In the Headlines

Latest education news

Below are links to articles produced by newspapers, TV and radio stations in Texas and across the country to provide you with a snapshot of what's happening in education.

Friday, March 24

• Spring ISD teachers forced to pay thousands of incentive dollars back due to overpayment (Fox 26 Houston)
• Midlothian ISD Approves Hybrid Calendar Instead Of Four Day Week (Focus Daily News)
• Point Isabel ISD considers four-day school week (Valley Central)
• Houston ISD to host hiring event for teachers, nurses, admins for next school year (Houston Public Media)
• LGBTQ groups criticize Texas bill’s broad restrictions on school lessons and activities about sexuality and gender identity (Texas Tribune)
• Alvin ISD adds book vending machine to elementary school, making reading more “rewarding” for students (Houston Public Media)
• South San ISD trustees reverse course, vote to close 3 schools (Texas Public Radio)
• Austin ISD trustees want a transparent, trustworthy superintendent who’s in it for the long haul (KUT)
• House Republicans pass ‘parents’ rights’ bill in fight over schools (PBS NewsHour | AP)
• Book ban attempts reach record high in 2022, American Library Association report says (PBS NewsHour | AP)

Thursday, March 23

• Texas teachers speak out to lawmakers during Legislative Session (Fox 26)
• Bills call for Texas teachers to be trained to administer lifesaving overdose drugs to students (Texas Tribune)
• School voucher-like program in Texas could come with $1 billion price tag in early years (Dallas Morning News)
• In Texas Senate hearing, education savings accounts face questions about accountability and impact on public schools (Texas Tribune)
• Texas Senate passes $16.5 billion package to lower property taxes (Texas Tribune)
• This burned-out Texas teachers unseated his school board president (Texas Observer)
• Second TEA forum met with more frustration from members of HISD community (Houston Chronicle)
• After shooting wounds student, Dallas ISD chief acknowledges campus ‘vulnerabilities’ (Dallas Morning News)
• Watch a conversation about school safety and the mass shooting in Uvalde (Texas Tribune)
• TikTok Is Raising National Security, Privacy Concerns. Should Educators Steer Clear? (Education Week)
• One Way to Set Students Up for Success: Let Them Sleep (Education Week)
• 6 things to know about U.S. teacher shortages and how to solve them (NPR)

Wednesday, March 22

• Gov. Greg Abbott organizes “school choice” rally at the Capitol (Texas Tribune)
• San Antonio ISD weighs budget proposals that include raises of 2% to 9% in coming years (San Antonio Report)
• 'Not again, not again.' Arlington community mourns victim in Lamar High School shooting (KERA)
• “Y’all tryna take our community”: Parents share their outrage during first public meeting over Houston ISD takeover (Texas Tribune)
• What we do (and don't) know about teacher shortages, and what can be done about them (NPR)
• Humble ISD giving ballistic shields to some teachers to ‘delay or evade’ armed intruders (Houston Public Media)
• China Spring ISD Board of Trustees approves four-day school week (KCEN)
• Garbology is the study of trash. This is why students love it (NPR)

Tuesday, March 21

• Texas lawmaker again tries to block discriminatory hairstyle bans in schools and workplaces (Texas Tribune)
• Advocates say social emotional learning is one approach to addressing the child mental health crisis (Houston Public Media)
• Sherman ISD announces first coordinator of character education (KXII)
• Sex ed curriculum expected to return to Fort Worth ISD classrooms next spring, superintendent says (KERA)
• One student shot and killed, another injured outside Lamar High School; campus will be closed Tuesday, officials say (WFAA)
• Supreme Court unanimously rules for deaf student in education case (PBS NewsHour)
• LA schools are shuttered as union workers begin a massive 3-day strike (NPR)

Monday, March 20

• In 'The Teachers,' passion motivates, even as conditions grow worse for educators (NPR)
• Plano ISD changes middle school schedules to offer teacher, student support (Plano Star Courier)
• Houston ISD board president plans run for re-election despite lack of power post-takeover (Houston Public Media)
• Fort Worth ISD is teaching students CPR to save lives. It’s required by the state (Fort Worth Report)
• Kingsville ISD considering 4-day school week (KIII)
• Teacher Apprenticeships Are Booming in Wake of Shortages. Here’s What You Need to Know (Education Week)

