Past Contributions

• We've updated our Texas Public Schools Explorer

  By Annie Daniel and Ryan Murphy Feb. 21, 2017

  We're pushing out our updated Texas Public Schools Explorer, which lets you easily find graduation rates, test scores and more for all of the 1,207 school districts and 8,673 public school campuses in Texas for the 2015-16 school year. Full Story 

• Texas families are struggling to pay for college — but so is the state

  By Matthew Watkins and Annie Daniel Feb. 7, 2017

  Rising tuition is making it hard for parents and students to pay for college in Texas. But state funding is strained, too. So where will the money come from to grow enrollment and elevate Texas universities? Full Story 

• See which Texas eighth-graders go on to earn college degrees

  By Ryan Murphy and Annie Daniel Jan. 20, 2017

  We've updated our Higher Education Outcomes app with a new year of data, showing the percentage of Texas eighth-graders — by county, ethnicity and other factors — who earned degrees or certificates within six years of graduating from high school. Full Story 

• Government Salaries Explorer adds Fort Worth, updates University of Houston

  By Ryan Murphy and Annie Daniel Dec. 8, 2016

  We've updated the Tribune's Government Salaries Explorer with new data for the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and the University of Houston's campuses and system offices. The city of Fort Worth is a new addition. Full Story 

• Here's where Texas voters turned out and where they didn't

  By Luke Whyte and Annie Daniel Nov. 9, 2016

  More than 800,000 more Texans voted in this year’s general election than in 2008 or 2012. Full Story 

• Here's how Texas voted in every presidential election since 1976

  By Annie Daniel and Aman Batheja Nov. 8, 2016

  Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by 9 points Tuesday in Texas on his way to winning the 2016 presidential election. Here's a look at margins of victory for Republicans since 1976 in presidential contests held in Texas. Full Story 

• See how many Texans have voted early

  By Annie Daniel and Ryan Murphy Oct. 26, 2016

  Across the state, Texans turned out in record numbers to vote early. Check out our early voting tracker to see how turnout in the 10 largest counties shaped up compared to the last two presidential elections. Full Story 

• Texas Investigators Failed to Check on Thousands of At-Risk Children

  By Edgar Walters and Annie Daniel Oct. 4, 2016

  New data from Texas' child welfare agency details a disturbing number of high-priority children whom investigators failed to check up on. Full Story 

• Rising Wages Lift Texas Poor, But Almost 1 in 4 Kids Still in Poverty

  By Alexa Ura and Annie Daniel Sept. 15, 2016

  Rising incomes helped lift more Texans above the federal poverty level in 2015, new census figures show, but poverty is still particularly prevalent among families with children and on the border. Full Story 

• McConaughey Helping to Teach UT-Austin Film Class for Free

  By Annie Daniel Sept. 6, 2016

  Academy Award winner and University of Texas at Austin alum Matthew McConaughey is not getting paid to help teach a UT film class using material from movies he’s been working on. Full Story