This Is Your Texas

To watch the conversation online, you must be a member of This Is Your Texas, our Facebook group dedicated to civil discussion of politics and policy news. Join today to RSVP. Full Story 

At roundtable discussions in Dallas, Texans identified how expensive housing affects economic mobility and quality of life. And they came up with ideas on how policymakers can help residents. Full Story 

To close out This is Our Texas' month-long discussion about criminal justice, we did a Q&A with the Democratic chair of the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee. Full Story 

Cities, school districts and other local governments can provide discounts on property tax bills through the homestead exemption process. But not all Texans qualify for every exemption. Full Story 

The Texas Tribune’s Facebook community, This Is Your Texas, spent a month discussing how to improve civil discourse. Here's what some experts told us. Full Story 

Schools can pick between programs known as the school marshal program and the Guardian Plan. Here are four things to know about the two existing initiatives that allow school districts to arm their employees. Full Story 

Experts say it costs about $500 to train a school employee under Texas' school marshal program. But school leaders say their worries go beyond the cost. Full Story 

As the U.S. Supreme Court ponders a Texas redistricting case, a coalition of voting and civil rights groups is pushing to establish an independent commission in which citizens, rather than lawmakers, would draw the state’s political maps. Full Story 

“If you’re voting in a gubernatorial election ... it’s a drop in the bucket," says one Republican strategist. Full Story 

As thousands of students take the online STAAR assessment were booted from the testing server this week, parents and special education advocates argued that the students most affected by these glitches are the ones most ill-equipped to bounce back. Full Story 

Our Facebook community, This Is Your Texas, spent the month of April discussing Texas education policy. With the state education agency expected to announce a plan to overhaul special education programs in public schools, we asked members of our community what questions they have about such services — and turned to a disability rights advocate for help answering them. Full Story 

Kids and parents and teachers have spent the week struggling through another round of standardized testing in Texas public schools. Voters hate it, so politicians hate it. But the test results are a key ingredient of the state's education policy. Full Story 

Students across Texas are taking state standardized tests this week. Take some of the tests' most difficult questions to see if you'd pass. Full Story 

Texas state law says that teachers could lose their teaching certificates and pensions if they go on strike. Full Story 

Our Facebook community This Is Your Texas spent the month of March discussing civic engagement in the Lone Star State. We took some of the group’s questions to three experts on the subject. Full Story 

The Texas Tribune is launching its first-ever Facebook group for people who want to engage in a constructive dialogue about the policy challenges facing our state. Are you in? Full Story