Josh Barro has heard it all.  The screech of 40 recorders. Dozens of third graders strumming ukuleles. The first notes out of a trumpet or clarinet.  And, usually months later, the chatter of success and tears of joy when students make music.  “From the first squeaks to actually being able to play songs, it was rewarding,” Barro said.  Barro, 33, is the band director at Mountain View High School in Meridian, where he has nearly doubled marching band participation since he took over five years ago. His ensembles routinely win competitions, and Barro is gaining recognition.   Last month, the West Ada district named him teacher of the year. National music publication SBO+ recently recognized him as a music teacher who makes a difference.  Barro attributes the program’s success to students’ buy-in and creating a welcoming community.  view article

Northside Independent School District is launching a sports medicine magnet program at Stinson Middle School.  The magnet is starting with an inaugural sixth grade class of about 100 students on Aug. 10 and is designed to give students an early look at sports medicine jobs such as physical therapists and athletic trainers. Hosting the magnet at Stinson was intentional, said Jeannette Rainey, the school’s magnet coordinator. The schools is less than a mile away from the Northside Sports Gym, the Dub Farris Athletic Complex and the NISD Natatorium. view article

The Pharr City Commission, City Manager Dr. Jonathan B. Flores, and IT Director Jose Peña recognized 13 PSJA ISD students who completed the Methodist Healthcare Ministries Internship Program, an innovative workforce development initiative designed to prepare the next generation of technology professionals. Through the program, students received specialized training in cybersecurity, worked alongside City of Pharr technology staff, and supported community-focused digital literacy efforts. “We are very excited to recognize these 13 graduates who have worked diligently, earning their certificate in cybersecurity, and one student even earned an associate degree in cybersecurity from South Texas College,” said Peña. “Throughout the program, they collaborated with our trainers, assisted with community initiatives, and gained valuable real-world experience. We are proud of everything they achieved.” Each student received a certificate and laptop through the City of Pharr’s Digital Literacy Program, made possible through a partnership with Methodist Healthcare Ministries. view article

As Houston ISD faces a federal civil rights investigation over its plans to consolidate special education services, another large district in the region is making similar changes to how it serves students with disabilities. Cy-Fair ISD, the third-largest school district in Texas, has quietly consolidated several of its special education programs for the upcoming school year. The "Adaptive Behavior" program, which services students with emotional and behavioral difficulties, was offered at as many as 14 elementary schools in Cy-Fair ISD this year. However, starting this August, the program will be offered at eight campuses, according to a district spokesperson. view article

Cy-Fair ISD is the latest public school district to make changes to its special education programs amid shrinking student populations. It's a trend that special education experts and the University of Houston professor Kristi Santi said isn't unique to Texas. "Programs change as populations and resources change, and it is something that occurs at a national level," Santi said. view article

The Lufkin City Council on Tuesday gave the final approval to a new ordinance that will restrict where certain registered sex offenders can live within the city, despite the concerns from a local ministry that the measure could limit its ability to house and rehabilitate offenders.  The ordinance prohibits registered sex offenders whose crimes involved victims younger than 17 from establishing a permanent or temporary residence within 1,000 feet of designated child safety zones throughout the city. view article

o state has taken over as many local public school districts as Texas. Just since 2020, the state education agency has installed its own hand-picked leaders in eight districts. Four of those came this spring. At least another 10 are at risk of takeover, including, as of last week, the Austin Independent School District (ISD). And to lead some of these districts, Texas is turning to a cadre of officials with ties to Mike Miles, the man the education agency chose in 2023 to oversee the Houston school district, the state’s largest. Miles is also a close ally of Mike Morath, Texas’ powerful education commissioner.  Already, at least two of these new district leaders have started to adopt policies similar to the contentious reforms Miles has pursued in Houston. He has touted improved test scores under his charge. Houston ISD had no F-rated campuses and fewer D-rated campuses in the state’s latest ratings compared with previous years. But Miles has also sparked widespread protests in response to the district’s rigid adherence to scripted lessons and repetitive testing, the firing of principals and teachers, mass school closures, and the conversion of schools into charters.   view article

Jayden West stands between teacher Janyl Tatrai, and his mother Jaime West. Jayden will receive a Student Heroes Award at a meeting of the State Board of Education in Austin June 26.  A 2026 Zavalla High School graduate will be among those who will receive a Student Heroes Award at a meeting of the State Board of Education (SBOE) in Austin June 26.  Jayden West, an autism student who overcame many difficulties before turning from being quiet and reserved to someone actively seeking to help others, was nominated for the award by Janyl Tatrai, a teacher at Zavalla High School.  Jayden received a letter recently from Alexander Smith, SBOE support manager, telling him, “As a recipient of this prestigious award, you represent one of only 15 students selected statewide who will be recognized for acts of kindness, charity and selfless service toward others.”  The SBOE award honors students for selfless service and outstanding volunteerism.  The award will be presented at a ceremony in the Barbara Jordan Building in Austin. view article

