Texas will shut down 14 charter school operators that failed to meet heightened financial and academic performance rules this year, state education officials announced Tuesday.
When Texas lawmakers come back to Austin in January, there will be a new governor who touts public schools as a top priority, and plenty of money in the state bank account. But that doesn’t mean everything will go smoothly as the 84th Legislature navigates public education policy.
A panel tasked with periodically reviewing state agencies approved a divisive recommendation on Wednesday to abolish a nearly 20-year-old governor-appointed board that works with the Texas Education Agency to set teacher certification and conduct standards.
By this time next month, 181 legislators will arrive in Austin for the 140-day session of the Texas Legislature. Houston's lawmakers will be asked to make serious decisions that affect all Texans - but none more important than proposals relating to public education. To the legislators, I have one simple message: Focus your decisions solely on what is best for Houston children.
Only 57 percent of all students and 48 percent of Hispanic students graduate from high school college-ready. And Texas trails the nation in awarding degrees and credentials in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.
After its signature squabbling, the State Board of Education took steps Wednesday to become more aggressive with chronically failing schools and ask for state funding to support turnaround initiatives.
AUSTIN – The Texas Education Agency today released the final 2014 state accountability system ratings for more than 1,200 school districts and charters, and more than 8,500 campuses. The final ratings are issued following an appeals process provided to districts and charters that contested the district or campus ratings originally announced in August.
On Nov. 16, the American-Statesman’s Julie Chang shared the compelling story of Diana De La Fuente, who, like thousands of other students in Austin, does not have access to a high-performing school in her neighborhood.
The Home Rule Commission is scheduled to meet today at 6 p.m. In case you missed it on FrontBurner, the Support Our Public Schools group recently presented its proposed charter to the commission. I’m working on a post that looks at the major differences between what that organization presented and the 10 suggestions I put here on Learning Curve.
