The latest public education news from The Texas Tribune.
Texas public high school seniors who failed the state's mandatory exams might still get to graduate this May under a bill pushed by state Sen. Kel Seliger. The Senate Education Committee approved the measure Wednesday. Full Story
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When Gov. Greg Abbott named improving pre-kindergarten programs as a top priority, it signaled a dramatic move in the state’s approach to early education. But so far, the change has been mostly in tone. Full Story
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Virtual learning, A-through-F school ratings and teacher quality were among the topics covered by broad slate of education reform bills announced by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Education Chairman Larry Taylor on Tuesday. Full Story
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Texas voters overwhelmingly favor government-required vaccinations for children, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. And they rank vouchers lowest among a set of options for improving public education. Full Story
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Voters are evenly split on whether the state should offer in-state tuition rates for undocumented immigrants, but that outer parity covers some pronounced polarization on the issue, according to the latest UT/TT Poll. Full Story
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A week after Gov. Greg Abbott put early education reform on the legislative fast track, top House lawmakers announced Thursday what is likely to become the major pre-kindergarten bill of the session. Full Story
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Senate budget writers directed their displeasure at the Texas Racing Commission during a contentious hearing on Wednesday in which the head of the finance committee declared herself "livid." Full Story
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State Rep. John Otto, the head of the House budget-writing committee, pledged Wednesday to work to fully fund a nearly broke health care program for retired Texas teachers. Full Story
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Texans in this month's University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll made clear that the property tax is their least favorite. The only other tax to be disliked by voters more than it is liked is the business margins tax. Full Story
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Committee Chairman Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock, R-Killeen, took to his soapbox at the beginning of Tuesday's public education hearing to defend the high standards of Texas education. Full Story
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U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker are the co-favorites among Texas Republicans to take their party's nomination for president, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Full Story
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Texas continues to outpace the national average in high school graduation rates, according to annually released federal data, state education officials announced Friday. Full Story
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An Austin lesbian couple obtained a marriage license Thursday morning, but the status of what would be the state's first gay marriage was in flux by the afternoon after the Texas Supreme Court issued a stay. Full Story
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Texas lawmakers took aim at the state’s standardized testing system Thursday as they considered a proposal to allow high school seniors to graduate even if they fail state exams. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Edu newsletter: Vaccine exemptions in Texas come under scrutiny, applicants for Teach for America drop drastically and an interview with Jean Madsen and Mario Torres, professors of educational administration at Texas A&M University. Full Story
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The roughly 28,000 public high school seniors who still need to pass a state exam to get their diplomas this May could get a lifeline from Texas legislators. Full Story
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UPDATED: Gov. Greg Abbott, delivering his first major policy address to the Texas Legislature, laid out an ambitious agenda, including an expansion of pre-kindergarten, massive tax cuts and roads as far as the traffic-glazed eye can see. Full Story
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Bipartisan appears to be a dirty word in a couple of the special election contests set to be finally decided on Tuesday. Full Story
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At our 2/12 conversation, state Rep. John Otto, R-Dayton, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, talked about the need to fix the state's method of school finance. Full Story
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The House’s chief budget writer on Thursday praised a proposal to overhaul the school finance system by grouping the state’s 1,026 regular school districts into a few "school finance districts" — a tax move aimed at equalizing per-student funding statewide. Full Story