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.
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
For Some Teachers, Classroom Strain Runs Deeper Than Budget Cuts
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.
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Public Education
Study: Virtual Schools Show Poor Performance, Provide Little Savings
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.
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Public Education
TribuneFest: A Conversation About Standardized Testing
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.
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Public Education
Select Texas Districts Aim to Pilot Testing Reforms
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.
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Public Education
Schools Turn to Parents’ Dollars for Support
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.
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Public Education
Abbott Weighs In on School’s Bible Verse Controversy
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.
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Public Education
TribuneFest: A Conversation with Four Superintendents
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.
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Public Education
Report Examines How Budget Cuts Affected Texas Schools
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.
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Higher Education
Guest Column: Schools and the Talent Shortage
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.