Aguilar on an environmental battle in South Texas, Galbraith on the impact of the drought, Grissom on the latest in the Michael Morton case, Hamilton and Theobald on plans for greater scrutiny of faculty performance, Murphy on Rick Perry’s campaign donors and expenditures, Ramsey on where we stand on redistricting, Ramshaw on the intense interest in stem cell rules, Root on a congressman’s controversial pipeline holdings, M. Smith on the backlash against student testing and Tan on the fight for a new medical school in Austin: The best of our best content from February 6-10, 2012.
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
Health care
The Weekly TribCast: Episode 118
On this week’s TribCast, Ben, Ross, Emily and Morgan discuss redistricting, public school accountability testing and the controversy involving Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Planned Parenthood.
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Public Education
In Texas, a Backlash Against Student Testing
With the more-rigorous STAAR testing system set to debut this year, a backlash appears to building against standardized testing in the state. And some legislators are mulling how to postpone some of the tests’ consequences for students.
Posted in
Politics
Little Agreement on How to Fix School Finance System
A teachers group has urged Gov. Rick Perry to call a special session to address education funding. But as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, there’s still plenty of disagreement on what fixing the school funding system would actually mean.
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Public Education
Scott vs. The World
Texas Education Agency commissioner Robert Scott touched off political controversy this week when he told a gathering of 4,000 school officials in Austin that standardized testing had gone too far in Texas.
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Energy
Weekend Insider: STAAR Tests, BP Spill Money
Morgan Smith explains how some parents are choosing not to let their children take the new and rigorous STAAR tests. And Kate Galbraith tells us how state officials may use money from BP for coastal restoration.
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Public Education
Education Commissioner’s Remarks Draw Backlash
Some high-profile members of the education community aren’t pleased with Texas Education Agency chief Robert Scott’s speech on Tuesday criticizing the role of testing in schools.
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Criminal Justice
Breast Cancer Group Drops Support of Planned Parenthood
The Dallas-based breast cancer prevention group Susan G. Komen for the Cure has halted its financial support of Planned Parenthood, yet another blow to the family planning organization that provides abortions in some of its clinics.
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Public Education
Texas Schools Chief: Testing Has Gone Too Far
Texas Education Agency Commissioner Robert Scott received a standing ovation today after he told a gathering of public school educators that the state testing system has become a “perversion of its original intent.”
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Public Education
The Hot Seat: A Conversation with Valley Lawmakers
At our Hot Seat conversation at the University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg on 1/24, state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, and state Reps. Veronica Gonzales, D-McAllen, and Aaron Peña, R-Edinburg, discussed cuts to public education, redistricting and other by-products of the 82nd Legislative Session.
