The latest public education news from The Texas Tribune.
Thanks to a new law, a consortium of school districts could offer a new way forward as policymakers address the increasingly heated opposition to the state's high-stakes standardized test-based accountability system. Full Story
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Parents are opening their pocketbooks to fund everything from outdoor classrooms to extra teaching positions in public schools when state and district money falls short. But the influx of private dollars concerns civil rights advocates who say it only exacerbates existing inequities in the public school system. Full Story
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Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has stepped into what has become a national headline-grabbing controversy over cheerleaders at an East Texas school displaying Bible verses at football games. Full Story
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At the unofficial kickoff of the 2012 Texas Tribune Festival, I talked with the superintendents of the Corpus Christi, Harlingen, Houston and Northwest school districts about the state of public education. Full Story
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A coalition of nonprofit foundations and the Houston-based advocacy organization Children at Risk have released the initial findings of their comprehensive report on how the 2011 budget cuts have affected public schools. Full Story
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The manufacturing sector is short of skilled workers, and many of those jobs will go to students who don't have four-year college degrees — and who don't need them. Full Story
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Public schools should spend less time on testing and on a one-size-fits-all approach to education. Not all students want or need to go to college. Full Story
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More black and Hispanic students in Texas are taking the SAT, but they aren't doing as well, according to a report released Monday by the Texas Education Agency. Full Story
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We're liveblogging this weekend from The Texas Tribune Festival's Public & Higher Education track, which includes panels on the future of school finance, standardized testing, the emerging Hispanic majority and the upcoming legislative session. Full Story
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Texas local school bureaucrats are not graduating enough of our students ready for college or career. We need to wake up, and wake up now, to the deeper truth that it is time to stop blaming the messengers. It is time to fix the problem. Full Story
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El Paso Democrat Martha Dominguez's apparent absence from the campaign trail has prompted her SBOE opponent to call her a "ghost" — and has sparked criticism from members of her own party. But that may not stop her from winning the race. Full Story
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Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst’s announcement that he intends to run for re-election almost got one-upped by another he made at the same time in Tampa: support for a key piece of education reform. Full Story
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Booming oil and gas production in the Eagle Ford Shale play has made property values soar — a sudden, surprising and sometimes stressful boon to some of the state's poorest school districts. Full Story
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New Texas Education Agency Commissioner Michael Williams will get a salary bump of about $29,000 over his predecessor, the governor's office confirmed Friday. Full Story
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Texas plans to join the more than 30 states that have already asked for a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind Act's requirements, according to a letter new state Education Commissioner Michael Williams sent school districts Thursday. Full Story
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Our Public Schools Explorer is a comprehensive database with statistics for the state's 1,300-plus school districts and 8,500 schools. This "Appsplainer" — yes, we're making that a word — helps you navigate all that information. Full Story
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For this week's nonscientific survey of government and political insiders, we asked about the presidential race, how it plays in the next race for governor, the lieutenant governor's electoral status, and whether odds for school vouchers have improved. Full Story
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By 2050, nearly two-thirds of Texas public school children will be Hispanic. The demographic shift is already under way in classrooms statewide, where schools work to improve the academic success of the students of the new majority. Full Story
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In this edition of the Weekend Insider: We check in with Jay Root on the road at the Republican National Convention, and Morgan Smith looks at the changing demographics in Texas public schools. Full Story
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Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, throwing some red meat to conservatives after his bruising defeat at the hands of Tea Party darling Ted Cruz, has put private school vouchers and expanded “parental choice” back on the legislative agenda. Full Story
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