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 -
A year before Fort Worth ISD fired a teacher over her tweets about immigrants, students say she threatened to call the FBI on them
Fort Worth ISD fired Georgia Clark after she asked President Trump on Twitter in May to "remove the illegals from Fort Worth." The Texas Education Agency reversed their decision late last month mostly on procedural grounds, but the school district plans to appeal. Full Story
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![Amon Carter Riverside High School in the Fort Worth Independent School Distict.]()
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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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Fort Worth teacher who asked Trump to deport students said her tweets were protected by the First Amendment. Texas officials agreed.
Commissioner of Education Mike Morath wrote that Georgia Clark did not waive her First Amendment rights when she signed her contract with Fort Worth ISD. Full Story
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![Georgia Clark.]()
Credit: Fort Worth Indepenent School District -
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.]()
Credit: Linkedin profile -
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 -
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 -
This school district has been at risk of state takeover for years. Some blame white flight.
In a 2003 lawsuit, Hearne Independent School District officials said the state's failure to stop white students from transferring to a nearby district contributed to their academic struggles. Full Story
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![Hearne Elementary School principal Stephanie Heinchon assists 11-year-old sixth grade students, from left, Gabriel Ramirez, Jesus Munoz and Lane Endsley, with Science classwork, Sept. 16, 2019. Heinchon frequently visits classrooms and engages with students on campus.]()
Credit: Angela Piazza for The Texas Tribune -
Texas education officials recommend replacing Houston ISD's elected school board
A Texas Education Agency final investigative report, sent to lawmakers Wednesday evening, recommends the state appoint new leaders of Texas' largest school district. Full Story
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Credit: Tom Woodward for The Texas Tribune -
Texas, like nation, sees little progress in national report card
Texas saw a significant decrease in eighth-grade reading scores and stagnant results in other measures. Full Story
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![Tayden, along with the rest of the classroom, watches the students walk in as JoAnn Zavala welcomes them in on Sept 5, 2019 at Hemphill Elementary.]()
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Texas House panel considers fixes for glitches in school finance law
Educators and advocates pointed out several errors in the massive school finance law passed in May that have resulted in confusion for school districts. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dan Huberty, R-Houston, listens to testimonies on the Texas Education Agency's uses of House Bill 3 and House Bill 22 during a House Public Education Committee hearing on Oct. 28, 2019.]()
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Texas is spending millions to bring the "portfolio model" to its schools. The strategy has led to teacher strikes in other states.
The approach is intended to quickly cut down on the number of low-performing schools in the state. So far, Texas has seen mixed results. Full Story
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![Corina Pannabecker (cq) teaches first grade at Ogden Elementary in San Antonio. Bexar County's school districts are among the most segregated in the state, with boundary lines historically drawn to consolidate resources. San Antonio ISD is working to create more socioeconomic and racial diversity through public school choice measures.]()
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Analysis: In Texas education, finding and fixing problems is hard. And slow.
Arguments over standardized tests in Texas public schools obscure another problem with accountability: Why does it take so long to respond when educators think a school isn't educating its students? Full Story
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Credit: Tom Woodward for The Texas Tribune -
Texas put billions more into schools. Is that enough to help this high-poverty school district break out?
A new superintendent at the helm of Edgewood Independent School District is trying to move the schools beyond their reputation of struggle and dysfunction. Full Story
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Credit: Rachel Zein for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Cheating Texas kids out of a better future
A school in Texas can fail to meet state education standards for four years before the state shuts it down. A lot of students can go without the education they're due in four years' time. Full Story
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Texas lawmakers boosted special education funding this year, prompting hope for more from advocates
The Legislature committed about $223 million to pay off a federal financial penalty and will study the possibility of overhauling special education funding in 2021. Full Story
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![Jaculyn Zigtema, special education director for Whitehouse ISD, speaks during a Texas Education Agency hearing on special education funding in Richardson on April 16, 2018.]()
Credit: Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson for The Texas Tribune -
Feds will visit six Texas school districts this week to monitor special education
The visits are part of the U.S. Department of Education's ongoing oversight of Texas' special education programs after an investigation last year showed the state had violated federal special education law. Full Story
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![Vanessa Tijerina addresses the panel about her 13-year-old special needs child who has been denied special education for four years on December 13, 2016. U.S. Department of Education officials held a meeting in Edinburg on their tour of Texas to hear community members' experiences with special education, continuing an investigation of whether Texas is capping services for students with disabilities.]()
Credit: Eddie Seal for The Texas Tribune