Tension between Texas and the federal government has been a major focus of Rick Perry’s re-election campaign. But on Monday, two top Democratic leaders in the Texas House ganged up on Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott and, by proxy, the governor over the recent federal education funds fight. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports.
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
In Perfect Harmony?
Harmony Public Schools is the largest and fastest-growing charter school network in Texas, with eight new schools open this year and a total of 33 schools statewide serving about 16,500 students. Founded by Turkish academics, Harmony boasts small classes, a worldly faculty with advanced degrees and outstanding TAKS scores — which is why, perhaps, it’s one of just three charter operators given permission by the Texas Education Agency to open new schools without going through the usual bureaucratic channels.
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Public Education
Slideshow: Harmony in Education
Photographer Wenjing Zhang’s shot this portfolio on the campus of Harmony Charter School of Advancement in North Houston.
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Public Education
HuTube: The SBOE Debate on Islam in 70 Seconds
For our latest HuTube post, we picked out memorable testimony from Friday morning’s five-hour State Board of Education debate. SBOE members ultimately approved a resolution instructing publishers to limit a perceived “pro-Islamic, anti-Christian bias” in Texas textbooks.
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Public Education
TribBlog: Islamapalooza
After a spring filled with bitter culture wars over textbooks, the Texas State Board of Education reopened the fight today with — what else? — a fight over alleged “pro-Islamic/anti-Christian” bias in Texas textbooks.
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Public Education
SBOE Will Vote on Sects Education
The State Board of Education is getting set to vote later this week on a resolution that would call on textbook publishers to avoid a “pro-Islamic, anti-Christian bias” in Texas textbooks. As Nathan Bernier of KUT News reports, the matter may be more about symbolism than practical change.
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Public Education
TribBlog: Oprah Gives $1M to Houston Charter
Oprah Winfrey will give the YES Prep charter school network $1 million today. She will present the gift on this afternoon’s epsiode of her show, which explores the documentary film Waiting for Superman, according to a YES Prep press release.
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Public Education
TribBlog: American Grandstand
Members of the State Board of Education’s hard-right wing appear poised to inject themselves into the national fray over Islamic influence in America with a resolution warning textbook publishers that a “pro-Islamic/anti-Christian bias has tainted some past Texas Social Studies textbooks.”
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Politics
Beyond the Bake Sale
With or without the controversial federal education funding that would come with Texas-specific strings attached, many of the state’s school districts are preparing for tough budgetary times ahead — and they’re getting creative about potential solutions. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports.
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Public Education
Guest Column: Stop Discouraging Innovation
We have thousands of great educators. We should set them free, allow them to be more entrepreneurial and hold them accountable for results. Instead, we make decisions in Washington and Austin that unfortunately have the effect of discouraging innovation.