The latest education news from The Texas Tribune.
Retired teachers are now looking to the Texas Legislature to provide more money after a Teacher Retirement System vote Friday that could change how much retirees will see in their pension checks in the future. Full Story
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West Texas A&M opened a simulated emergency operations center on campus to train student teachers on how to respond to crises, including active shooters and natural disasters. Full Story
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Texas voters aren't satisfied with the state's handling of public education and don't always agree on whether paying for it should be a state or local duty, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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In a state that doesn't require counselors in schools, Abbott is recommending school districts find money to hire more counselors and allow them to focus on student mental health rather than administrative tasks like scheduling and college admissions. Full Story
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The timing of a terrible school shooting — as his re-election campaign kicks into high gear — gave Gov. Greg Abbott room to call for a change in the debate that usually follows these kinds of tragedies. What will he do with it? Full Story
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These days, more students and teachers report being happy at Spring ISD's Bammel Middle School, and the number of three-day out-of-school suspensions dropped from 94 last school year to 47. Full Story
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The U.S. Department of Education was investigating why black students in Bryan, Texas, are almost four times as likely as white students to be suspended. Then Betsy DeVos took over. Full Story
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The Democrat running for governor says his $6.5 billion plan would also fund universal full-day Pre-K and a $5,000 college scholarship for anyone who graduates from a public high school with a 3.0 GPA or better. Full Story
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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
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School officials are accessing other grants, pulling from local taxpayer dollars and diverting funding from different parts of their budgets to meet state pre-K requirements. They’re making things work for now, but they anticipate problems. Full Story
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The report warned educators and policy leaders of the risks that in-school suspensions continue to have on pre-K to second-grade students in Texas public schools. Full Story
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State officials are warning school officials, in effect, not to turn into political organizers. That means educators shouldn't be telling students how to vote, but it sounds like some state officials don't even want educators helping students to become voters. Full Story
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Harrold Independent School District was the first of many Texas districts — mostly in rural or isolated areas — to arm educators and other employees to prevent a potential school shooting. "I don't want to be anybody's victim," the school's superintendent says. Full Story
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The bill, which Granger hopes to submit by the end of next week, would fully fund the installation of metal detectors for interested schools. Granger said her proposal is only part of the solution — "everything is on the table." Full Story
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Hundreds of Texas students have engaged in walkouts following a school shooting in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead. Students said this response is largely due to the example Parkland survivors have been setting. Full Story
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On Wednesday, Abbott outlined steps the state's education leaders should take to prevent tragedies like the Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 people dead. Full Story
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A panel of state lawmakers is set to reconsider the complicated way Texas funds its public colleges and universities on Wednesday after an attempt to overhaul the system failed last year. Full Story
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Districts often say they will only hire uncertified teachers for career and technology courses. But because there are no state restrictions, some experts are concerned that uncertified educators will teach core classes. Full Story
Use our Texas Higher Ed Outcomes Explorer to track the educational milestones of every student who started eighth grade in a Texas public school between 1997 and 2005. You can see figures broken down by county, ethnicity and other factors. Full Story
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Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath is not changing state standardized test dates for students affected by Hurricane Harvey, but he is waiving some requirements for certain students, his agency said Thursday. Full Story
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