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

The Texas Education Agency has confirmed it is investigating Austin Independent School District related to the district’s Pride Week activities. In a brief statement to KXAN, TEA said an investigation is open but did not provide additional details because the matter is ongoing. view article

Lake Worth ISD has new leadership after Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath on April 23 appointed a new superintendent and five-member board of managers who are tasked with overseeing improving student outcomes for the 3,200-student district. view article

Dr. Ena Meyers was chosen as the superintendent to lead the district’s 3,200 students. She and a board of five managers will be tasked with improving student performance districtwide. The new leadership is expected to begin its work on May 18. view article

The Texas Education Agency launched an investigation into the Austin Independent School District for celebrating its annual Pride Week. A TEA spokesperson confirmed with KUT News the state has opened an investigation, but declined to comment since “the matter remains ongoing.” The investigation comes after conservative State Board of Education member Brandon Hall, from the Fort Worth area, raised concerns in March about AISD breaking the law and working to "indoctrinate" students by celebrating Pride Week. view article

The Austin Independent School District will likely not close more schools this fall, but will consider sweeping changes to attendance boundaries, Superintendent Matias Segura said Thursday night. During a regular school board meeting, Segura said he had “concerns about taking on consolidations” for any more schools. view article

Houston ISD will implement its controversial instructional model, the New Education System, at nine more elementary campuses next year. The model, often called NES, was at first implemented at 85 historically low performing campuses, but has now grown to include roughly half of the district's schools. view article

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation into the New Home Independent School District based on reports the district discontinued a special education classroom and failed to provide notice before placing students in a classroom approximately 30 miles away. view article

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation into the New Home Independent School District based on reports the district discontinued a special education classroom and failed to provide notice before placing students in a classroom approximately 30 miles away. view article

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation into the New Home Independent School District based on reports the district discontinued a special education classroom and failed to provide notice before placing students in a classroom approximately 30 miles away. The investigation will determine whether the district violated Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act by discriminating on the basis of disability. view article

With school board approval in Tuesday night’s meeting, Donna ISD is a step closer to establishing a virtual school for the 2026-27 school year that will serve students in grades 9-12. The Donna ISD Virtual School is set to expand instructional options for students with flexible, asynchronous, nontraditional teaching for students that are homeschooled, entering the workforce or who face obstacles. view article