Texas prepares to test for lead in schools’ drinking water for the first time
An updated EPA rule requires drinking water in elementary schools be tested for lead and copper — a mandate that emerged from the Flint, Michigan, water crisis. Full Story
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![Water fountains at Northside ISD in San Antonio on Aug. 11, 2020.]()
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Point of Order: Funding Texas schools during a pandemic
In the latest episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, Evan Smith talks to state Sen. Larry Taylor, chair of the Senate Education Committee, about whether it’s possible to fully fund last session's school finance bill, learning loss, broadband access, the STAAR test and more. Full Story
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Point of Order: The Queen’s Gambit
In this episode of our podcast about the Texas Legislature, recorded on Jan. 15, 2021, Evan Smith interviews 25-term state Rep. Senfronia Thompson about COVID-19, race, public ed and that whippersnapper Dade Phelan. Full Story
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Texas schools are wary of losing funding gains lawmakers provided in 2019
A school finance bill in 2019 boosted funding for districts, but the pandemic has since added layers of financial uncertainty. Full Story
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![Student Kaison Hockenbarger and Ms. Abigail Boyett go over his answers to a multiplication assignment in Schoology. Schoology is an online portal and virtual learning hub, students, parents and teachers use to access assignments and communicate with their teachers outside of their classrooms.]()
Credit: Alejandra Casas for The Texas Tribune -
Where parents and students in Texas can turn for help with mental health concerns
Reports of depression, anxiety and thoughts of suicide among Texas students are rising as the pandemic drags on. Here is a resource guide for those seeking help. Full Story
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![A Texas elementary school student works on a laptop.]()
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Jordan’s story: Isolated, anxious and failing online classes, an 11-year-old Texas boy considered suicide
Months of remote learning were hard on the Frisco ISD student. Like other schoolchildren across the state, he experienced mental health issues, in large part due to social isolation during the pandemic. Full Story
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![Chairs are stacked on tables in a classroom at Judson High School in Converse on Aug. 11, 2020.]()
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In San Antonio, an ambitious effort to expand pre-K is crumbling as parents shield their children from the pandemic
After years of work and tens of millions of dollars spent, about 90% of the city’s 4-year-olds were in pre-K programs. Now enrollment has dropped and the dream of reaching all San Antonio preschoolers is slipping away. Full Story
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![Pre-K 4 SA teacher Charlene Flores works with students learning in-person during the COVID-19 pandemic.]()
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Texas unveils plan to have all students take STAAR online by 2022
The report comes on the heels of Texas signing two, four-year contracts totaling $388 million with companies to develop and administer the standardized tests. Full Story
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![U.S. History teacher Cris Hernandez remotely teaches a class in an empty classroom at Westfield High School on Sept 15, 2020.]()
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Texas hires two companies to run STAAR, moving toward statewide online testing
Contracts totaling $388 million have been awarded to Cambium Assessment and Pearson, a longtime player in testing Texas public school students, to develop and administer STAAR for the next four years. Full Story
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![STAAR themed decorations adorn the hallways of Wharton Elementary School in Wharton on April 21, 2018.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Texas school sports moved indoors for the winter. So did the coronavirus.
Some states delayed winter sports, but Texas has allowed the games to go on with precautions. Medical experts say the transmission risks are simply too high. Full Story
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![Westwood High School head coach Brad Hastings speaks to his team during a time out during a basketball game at Round Rock High School on Dec. 18, 2020, in Round Rock. Despite some states canceling indoor sports, Texas has continued to have indoor games as COVID-19 cases continue to rise. The American Academy of Pediatrics set new guidelines. It suggests that student-athletes participating in indoor sports should wear masks as more evidence shows younger people are not as unaffected by the virus as previously thought.]()
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Texas still blocked from taking over Houston’s school district, appeals court rules
The appeals court upheld a temporary injunction that stops Texas from ousting Houston ISD's school board. But the legal battle is not over. Full Story
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![Students outside North Forest High School in Houston.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
A grieving daughter, a dedicated teacher and a former bar owner: We check back in with Texans about the pandemic and 2020
Like so many people, everyone we spoke to for this special edition of The Brief podcast said they're ready for this year to be over. Full Story
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As pandemic grinds on, Texas students increasingly feel alone and scared, and some are thinking about suicide
The mental health of students, and teachers, has moved to the forefront for Texas schools amid troubling signs that the pandemic is exacting a heavy emotional toll. Full Story
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![Tables are spaced out in a classroom at Ott Elementary School on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020 in San Antonio. The tables, which typically seat six to eight students, were arranged to seat four students and 16 total students in the classroom.]()
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Watch: Here’s what you should know heading into the 2021 Texas legislative session
We surveyed some of The Texas Tribune’s reporters and editors about what they’d be watching come Jan. 12, when state lawmakers are scheduled to gavel in the new session. Full Story
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![Exterior of the Texas State Capitol on Nov. 19, 2020.]()
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The pandemic, protests and the polls: Texas' 2020 in photos
Photojournalists captured the unforgettable images that defined an epic year in Texas as people grappled with the pandemic, protested police brutality and made their voices heard at the polls. Full Story
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![Crystal Aitaegbebhunu and her dance partners rqn through their choreography for a Juneteenth black empowerment video at Emancipation Park in Houston on June 15, 2020.]()
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Texas school leaders urge state not to cut funding as they struggle with declining enrollment
Enrollment has fallen as schools and families grapple with pandemic closures and health concerns. Next semester, the declines could start hitting district budgets. Full Story
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![Desks are seated six feet away from each other at Premont Collegiate High School on Aug. 4, 2020 in Premont. Some desks, marked with yellow Xs, were used as placeholders to maintain a socially safe distance.]()
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Listen: She’s tutoring her siblings while learning remotely. How one Texas high school senior navigates the pandemic.
Spend a day with Isabel Suarez, an 18-year-old Pflugerville High School senior who's taking on the challenges of virtual school as well as tutoring her two younger siblings during the pandemic. Full Story
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![Isabel Suarez works on homework at her home in Pflugerville. Dec 9, 2020.]()
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This high school senior plans to be the first in her family to attend college. She has to finish virtual school first.
Isabel Suarez, a Pflugerville High School senior, cares for her two younger siblings while their mom is at work. She balances that with completing piles of homework assignments this fall during the pandemic. Full Story
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![Before the start of the school day, Isabel Suarez works on homework from her home in Pflugerville. Dec. 9, 2020.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
After an indoor reception for Texas education officials, many attendees weren't told of COVID-19 diagnoses
Within two weeks of an informal reception honoring retiring State Board of Education members, at least three members tested positive for COVID-19. No one told many of the other attendees or the hotel. Full Story
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![The DoubleTree Suites in Austin. Dec. 10, 2020.]()
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Texas students will still take STAAR tests in 2021, but schools won't be rated on them
State lawmakers had previously asked the Texas Education Agency to seek a federal waiver to cancel the standardized tests. Full Story
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![Desks are spaced out in a classroom at Ott Elementary School on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020 in San Antonio.]()
Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune