The latest public education news from The Texas Tribune.
A federal judge has ordered immigration officials to reunite all migrant children 5 and older with their parents by Thursday — but officials' own data shows that will be near impossible. Full Story
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Nearly 90 percent of Texas schools are enrolled in TRS-ActiveCare. Some say the program saves teachers money, though complaints are growing about the state's stagnant per-month contribution. Full Story
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Students have been referred to law enforcement in dramatically higher numbers after the school shootings in Parkland and Santa Fe. A study suggests the arrests show a return to zero-tolerance policies that can harm students. Full Story
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While critics question whether a city-funded pre-K initiative is helping boost long-term educational outcomes, administrators and parents say there's no doubt about the quality of the education children receive at the program's four centers. Full Story
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Former University of Texas System Chancellor Bill McRaven was the third highest paid. Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp ranked fifth. Full Story
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The Texas Education Agency is now soliciting applications for more than $20 million in grants to help school districts overhaul special education after a federal investigation found it had effectively denied students with disabilities needed services. Full Story
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton demanded Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Kent Scribner turn over a copy of a sixth-grade health curriculum that includes lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity. Full Story
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Texas voters aren't satisfied with the state's handling of public education and don't always agree on whether paying for it should be a state or local duty, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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The private contractor housing migrant children separated from their families is considering partnering with a charter district it founded and with a local school district to educate kids in its Brownsville facilities. Full Story
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As a recent spate of school shootings has provoked nationwide panic, some advocates and parents are worried school and state officials' response to the May massacre at Santa Fe High School could harm some students more than it protects them. Full Story
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State Sen. Sylvia Garcia referred to the warehouse — which most recently housed families displaced by Hurricane Harvey — as a planned "baby jail." Full Story
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We've updated our Texas Higher Ed Outcomes app with a new year of data showing the percentage of Texas eighth-graders who earned degrees or certificates within six years of graduating from high school. See the education outcomes of Texas students by gender, ethnicity and economic status. Full Story
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Education Commissioner Mike Morath said Wednesday that 41,702 students were affected by slow connectivity during testing in April, while another 58,743 experienced slowdowns or had trouble logging into computerized tests in May. Full Story
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During a hearing on Tuesday, dozens of Mexican-American educators and activists implored the board to change the name of the course from “Ethnic Studies: An Overview of Americans of Mexican Descent” to “Mexican-American Studies." Full Story
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Republican State Board of Education member David Bradley proposed the new course title in April, saying he found "hyphenated Americanism to be divisive.” On Tuesday, another board member, Democrat Ruben Cortez, called Bradley “the most mean-spirited” person on the board. Full Story
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In a state that doesn't require counselors in schools, Abbott is recommending school districts find money to hire more counselors and allow them to focus on student mental health rather than administrative tasks like scheduling and college admissions. Full Story
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At a Senate hearing Monday, members of a select committee discussed mental health training and security cameras. But they failed to reach consensus on school architecture and metal detectors. Full Story
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We livestreamed a meeting of the Texas Senate Select Committee on Violence in Schools & School Security. Full Story
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The Texas Education Agency and the state's main testing vendor are investigating how more than 100 students in a high-performing Houston-area high school received zeros on their English essays. Full Story
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Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath on Wednesday released criteria that schools affected by Hurricane Harvey will have to meet to be exempt from state ratings. School administrators have argued that all schools in the disaster area should automatically get waivers. Full Story