Republican Texas lawmakers have justified their efforts to limit how racism and current events are taught in school by saying that critical race theory judges people by the color of their skin. Martin Luther King III and experts disagree.
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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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas lawmakers file bill to block UT-Austin from leaving Big 12 for SEC
The move is largely symbolic as the legislative session has been ground to a halt by the quorum-busting Democrats who fled Texas 11 days ago. Even if the Democrats returned, Abbott would have to add the item to his special session agenda for it to have a chance at passing.
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The Second Pandemic: Averting a Children’s Mental Health Crisis
Pandemic show and tell: Texas second graders’ drawings and words reveal how COVID-19 touched their lives
Fear, happiness and relief show up in the artwork of San Antonio students asked to depict their reactions to the challenges of the past year.
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The Second Pandemic: Averting a Children’s Mental Health Crisis
Returning to school as pandemic lingers, San Antonio students inundate counseling center
Counseling services launched just before the pandemic to help students adjust to new schools are now seeing high levels of stress and anxiety among many students preparing to return to classrooms, and their parents.
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The Second Pandemic: Averting a Children’s Mental Health Crisis
Dallas school braces for surge in returning students facing mental health challenges
After a year of isolation, fear and stress, many students are expected to struggle with returning to classrooms this fall. One Dallas school is trying to get ahead of the curve by training its teachers and staff to spot and help kids having trouble.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Extra money for retired teachers in a “13th check” at center of Republican-Democrat shouting match
On Tuesday, the Senate passed Senate Bill 7, which would provide retired teachers, counselors and school staff a one-time payment of up to $2,400 through the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas Senate advances bills limiting education about race, access to abortion-inducing medications. The House is still sidelined.
It’s largely symbolic, but the Texas Senate is nearing the end of its work on Republican priorities for the special legislative session after passing bills limiting “critical race theory” and abortion access Friday.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas Senate approves limits on transgender athletes, but bills are still in limbo
Transgender students would be prevented from joining public school and university sports teams that correspond to their gender.
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Texas Legislature 2021
To block voting legislation, Democrats put bail bills, legislative funding and other measures in peril
Conservative priorities to restrict pretrial release from jail and ban critical race theory in schools were up in the air after Democratic lawmakers chartered flights to Washington, D.C. But so was funding for retired teachers and legislative employees.
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Texas Legislature 2021
After hours of impassioned testimony, Texas Senate panel advances bills limiting the school sports teams that transgender athletes can join
Gov. Greg Abbott added the legislation to the special session agenda after similar bills failed to pass during the regular session earlier this year.