The latest education news from The Texas Tribune.
A plan to overhaul the state’s public education funding system from a top House lawmaker received largely favorable reviews from school districts during a marathon legislative hearing that ended late Tuesday night. Full Story
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The Texas House gave final approval Thursday to an early education bill backed by Gov. Greg Abbott, sending it to the upper chamber on a vote of 128-17. Full Story
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In Texas, children who miss a certain number of school days can be sent to truancy court, where they could face a Class C misdemeanor punishable by up to $500. Advocates are pushing to make truancy a civil, rather than criminal, offense. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Edu newsletter: A study indicates competition among charter schools doesn't always lead to academic improvements, how to retain teachers and an interview with John Fitzpatrick, the executive director of Educate Texas. Full Story
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The Texas House was poised to take a vote banning private school vouchers as it adopted the state budget Tuesday. But about nine hours into the debate, the lawmaker carrying the measure withdrew it from consideration. Full Story
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Hoping to prompt quicker turnarounds at struggling schools, Texas lawmakers are considering a controversial policy that would let parents petition the state to make changes at their kids' campuses. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Edu newsletter: Education advocates rally at the Capitol, the Senate approves high school graduation panels and an interview with Linda McSpadden McNeil of the Center for Education at Rice University. Full Story
High school seniors who have failed their state exams may still have a shot at earning a diploma. A bill providing them a way around the requirement continues to advance in the Texas Legislature. Full Story
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During a Senate Education Committee hearing Thursday, lawmakers questioned whether A-through-F ratings for schools would provide a clear picture of a school's performance. Full Story
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Full video of my 3/12 conversation with Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price and Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings. Topics discussed: transportation, education, guns, same-sex marriage and liberty vs. local control. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Edu newsletter: A push to update No Child Left Behind stalls, middle school students press Texas lawmakers on dating violence programs and an interview with Zenaida Aguirre-Muñoz of Texas Tech University. Full Story
Virtual learning, A-through-F school ratings and teacher quality were among the topics covered by broad slate of education reform bills announced by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Education Chairman Larry Taylor on Tuesday. Full Story
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Texas voters overwhelmingly favor government-required vaccinations for children, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. And they rank vouchers lowest among a set of options for improving public education. Full Story
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A week after Gov. Greg Abbott put early education reform on the legislative fast track, top House lawmakers announced Thursday what is likely to become the major pre-kindergarten bill of the session. Full Story
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Texas lawmakers took aim at the state’s standardized testing system Thursday as they considered a proposal to allow high school seniors to graduate even if they fail state exams. Full Story
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The roughly 28,000 public high school seniors who still need to pass a state exam to get their diplomas this May could get a lifeline from Texas legislators. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Edu newsletter: Vaccine exemptions in Texas come under scrutiny, applicants for Teach for America drop drastically and an interview with Jean Madsen and Mario Torres, professors of educational administration at Texas A&M University. Full Story
Education Commissioner Michael Williams said Wednesday that the state does not have the authority to satisfy federal officials’ desire for a more overarching system. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Edu newsletter: Lawmakers float incentive payments for districts offering full-day pre-K, a new magazine teaches kids financial literacy and an interview with Sarah Powell, a University of Texas assistant professor in the Department of Special Education. Full Story
UPDATED: State Sen. Donna Campbell and Land Commissioner George P. Bush were among the speakers who addressed a gathering of school choice supporters Friday just outside the Texas Capitol. Full Story
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