Despite years of research, the true picture of dropout and graduation rates remains elusive, even the subject of cross words between researchers. The consensus: Far too many Texas public school students, particularly those from poor and minority families, don’t cross the high-school finish line.
State Government
Stay informed on Texas state government with The Texas Tribune’s in-depth coverage of the governor, Legislature, state agencies, and policies shaping the future of Texas.
Posted inState Government
2010: Another El Paso Republican to challenge Moody
El Paso Republican Rene Diaz invited us at The Texas Tribune this morning to join him on his “journey” as he runs for the Texas House. Diaz is going to run for the HD78 seat that Democrat Joe Moody now represents.
Posted inState Government
2010: The Distinguished Gentlelady from H-P?
Another Texan is running for the U.S. Senate — but in an actual race, not a hypothetical one that depends on dominoes falling, and not in Texas. Austin native Carly Fiorina, the ousted CEO of Hewlett-Packard and a chastened adviser to John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign, made formal today her plans to seek the Republican nomination for the California Senate seat now held by Barbara Boxer.
Posted in
Health care
Student Restraints Day 2: How Texas school districts compare
Texas school districts vary widely in how often they physically restrain students with disabilities – despite a shared state policy on when to use them. Use this interactive graphic to see how school districts compared during the 2007-08 school year, the most recent statewide data available.
Posted inState Government
Bartlett Calls for GOP Inclusiveness
Dan Bartlett, George W. Bush’s communications director and counselor, talks with the Tribune’s Evan Smith about the intra-party struggle between conservatives and moderates in the Republican party. (To listen to the full thirty-minute interview with Bartlett, see related stories.)
Posted inState Government
2010: Hair Yesterday, Gone Today
So Houston hair-care king Farouk Shami is in the race, pledging to spend $10 million to win a Democratic primary in which the majority of voters are still undecided. Among the interesting things to watch will be the dynamic between Shami and his rival for the nomination, Kinky Friedman, as the two are well acquainted: Shami was the subject of one of Kinky’s fawning TEXAS MONTHLY columns (edited by yours truly) back in 2003 — the sort of piece in which he would go all gooey over someone he professes to love, like Racehorse Haynes or Jim Nabors.
Posted inState Government
The Brief: November 4, 2009
Enroll in a soon-to-be tier-one university, frolic freely along the coast, and create a buffer zone around your military base!
Posted inState Government
2010 Governor’s Race: The Democrats
Almost all of the talk so far about the 2010 gubernatorial race has focused on the battle on the Republican side of the ticket. Democrats have been an afterthought because of a little known or lightly regarded slate of candidates. But Democrats hope a vicious GOP primary battle could damage the majority party enough to carry them to back to power next fall. Ben Philpott is covering the Texas governor’s race for KUT News and the Texas Tribune. He reports on the scenarios that Democrats hope will play out to give them a shot at their first state-wide office in years.
Posted inState Government
Election Night Results
On an election day notable for its lack of civic activity, Houston voters sent two of their mayoral candidates to a runoff next month, and Texas voters approved all eleven proposed amendments to the state constitution.
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State Government
TribBlog: Runoff likely in Houston mayoral race (updated)
It could be a late night for the candidates in the Houston mayoral election, if early voting results are any guide.