Friday, March 17

• What happens when Texas takes over a school district like Houston ISD (Texas Tribune)
• With gun control far from sight, schools redesign for student safety (NPR)

Thursday, March 16

• Houston ISD families blast the state’s takeover of the district as an intervention that won’t improve student learning (Texas Tribune)
• Considering race, class and power in Texas Education Agency’s takeover of Houston Independent School District (Houston Public Media)
• What's at stake in the Texas school voucher debate (KUT)
• Kids Understand More From Books Than Screens, But That’s Not Always the Case (Education Week)
• A Town Put a Senior Center in Its High School, Offering a Model for an Aging Nation (Education Week)

Wednesday, March 15

• Texas Education Agency will take control of Houston ISD in June (Texas Tribune)
• Texas is set to take over HISD. Here’s why state interventions rarely improve academics (Houston Chronicle)
• OPINION: Texas asking for trouble if it pours billions into unaccountable ‘school choice’ scheme (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
• Jobs in jeopardy as declining enrollment, finances spur shake-up in Fort Worth ISD (KERA)
• Children At Risk criticizes Crosby ISD's 4-day week, says it jeopardizes the most vulnerable students (Houston Chronicle)

Tuesday, March 14

• The Gender Pay Gap Is a Problem for Teachers, Too (Education Week)
• New documentary dives into the world of high school mariachi competitions (Texas Standard)
• Safer Schools: Students, Educators & Mental Health One Year After the Uvalde Shooting (Texas Tribune)
• Do we need another 'Schoolhouse Rock'? Celebrating 50 years of the educational songs (Texas Public Radio)
• Texas Senate’s priority bills on higher ed would end tenure, diversity policies (Texas Tribune)

Monday, March 13

• ‘Education freedom’ bill brings praise and concern (KXAN)
• Texas families would get $8,000 in tax dollars to send students to private school in sweeping ‘parental rights’ bill backed by Lt. Gov. (Texas Tribune)
• Houston ISD drops lawsuit against TEA as lawmaker says state takeover is imminent (Houston Public Media)
• ACC to launch 2 new education certifications amid teacher shortage (KXAN)
• More than 70% of Austin ISD employees are burdened by housing costs, survey finds (KUT)
• Many Educators Give Their School Buildings Low Grades. There’s No Big Fix in Sight (Education Week)
• Why more Americans are skipping college (PBS NewsHour)

Friday, March 10

• SXSW EDU panelists say the only solution to school safety is to address gun policy and mental health, not one or the other (Texas Tribune)
• 'There is a great lack of funding in education' | Pflugerville ISD to award teacher bonuses (KVUE)
• Almost 60 school districts in Texas have now made the switch to four-day weeks (The Hill)
• Texas senators file legislation to discourage state takeover of Houston ISD (Houston Chronicle)
• Leander ISD parents ask district to hold off on plan that would reduce number of schools (KXAN)
• 6 organizations that are expanding access to arts education in North Texas (KERA)
• Upcoming program will help Katy ISD students obtain commercial driver’s licenses (Houston Public Media)
• How Schools Fare in Biden’s Proposed Budget (Education Week)

Thursday, March 9

• Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan’s new priority bills focus on school safety, requiring districts to adopt active-shooter plans (Texas Tribune)
• Harlandale ISD will stay with a five-day school week (Texas Public Radio)
• Mesquite ISD backs off four-day school week proposal (Dallas Morning News)
• Boerne ISD names 2023 District Teacher of the Year (KSAT)
• See which Corpus Christi ISD educators won Teacher of the Year, H-E-B awards (Corpus Christi Caller Times)

Wednesday, March 8

• Brownsville ISD wins scratch-cooking grant (MyRGV)
• Little Joe y la Familia hosting fundraiser concert for Temple Education Foundation (KCEN)
• ACLU backs Texas student, alleges dress code discrimination (Axios Houston)
• Teachers Say a New Parents’ Bill of Rights Doesn’t Solve Schools’ Problems (Education Week)

