unique challenges make special ed teachers hard to attract and retain, using technology to help students learn and an interview with Jeanne Tunks of the University of North Texas.
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Higher Education
UT System Plans to Open New Campus in Houston
The University of Texas System plans to build a new campus on 300 acres in the southwestern part of Houston, an initiative its leaders say will drastically expand the system’s presence in the state’s biggest city.
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Health care
Ahead of 2017 Session, Straus Issues Directives for Texas House
House Speaker Joe Straus issued more than 150 interim charges Wednesday, directing committees to study issues such as the effectiveness of border security operations and the impact of the plummeting cost of oil on the local economy.
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Public Education
Audit Finds Fire Safety Concerns at Texas School for the Deaf
At the historic Texas School for the Deaf in Austin, strobe lights are supposed to flash in case of fire. But in some places on campus, those visual alarms do not work, according to a state audit report released Tuesday.
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Public Education
Paxton Blasts “Never-Ending” School Suits
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Friday called for an end to “a never-ending cycle of perpetual litigation” over how the state funds its public schools, saying the courts should stay out of a legislative decision.
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Demographics
Video: You’re Welcome, America: Texas in 2050
Here’s full video of the “You’re Welcome, America: Texas in 2050” session from the 2015 Texas Tribune Festival. The session was presented by Steve Murdock, a former state demographer and a former director of the U.S. Census Bureau.
