Disability rights advocates say State Board of Education member David Bradley’s comment to the Texas Tribune — “If you sit on the mental health commission, do you have to be retarded?” — is offensive and uninformed.
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
Ads Infinitum: White Releases First TV Spot
The former Houston mayor hits the airwaves.
Posted in
Economy
No Experience Necessary
Few members of the State Board of Education have finance expertise. Should we be concerned that they manage the investments of the $23 billion Permanent School Fund?
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
The death penalty and DNA testing in a 16-year-old triple murder in the Texas Panhandle. The second debate between the three Republican candidates for governor. Charter schools are having a hard time hanging on to the employees that matter the most: Teachers. The possibilities and perils of a switch to electronic medical records. A rundown of top races. Who’s giving to candidates, and how much? Social networks and politicians. Ballots: The slow reveal. And a new and highly requested feature makes its debut. The best of our best from January 23 to 29, 2010.
Posted in
Public Education
TribBlog: Revenge of the Nerd
Bellaire High School senior Li Boynton is smarter than you, so she gets to watch the State of the Union with Michelle Obama.
Posted in
Public Education
Charter Churn
Teachers quit Texas charter schools at nearly three times the rate of traditional public school districts, according to state data. Dozens of individual schools lost well over half their teachers in the latest year.
Posted in
Public Education
TribBlog: Will Obama Put Texas Schools Back in the Race?
The president announced he would ask Congress for an additional $1.35 billion for the Race to the Top education grant program — which Gov. Perry spurned last week — along with more flexibility in doling it out to individual districts. He also took a swipe at Texas.
Posted in
Demographics
Latinos and the Pay Gap
In Texas, they earn 35 percent less than their Anglo counterparts — a disparity that’s bigger here than elsewhere. Is it because of education, age, discrimination, or some combination of the above?
Posted in
Economy
The Tuition Time Bomb
It costs an average of 63 percent more to attend a four-year state school today than it did in 2003 — and that’s still not enough to keep pace with bulging university budgets. Some policy makers see the higher education business model on the cusp of collapse.
Posted in
Public Education
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
A big week, with the State Board of Education working on social studies textbooks — Thevenot was all over that this week, starting with a story that got national attention — and then the first debate between the GOP gubernatorial candidates, a story we tag-teamed with poll analysis, Hu’s and Ramsey’s live-blogging, Philpott’s audio, and video. Our first TribLive event coaxed some news out of House Speaker Joe Straus, and E. Smith also interviewed Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson on beaches, politics, and, um, politics. We featured M. Smith on athletes in politics, Aguilar on the pack of Republicans chasing U.S. Rep. Ralph Hall, Rapoport on women in campaigns, and Hamilton on candidates outside the spotlight. The best of our best from January 11 to January 15, 2010.