Some parents and advocacy organizations say the state’s truancy laws are too harsh. The Senate passed a bill last week to change these laws, compromising with judges and district officials who said the reforms were too broad.
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.
Posted in
Public Education
Hot Seat: A Conversation With Farney and Schwertner
At our 4/26 Hot Seat conversation at Southwestern University in Georgetown, state Rep. Marsha Farney, R-Georgetown, and state Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, talked about public education, water, the budget and other issues in play in the 83rd session.
Posted in
Public Education
A Push to Ensure Free Breakfast for the State’s Poorest Students
A bill by state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, could result in as many as 731,000 additional low-income children in Texas receiving free breakfasts through their schools.
Posted in
Politics
House Approves Continuation of Lottery Commission
Despite voting a second time in favor of continuing the Texas Lottery Commission on Wednesday, the majority of House members made clear that they would like to study how to wind down the agency.
Posted in
Higher Education
After West, First Responders Scholarship Fund Announced
Inspired by the efforts of first responders during the recent bombing in Boston and the fertilizer plant explosion in West, the College Board on Wednesday announced the creation of a First Responders Scholarship Fund.
Posted in
Public Education
TribLive: A Conversation About School Finance
On April 19, I talked with former House Public Education Committee chairmen Rob Eissler and Kent Grusendorf, former vice chairman Scott Hochberg and attorney David Thompson about the perennially unresolved question of how the state should fund public education.
Posted in
Public Education
Despite Concerns, TEA Moving Forward on A-F School Ratings Plan
Against the recommendation of school leaders and amid skepticism from some lawmakers, the Texas Education Agency will continue working toward a transition to a public school accountability ratings system with grades of A through F.
Posted in
Public Education
Senate Panel Discusses Scrutiny of State Testing Contracts
The procedures that led to the state’s five-year, $468 million standardized testing contract with Pearson were the focus of a Senate panel’s hearing Tuesday on legislation that would change how the state handles future agreements.
Posted in
Public Education
Seeking to Pare State Exams, Lawmakers Take Aim at Testing Firm
As the Texas Legislature looks to overhaul the state’s standardized testing program amid outcry from parents and school leaders, state lawmakers have focused their criticism on the company that develops the tests.
Posted in
Public Education
Texas Weekly Newsreel: Testing, Texting, Taxes
In this edition of the Newsreel: A Senate committee approves an education bill cutting some current requirements for high school diplomas, the House wants to make texting and driving a crime, and the governor calls for tax cuts.