After coming to the United States in search of a new home, teacher Larisa Turner found one at Fort Worth ISD’s International Newcomer Academy.  Come June, the school where she has taught for the past 17 years will close. In two separate decisions early Wednesday morning, the state-appointed board of managers unanimously voted to shutter the campus serving sixth through ninth graders as well as move up the closure of De Zavala Elementary. Seven schools will now close in June. “The students came to the country for the same reason as I came,” Turner said, explaining the difficulty of adjusting to a new place without support. “We are helping them not only academically to succeed, but to elevate their spirits to introduce them to American culture.” view article

County officials found that hundreds of the flagged voters registered through DPS, which requires proof of citizenship.  The Texas Secretary of State’s Office is now checking whether 2,724 registered voters it flagged as potential noncitizens may have already provided proof of citizenship to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Christina Adkins, elections division director, said during a meeting with county election administrators earlier this month. That check comes after county elections officials found the federal database used to generate the list flagged some voters who had already given citizenship documentation to DPS when they registered to vote. view article

The eighth-grader from California was crowned the winner after correctly spelling a record 32 words with a rapper’s speed during a spell-off.  Now, he’s got it down: “C-A-L-I-P-E-R-S,” he said for good measure on Thursday evening from the Scripps stage at DAR Constitution Hall after the competition ended.  In his last year of eligibility, the 14-year-old finally earned what he has coveted for years: the towering floral Scripps cup and a $50,000 cash prize. He beat out 246 other contenders. From the stage where he had just claimed his title as national champion, Shrey compared his feelings with his loss early last year. view article

The Texas Education Agency on Thursday denied the Austin Independent School District’s request for a two-year pause in accountability ratings for three of its academically struggling middle schools. The decision means that if any of the three campuses earn another F rating, the entire district could be at risk of a state takeover, including a state-appointed superintendent and a board of managers taking over district operations. view article

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has rejected Austin ISD's turnaround plans for three failing middle schools in the district, possibly paving the way for the state to take over the district. In a letter sent to Austin ISD on Thursday, the TEA said that turnaround plans for Dobie, Webb and Burnet middle schools were insufficient. view article

The Texas Education Agency rejected a partnership proposed by the Austin Independent School District to buy the district more time to avoid a state takeover. In a letter sent to Superintendent Matias Segura on Thursday, the TEA denied the district's request to hand over three middle schools to an outside provider to run them under what is known as an 1882 agreement. view article

The Texas Education Agency has rejected Austin Independent School District’s bid for extra time to improve student performance at three North Austin middle schools next academic year, setting the stage for a state takeover of the entire school system. view article

TEA officials on Thursday denied the district’s request to approve a partnership to run its three chronically failing schools that would have put a pause on the campuses' accountability rating.  Austin ISD’s effort to stave off a possible state takeover suffered a major setback Thursday after the Texas Education Agency rejected the district’s plan to hand three struggling middle schools to an external nonprofit operator.  In a letter sent Thursday to Superintendent Matias Segura, TEA officials said Texas Council for International Studies failed to demonstrate a record of turning around campuses with repeated failing accountability ratings and, in some cases, partnerships with the nonprofit had produced worse academic outcomes.  District leaders applied for the partnership in March under the SB 1882 program, which can shield campuses from certain state sanctions when districts turn over operations to outside organizations.  view article

BIG COUNTRY, Texas — Abilene ISD’s highest-achieving seniors in the Class of 2026 were recognized on Wednesday as campuses announced their top students.   Young talent takes center stage with Abilene ISD’s new arts program  Principals at Abilene High School and Cooper High School each named their top 25 students based on grade point average.  The Academy of Technology, Engineering, Math, and Science honored the top 10 percent of its graduating class. view article

Despite protests from parents and community members, and a federal civil rights investigation by the U.S. Department of Education, district leaders defended their changes to special education services planned for the upcoming school year. view article

Latino children accounted for the vast majority of students who left public schools this year, according to a new analysis.  Roughly 76,000 fewer students enrolled in Texas public schools this academic year — the first non-pandemic decline in nearly four decades — with Hispanic students accounting for the overwhelming majority of the loss, according to a report released Monday.  The policy research group Texas 2036 analyzed the state’s enrollment data and projected that about 100,000 fewer students would attend public schools by the end of the current decade. However, some projections show the number growing by nearly half a million over that time.  Hispanic students accounted for 81% of this school year’s enrollment drop, Texas 2036 found. Students learning English and those from low-income families experienced some of the sharpest declines. Over the past year, federal and state leaders increased anti-immigration rhetoric, in some cases detaining Texas students and prompting fear across communities. view article

Texas students are falling further behind the national average in reading, according to a new report out Wednesday. Researchers from Harvard, Stanford and Dartmouth released their fourth annual national report, the Education Scorecard, on student growth in math and reading. The report, which combined state test results for 35 million third through eighth graders with national assessment data, provides a picture of where Texas students' academic recovery stands post-pandemic. view article

With artificial intelligence on the rise, The Dallas Morning News will host a discussion about how students can elevate their “human” skills and use the technology in their job search. The panel on May 13 will be moderated by Wilborn P. Nobles III, The News’ workforce readiness and economic mobility reporter. High school and college students, parents and job seekers will hear from leaders in workforce readiness and education. The event is powered by the Education Lab and the Future of North Texas, The News' community-funded journalism initiatives. view article