Tuesday, March 7

• Texas education commissioner discusses changes to STAAR test, ways to prep new teachers (KDFW)
• As Texas school districts scramble to hire teachers, this 2021 law is in the way (Houston Chronicle | subscribers)
• The Problem With Low-Performing Schools? It Isn’t Just the Schools (Texas Monthly)
• Northside ISD seeks local control with District of Innovation plan (San Antonio Report)
• With a Houston ISD state takeover looming, here's how the TEA has taken over other Texas school districts (Houston Chronicle)
• ‘We’re changing lives.’ Fort Worth ISD to serve 22,000 in adult ed program this year (Fort Worth Report)

Monday, March 6

• Texas Education Agency would have new power to enforce school safety plans under Senate bill (Texas Tribune)
• See how Plano ISD is working to retain its teachers (Plano Star Courier)
• Schools struggle with lead-contaminated water while awaiting federal relief (PBS NewsHour)
• Students learn lessons on climate change, pollution through raising salmon (NPR)

Friday, March 3

• Morath recommends major change to pandemic-era law meant to help children (KXAN)
• The largest DFW district to consider 4-day school week isn't moving forward with it (WFAA)
• 'It breaks my heart': Harlandale ISD proposes shutting down five schools (KENS)
• Houston ISD braces for possible state takeover (Texas Tribune)
• North Texas teens win prestigious national science competition (KERA)
• Movies romanticized the Alamo. A new exhibit reconsiders its complicated history (Texas Public Radio)
• 3 years since the pandemic wrecked attendance, kids still aren't showing up to school (NPR)
• These students raised hundreds of thousands to make their playground accessible (NPR)

Thursday, March 2

• Mayor Sylvester Turner expects the state will soon take over Houston ISD (Texas Tribune)
• Callisburg ISD janitor retiring after students raise over $270k (KXII)
• Waskom ISD announces enhanced school security policy; includes armed staff (KTAL)
• South San Antonio ISD reports $12M deficit, discussing consolidation, reducing salaries and jobs (KSAT)
• Rockdale ISD approves new calendar with 4-day week (KBTX)
• Republican Texas lawmakers rally around bill restricting the college sports teams transgender athletes can join (Texas Tribune)

Wednesday, March 1

• As Texas STAAR test goes fully online, teachers ‘feel defeated,’ Texas Education Agency projects confidence (Houston Public Media)
• 'Crisis in the teacher workforce': State task force calls for higher pay, more training (Austin American-Statesman)
• Houston-area school districts offer stipends, bonuses, four-day weeks to try to retain teachers (Houston Chronicle)
• Business and legislative leaders push to replace expired tax break with a new one (Texas Tribune)
• Midland ISD: $5.5 million spent on teacher apartments since 2018-19 (Midland Reporter-Telegram)
• Hays County school districts put bonds on May ballot to tackle rapid growth (KUT)
• Crosby ISD to become Harris County's first district to adopt 4-day school week (Houston Chronicle)
• Supreme Court hears argument in student debt relief case that could impact millions of Texans (Texas Standard)
• Conservative and liberals split at Supreme Court over Biden student loan plan (NPR)

Tuesday, Feb. 28

• TASKFORCE: Texas school districts should expand teacher’s mental health services under insurance (KXAN)
• “A four-day week wasn’t best for us”: Rogers ISD adopts ‘hybrid’ schedule for ‘23-’24 school year (KWTX)
• College Station ISD’s Kids Klub program in need of workers (KBTX)
• Texas higher education leaders say equitable access is key for graduation goals (Texas Tribune)
• Will Crosby ISD Follow Some 40 Texas Districts And Adopt A 4-Day Schedule? (Reform Austin)
• Biden's student loan relief faces its biggest test yet at the Supreme Court (NPR)
  

