The latest public education news from The Texas Tribune.
There's little research that indicates closing districts will improve outcomes for students, but letting chronically low-performing and financially mismanaged schools stay open doesn't work either. Full Story
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Yearly state accountability ratings can make or break a school district. But there's more to determining how districts stack up. Use our interactive data application to explore how districts' demographics and finances correlate to their ratings. Full Story
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Already facing budget cuts, almost half of the school districts in Texas haven't signed on to one of the five school finance lawsuits filed against the sate. Full Story
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The STAAR exams are almost over, but for elected officials, educators and other members of the education community, wrangling over the new tests — and the effects of standardized testing in the classroom — has just begun. Full Story
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Here's a final roundup of Texas reactions to the last day of the U.S. Supreme Court's historic hearings on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Full Story
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Hundreds of educators, lawmakers and parents descended on the Capitol Saturday to protest cuts to public education. Here are some images from the scene. Full Story
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At this morning's TribLive conversation, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Paul Sadler laid out the case against his possible general election opponent, Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. Full Story
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Sen. Florence Shapiro’s departure means the end of a nearly two-decade-long tenure in the state Senate — and an opening in the top position on the Senate Education Committee for the first time since 2003. Full Story
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As state spending contracted in the 2011-12 school year, classroom sizes ballooned. And the fastest-growing school districts have been hit the hardest by larger classes. Full Story
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In this episode of the Texas Tribune Weekend Insider, we look at growing elementary class sizes and limits on groundwater use in West Texas. Full Story
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Full video of Thursday's town hall meeting with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on the campus of Austin Community College. Full Story
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After U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan praised Texas' in-state tuition policy for illegal immigrants, he and Gov. Rick Perry met to discuss a possible waiver for the No Child Left Behind Act. Full Story
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Public schools in Texas employ about 25,000 less employees than they did at this time last year. Use this interactive to see what happened in your school district. Full Story
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UPDATED: The Texas Department of Public Safety today renewed a warning that cautions Texas students against traveling to Mexico. The break begins next week for most of the state’s schools. 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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In many Texas school districts, teachers are turning to iPads to help with classroom education. But as Carlos Morales of KUT News and ReportingTexas.com reports, educators are still trying to determine how best to use the technology. Full Story
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At our Hot Seat conversation at the University of North Texas in Denton on 2/28, state Sen. Craig Estes, R-Wichita Falls, and state Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Lake Dallas, discussed cuts to public and higher education and other by-products of the 82nd Session. Full Story
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Sam Houston State University administrators credit a nationally recognized advising center for moving their graduation rates in the right direction. Full Story
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Texas Southern University has the state's lowest graduation rate, but TSU President John Rudley says that steps are being taken to put the university on the right track. Full Story
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UTEP's graduation rates are among the worst in the state, but President Diana Natalicio is adamant that the metric doesn't accurately reflect the institution. Full Story
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