Texas school districts are still struggling to recover from pandemic learning losses as reading scores continue to fall across the state, a new report shows.  The Lone Star State ranked 28 out of 38 states for academic growth in math and 25 out of 35 in reading between 2022 and 2025, according to the Education Scorecard, a report by education researchers at Harvard and Stanford universities. view article

The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation into the Houston Independent School District on Friday over concerns the district may be discriminating against students with disabilities by separating them from their non-disabled peers. Editor's note: Video above is from previous reporting. The federal office, known as OCR, is looking into whether HISD violated Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The probe stems from allegations that the district is centralizing certain special education services and moving students with disabilities away from general education classrooms starting in the 2026-27 school year. view article

State officials say Richardson-based institution was illegally offering degree programs without authorization. view article

In a special called meeting Thursday evening in the district administration building on Cotton Square, Lufkin ISD deputy superintendent Jill Gaston gave a presentation on the district’s recent school quality survey results to the LISD board of trustees. Embarking upon the System of Great Schools process, she said, opened the horizons of how administrators evaluate data. Students, parents, and faculty and staff were polled between Feb. 16 and March 6 to assess the quality of the schools and experiences provided  “We have a lot of good news in this survey,” Gaston said. “We found some areas to work on, but that’s part of the good, too.” view article

A highly anticipated summary of cuts from Austin Independent School District leaders on Tuesday provided few new details about classroom changes next year as the district grapples with a yawning budget deficit. Campus-level changes are set to phase in over the next two school years, the district said in the summary of potential cuts. All Austin ISD schools under a state-mandated improvement plan and those with D or F ratings under the state’s academic accountability system will see little change next year. view article

The Bryan ISD Board of Trustees has taken the next step in launching the Bryan ISD Virtual Academy, a new tuition-free online learning option for students in grades 3–12 beginning in August 2026. view article

Houston ISD leaders held a small, invitation-only meeting this week with the district's Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SEPAC), according to a parent who attended. The parent, Mireille Patman, said the nearly two-hour meeting Wednesday at HISD headquarters included a group of six parents, special education parent liaisons and district leaders who discussed imminent districtwide changes to access to special education services. view article

The Bryan ISD Board of Trustees has taken the next step in launching the Bryan ISD Virtual Academy, a new tuition-free online learning option for students in grades 3–12 beginning in August 2026. District leaders say the program is designed for students who thrive in a non-traditional setting and will offer two pathways: Full-Time Virtual (grades 3–12) and Full-Time Hybrid (grades 7–12), which blends online instruction with some in-person learning. view article

A Chinese contract hacker accused of helping Beijing steal American COVID‑19 research and run a massive Microsoft email hacking campaign has been extradited from Italy to Houston to face federal charges.  Federal prosecutors say 34‑year‑old Chinese national Xu Zewei worked as a state‑sponsored “contract hacker” tied to China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), the Communist regime’s powerful intelligence service.   According to a nine‑count indictment unsealed in the Southern District of Texas, Xu allegedly led computer intrusions from February 2020 to June 2021 while working for Shanghai Powerock Network Co. Ltd., a company prosecutors describe as one of many “enabling” firms that hack on behalf of Beijing. view article

The Lake Worth ISD boardroom was quiet Wednesday night — no public comment, no speakers at the podium. In the audience, three elected trustees watched as the district’s new state-appointed board of managers took control and immediately made its priority clear. “This new governance team is committed to focusing unrelentingly on improving student outcomes,” new board President Tom Harris said.  The special meeting marked the first gathering under the new board of managers and superintendent installed by Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath, who shifted decision-making authority away from locally elected trustees after years of low academic performance.   Managers focused on establishing the foundation for the work ahead, including electing board officers, suspending some policies and approving a short-term contract with Superintendent Ena Meyers. view article

The Texas Education Agency appointed a seven-member Board of Managers and named a new superintendent Wednesday to lead the Beaumont Independent School District, marking a major step in the state's takeover of the district. Commissioner Mike Morath named Sandi Massey as the district's new superintendent. Massey, who previously served as Chief of Schools in Houston, brings more than three decades of experience across Texas public school systems, according to a news release from the TEA. She began work Wednesday under a 21-day interim contract, pending formal approval from the newly appointed Board of Managers. view article

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Victoria Independent School District is considering closing Shields Elementary School at the end of the current school year, district officials announced, regardless of whether the district's bond proposal passes. District leaders informed Shields Elementary staff last week that the campus is under consideration for shutdown due to the facility's condition and as part of broader enrollment balancing efforts across the district. view article

Families fear closure of International Newcomer Academy as Fort Worth ISD leaders, under state takeover, weigh additional staff cuts.  Fort Worth ISD leaders are weighing whether to close a school that serves some of the district’s most vulnerable students, a decision that has sparked concern among families as broader changes unfold under a state takeover.   The district’s state-appointed Board of Managers is expected to vote April 28 on the potential closure of the International Newcomer Academy, a campus designed for immigrant and refugee students learning English   . view article