Monday, Feb. 27

• Untangling facts from spin: The financial impact of school vouchers and ESAs on Texas (Texas Public Radio)
• A Texas lawmaker wants voters to decide whether legislators deserve a raise (Texas Tribune)
• Calallen ISD is calling for $67.8 million bond election in May. Here's what it would fund. (Caller Times)
• Alamo Heights ISD staff to be equipped with 'Crisis Alert' button that triggers lockdown and informs police if pressed (KENS)
• The Current State of Teacher Pay, in Charts (Education Week)

Friday, Feb. 24

• Texas teachers need raises, more training and better working conditions to fix shortages, state task force finds (Texas Tribune)
• Texas School Safety Center releases Fall Intruder Detection Audit (KVUE)
• Could Four-Day School Weeks Be the Future of Texas Schools? (Dallas Observer)
• Alto ISD school board approves shift to 4-day school week (KLTV)
• China Spring ISD continues conversation on possible 4-day week for ‘23-’24 school year (KWTX)
• New Waverly ISD approves 4-day school week (KHOU)
• School districts face millions in extra costs as Texas program that backs bond debt hits its limit (Texas Tribune)
• Pflugerville ISD won't close schools to save money, but a budget deficit looms (KUT)
• Plano ISD cosmetology program offers students a glimpse of a changing industry (KERA)
• Views From The Classroom On The New AP African American Studies Course (NPR)
• University of Texas System pauses new policies to promote diversity, equity and inclusion (Texas Public Radio | Texas Tribune)
• HBCUs produce nearly half of all Black teachers in the U.S. (PBS NewsHour | AP)
• The Taliban ended college for women. Here's how Afghan women are defying the ban (NPR)

Thursday, Feb. 23

• ChatGPT won’t ruin education, Texas academic says (Texas Standard)
• Ysleta ISD announces top 10 teachers of the year (KFOX 14)
• Midway ISD discusses 4-day school week (News Channel 6)
• Two Bexar County school districts call bond elections totaling $621 million (San Antonio Report)
• Conroe ISD to restrict board members from serving on library book review committees (Community Impact)
• Marfa ISD now monitored by armed school resource officer (Big Bend Sentinel)
• Denison ISD increasing security at schools (KTEN)

Wednesday, Feb. 22

• Gov. Greg Abbott promises to be “heavily involved” in push for education savings accounts (Texas Tribune)
• What you need to know about education savings accounts, the voucher-like program championed by Gov. Greg Abbott (Texas Tribune)
• Graham ISD partially moves to 4-day school week for 2023-2024 school year (Texomas Homepage)
• Waco ISD: Over $170,000 raised for classrooms at annual H-E-B Celebrity Cookoff (KCEN)
• Hawley ISD joins Career Technical Education trend, starts cosmetology classes 2023-2024 term (BigCountry Homepage)
• In a Central Texas county, high schoolers are jailed on felony charges for vaping what could be legal hemp (Texas Tribune)
• Austin ISD is looking for a new superintendent. The school board says community input is key. (KUT)

Tuesday, Feb. 21

• TEA approves Slocum ISD’s teacher pay incentives (Palestine Herald-Press)
• The fight over school vouchers in Texas (Texas Public Radio)
• Frisco ISD strikes down proposed amendment to teaching controversial issues policy (Community Impact)
• Marshall ISD calls for $41.9M bond election for district improvements (KLTV)
• Lake Travis ISD Board of Trustees wants to review current policy regarding books in classrooms, libraries (FOX 7 Austin)
• UNT Dallas awards admissions to three Dallas ISD high schools (Dallas ISD)
• Sound Advice: The NPR guide to student podcasting (NPR)

Monday, Feb. 20

• School vouchers aren’t dead in Texas House, Speaker Phelan says in one-on-one (KXAN)
• Advocating for school vouchers, Gov. Abbott said public schools will be ‘fully funded’. They won’t (Houston Chronicle)
• Mesquite ISD considers a four-day school week (Dallas Morning News)
• Under pressure, Uvalde school leader airs a sensitive topic — how the shooter dropped out (San Antonio Express-News)
• How grown-ups can help kids transition to 'post-pandemic' school life (NPR)

Read the latest Texas education headlines posted by texasisd.com