State judge temporarily blocks Texas from taking over Houston school district
Texas will not be able to seize power of Houston ISD's school board until the state judge issues a final ruling on the lawsuit challenging the takeover. Full Story
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Aliyya Swaby
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Aliyya Swaby was the public education reporter for The Texas Tribune, where she worked from 2016 to 2021. Previously she worked at the hyperlocal nonprofit New Haven Independent, where she covered education, zoning and transit for two years. After graduating from Yale University in 2013, she spent a year freelance reporting in Panama on social issues affecting black Panamanian communities. She was an Education Writers Association finalist in 2017 for beat reporting and a Livingston Awards finalist in 2019 for a series on school desegregation.
Past Contributions
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![Wheatley High School on Nov. 14, 2019.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Federal judge dismisses Houston ISD lawsuit seeking to avoid state takeover
U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel rejected the district's argument that ousting the Houston school board would disenfranchise voters. Full Story
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![Wheatley High School on Nov. 14, 2019.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Students face felony charges, expulsions as Texas schools ramp up fight against vaping
Caught off guard by the increase in teen vaping, schools are grasping every tool at hand, including expulsions and suspensions. In some districts, students can face harsh discipline and jail time for having a vape pen in their backpack. Full Story
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![Thomas Williams-Platt, 18, in the backyard of his aunt’s home in Georgetown on Nov. 22, 2019. Last December the then 17-year-old was arrested for bringing a vape pen to his high school.]()
Credit: Angela Piazza for The Texas Tribune -
Houston school district asks federal judge to put the brakes on likely state takeover
Houston ISD lawyers told a federal judge the education commissioner is exceeding his authority and asked for a preliminary injunction stopping him from booting out the elected school board of the state's largest district. Full Story
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![Wheatley High School on Nov. 14, 2019.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
State-ordered study finds STAAR not too hard for young readers
Questions about the reading and writing tests arose after some education advocates pointed to studies showing passages were written above elementary and middle schoolers' grade levels. Full Story
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Feds order Texas Education Agency to pay fired special education director more than $200,000
The U.S. Department of Education found that Laurie Kash's disclosures about how the TEA awarded a contract were "contributing factors" in her termination. Full Story
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![Laurie Kash.]()
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Texas education officials face local resistance to Houston ISD board takeover
Houston ISD parents and residents made it clear Thursday night that they don't want the state to replace their elected school board. Full Story
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![Sister Mama Sonya, a community education activist, protests against Texas Education Agency's takeover of Houston's independent school district at Wheatley High School on Nov. 14, 2019.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Texas education board likely to approve African American studies course in 2020
"We will be passing this," said Pat Hardy, a Republican on the Texas State Board of Education. Full Story
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![Masters of Education Policy student Chloe White testifies in support of a proposed addition to a high school African American studies course to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) state standards before the State Board of Education during a meeting in Austin on Nov. 13, 2019]()
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After state takeover news, Houston ISD clams up, leaving parents and teachers scrambling for insight
The state's announcement that it will seize control of its largest school system has been met with notable silence from Houston ISD administrators and local elected officials. Full Story
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![Erin Pickens, a 4th grade teacher for Buffalo ISD, helps a student in her classroom in Buffalo on March 28, 2019.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
State to take over Houston ISD by replacing school board and superintendent
Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath informed Houston ISD of those plans in a letter Wednesday. He also sent letters saying the state would take over Shepherd and Snyder ISDs. Full Story
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![TEA Commissioner Mike Morath testifies before the House Public Education Committee at the state capitol.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune