The latest State Board of Education news from The Texas Tribune.
A day after hearing from scientists begging them to remove controversial language from science standards that some say opens the door to creationism, State Board of Education members took a preliminary vote Wednesday to do the opposite. Full Story
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A day before voting on changes to science standards, the State Board of Education heard from a line of scientists urging removal of language they say challenges evolution — and a handful of those in opposition. Full Story
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State Board of Education members will hear public testimony Tuesday on science curriculum standards that teach students to discredit evolution. They will discuss potential amendments to the standards Wednesday. Full Story
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School districts lost a court case that could have forced the state to reform its school finance system, and federal officials toured Texas to investigate claims that special education services were arbitrarily capped. Full Story
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Language challenging evolution was removed from high school biology standards because it seemed too difficult for students to analyze and evaluate, the state education board was told Wednesday. Full Story
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Republicans seeking re-election to the State Board of Education managed to hang onto their seats Tuesday despite speculation that Republican Donald Trump at the top of the ballot might flip some races. Full Story
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Several Democrats aiming to unseat incumbent Republicans believe the relative unpopularity of the Republican at the top of the ticket, Donald Trump, will help propel them to victory in the Nov. 8 general election. Full Story
The publisher of a proposed Mexican-American studies textbook that scholars, elected officials and Hispanic activists have decried as racist and inaccurate is defending the high school text ahead of a public hearing. Full Story
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More than 3,200 Texas students who were studying at 10 ITT Tech campuses may have to start their educations over. However, they may be able to get student loans forgiven, or switch to community colleges. Full Story
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Saying that a proposed Mexican-American studies textbook is "dripping with racism and intolerance," a group of educators and students is calling for the State Board of Education to reject the controversial book. Full Story
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Education Commissioner Mike Morath on Tuesday outlined plans to crack down harder on chronically low-performing schools, saying he wants to cut in half the number of them that end up on the state’s failing list over the next five years. Full Story
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A special panel recommending changes to the state’s public school testing and accountability system has stopped short of proposing that Texas scrap the controversial assessment regime known as STAAR. Full Story
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The strained relationship between the state’s higher and public education leaders were on full display Wednesday as Texas Higher Education Commissioner Raymund Paredes told the State Board of Education it isn't doing enough to prepare students for college. Full Story
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In a stunning comeback, State Board of Education candidate Keven Ellis won a Republican primary runoff over Mary Lou Bruner, who drew national attention for objectionable social media posts. Full Story
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An underdog GOP primary candidate is headed for a runoff against SBOE hopeful Mary Lou Bruner, a former teacher whose conspiracy theory-laden Facebook posts suggested President Obama worked as a gay prostitute in his youth to pay for a drug habit. Full Story
Technical issues last week that caused students to lose their answers on state standardized exams impacted about 14,220 computerized tests, Commissioner Mike Morath told the State Board of Education on Wednesday. Full Story
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The Texas State Board of Education doesn't hold the national sway it once did, so if the controversial East Texas grandmother is elected her impact might be marginal. Full Story
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Controversial Texas Board of Education hopeful Mary Lou Bruner, a Mineola grandmother who's made national headlines with her Facebook posts, thinks a return to morality and religion will help Texas recapture better days. Full Story
House Speaker Joe Straus spent $307 for every vote he got in Tuesday's primary election, leading the pack of state candidates. Here's a table detailing how much money selected state candidates spent for each vote they got. Full Story
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An East Texas Republican who once claimed President Obama used to be a gay prostitute appears headed for a May 24 primary runoff in the race to represent District 9 on the State Board of Education. Full Story
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