The latest education news from The Texas Tribune.
In 2013, for the third straight year, the Texas higher education story that bogarted the limelight was the ongoing tension swirling around the University of Texas System. But there are reasons to believe that won't be the case in 2014. Full Story
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A new direction for standardized testing, expansion for charter schools, No Child Left Behind jettisoned and the aftermath of a cheating scandal: 2013 was a significant year for Texas public education policy. Full Story
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In a new web ad, Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Pauken criticizes what he calls "an elitist educational system pushing everybody to go to a four-year university." Full Story
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We have liveblogged each of the sessions from The 2013 Texas Tribune Festival's Public Education track, which featured panel discussions on early childhood education, charter schools, innovations in teaching and public education reform. Full Story
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The Texas Education Agency is stepping up its scrutiny of accountability violations with a new department devoted to investigating complaints of cheating. But questions remain about the agency's ability to effectively operate the division. Full Story
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Offenses like using profanity and fighting have led some Texas public school students to the courtroom. Under a new law, school police officers will not be allowed to charge students for such offenses. This story is part of our 31 Days, 31 Ways series. Full Story
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A grant program that focuses on training students in fields like high-tech manufacturing and computer support is undergoing funding cuts as a result of legislation passed during this year’s regular session. This story is part of our 31 Days, 31 Ways series. Full Story
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The state’s new Expanded Learning Opportunities Council will be charged with developing a statewide action plan to improve and create extended learning opportunities in public schools. This story is part of our monthlong 31 Days, 31 Ways series. Full Story
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Most Texans still see the nation as being on the wrong track, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. And the issue of political corruption and leadership is rising on Texans’ list of top problems facing the country. Full Story
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If Texas’ less-than-theatrical 83rd legislative session is remembered at all, it will be known for accords, not discord. Here's a look at top storylines from this session and what they could portend for the future. Full Story
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Texas colleges, universities and public schools could see more firearm-carrying students or authorities under two gun rights expansion bills that got preliminary approval in the House on Saturday. Full Story
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Some critics of Texas' largely subjective state teacher evaluations want them to include more emphasis on measures of student performance like standardized exams. But with support among lawmakers to scale back testing, those efforts have hit a roadblock. Full Story
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UPDATED: A measure taking aim at the firm that develops the state's standardized tests briefly stalled legislation reducing high-stakes exams for elementary and middle school students before it finally passed the Texas House on Tuesday. Full Story
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Two years ago, lawmakers couldn't find the money they needed to run the government they had promised their voters. Now they have the money — and a completely different set of political problems. Full Story
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Voters asked lawmakers to cut down on the high-stakes standardized tests in schools and to replace some of the budget cuts made in 2011. Will they soon be asking why lawmakers made it easier to get a high school diploma? Full Story
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As the Texas Legislature looks to overhaul the state’s standardized testing program amid outcry from parents and school leaders, state lawmakers have focused their criticism on the company that develops the tests. Full Story
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Batheja on a House budget without vouchers or Medicaid expansion, Aguilar on obstacles to a new power plant in El Paso, Permenter on deer breeder regulations, E. Smith’s interview with San Antonio’s Castro twins, Galbraith on proposals for new underground water reservoirs, Root finds holes in a UT regent's appointment files, M. Smith on a planned school rating system that defied recommendations, Murphy maps oil and gas disposal wells in Texas, Dehn on objections to a bigger Medicaid program and Hamilton on efforts to lure gun makers to Texas: The best of our best for the week of April 1-5, 2013. Full Story
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Sen. Dan Patrick's Senate Bill 2 is the most ambitious attempt to expand the state’s charter school system since it was established in 1995. It will have to pass a Legislature that defeated more modest proposals two years ago. Full Story
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Texas Appleseed and the Brazos County branch of the NAACP have filed a federal complaint against Bryan ISD, saying the school district's reliance on ticketing as a form of discipline "disproportionately harms" black students. Full Story
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The president of Rice University on the declining reputation of higher education, the difference between public and private universities, and the future of academic research. Full Story
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