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Morgan Smith was a reporter at the Tribune from 2009 to 2018, covering politics, public education and inequality. In 2013, she received a National Education Writers Association award for “Death of a District,” a series on school closures. After earning a bachelor’s degree in English from Wellesley College, she moved to Austin in 2008 to enter law school at the University of Texas. A San Antonio native, her work has also appeared in Slate, where she spent a year as an editorial intern in Washington D.C.
The Legislature's foremost expert on school finance and one of its top public education advocates, state Rep. Scott Hochberg, D-Houston, confirmed this afternoon that he won't seek re-election next year. Full Story
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Texas has a long history of school finance lawsuits, many of them fought over the same themes. But in the latest round, one phrase has been conspicuously absent from the discussion: Robin Hood. Full Story
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For-profit, alternative certification teaching programs are booming in Texas. Every year since 2007, the two largest programs have produced far more teachers than any other traditional or alternative program. Full Story
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The TEA has released new guidelines that set tough thresholds for school districts hoping to take advantage of special legal exemptions passed by the Legislature and intended to help schools cope with significant budget cuts. Full Story
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With three longtime (and moderate) members stepping down and all 15 members up for re-election because of changes brought about by redistricting, political control over the divisive State Board of Education hangs in the balance. And even though the filing period has yet to begin, there are already signs that these races could get ugly. Full Story
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The Texas branch of the American Federation of Teachers has released the results of a web survey that reports extensive teacher layoffs, increasing class sizes, and deteriorating work conditions following state budget cuts. Full Story
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The official filing period for State Board of Education races hasn't even begun, but the mudslinging certainly has. That's no surprise: Political control over the divisive board hangs in the balance. Full Story
After Gov. Rick Perry's disastrous "brain freeze" earlier this week, many were watching tonight for a fresh stumble in a debate in South Carolina that would spell the end of the campaign. Instead, he gave perhaps his best performance to date. Full Story
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Just a few days after his disastrous “brain freeze” during a nationally televised debate in Michigan, Gov. Rick Perry is back under the bright lights tonight. This time, he’ll be in challenging issue territory: foreign policy. We’ll be liveblogging tonight’s CBS News/National Journal Debate here. Full Story
Hey, Texplainer: One of the federal agencies Rick Perry managed to remember during Wednesday's GOP debate is the U.S. Department of Education. He says he wants to close it. But what exactly would that mean? Full Story
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