The Texas Education Agency is investigating North East Independent School District’s (NEISD) cellphone ban policy after receiving a complaint that it does not comply with the new controversial law. The district’s current policy states, “Students are prohibited from using a personal communication device while on school property during the school day, except under the circumstances described in this policy.” view article

After several of their campuses received another failing grade on the state's accountability ratings, four San Antonio school districts now face the possibility of being assigned a state-appointed conservator to help boost student performance.  The Texas Education Agency has ordered Northside, San Antonio, Judson and Edgewood Independent School Districts to submit turnaround plans for their schools that have continued to fall short of state standards. view article

LEANDER, Texas — Parents and staff across Leander ISD are voicing concern as trustees consider closing three elementary schools to address projected budget deficits and declining enrollment view article

ROUND ROCK, Texas — More than 100 Round Rock ISD students have been named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists, including 63 from Westwood High School, the most from any Texas campus. view article

Each year, the Texas Education Agency takes a bird's-eye view of what’s happening across public schools in Texas. Those findings are compiled into a report and inform everyone from legislators to school districts and the families they serve. On Wednesday, TEA Commissioner Mike Morath presented his 2025 State of Education Report to the Dallas Regional Chamber in its annual luncheon focused on education. Here’s what we learned: view article

After preparing for a week, Aquilla ISD welcomed the Texas Education Agency’s Commissioner to their campus early Wednesday morning. TEA Commissioner Mike Morath toured classrooms, meeting teachers and students while learning about the school’s history and plans for future upgrades planned for Fall 2026. Commissioner Morath requested to see the school district after hearing about what they have achieved in the past year. view article

Earlier this month, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) announced that 12 Austin-area schools with an “F” rating could be closed. For many families, this isn’t just a policy decision—it’s a direct threat to thousands of children’s educational stability and their communities’ future. view article

Dr. Molinar’s big proposal involves placing seven campuses on a new resource model, giving her the power to keep only teachers who meet the highest standards. "They are identified as being in the top third of teachers across the state. That is huge based on the ACE model from Dallas ISD and saw several campuses go from F to B in one year," said Bridget Worley, chief impact officer at The Commit Partnership. view article

Another North Texas school district is considering a possible school closure as it grapples with an $8.5 million budget deficit. Coppell ISD says it's considering closing Town Center Elementary, among other possible changes. The move would save about $1.3 million in payroll, according to information shared by the district. view article

Recently released state school ratings reveal that five Texas school districts are at risk of a takeover by the Texas Education Agency (TEA)—the most since a 2017 state law expanded the state’s takeover powers. The new ratings cover the 2022-23 school year, released in April following legal delays, and the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years, released last month. One Fort Worth ISD school received its fifth consecutive failing rating for 2022-23. Schools in Beaumont, Connally, Wichita Falls, and Lake Worth ISDs, which have a total of 32,000 students, all received a fifth consecutive failing grade for the 2024-25 school year. view article

Austin ISD is preparing to consolidate schools to deal with declining enrollment and budget pressures. On Thursday night, parents and staff spoke with the board at the Austin ISD headquarters in one of the last public meetings before the district releases a draft plan on school closures. Parents and teachers argue academic struggles and low resources have caused the problems. Teachers also said budget cuts have impacted staffing, which has contributed to overcrowding in classrooms. A petition is also calling on the district to pause their closure plan view article

The Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees is expected to vote on November 20 on a plan to consolidate schools in response to declining enrollment. While the district describes the measure as a way to ensure every student attends a fully staffed and resourced campus, a petition launched by Austin resident Roxanne Evans urges the board to delay the vote. view article

Katy ISD received a B rating with a score of 88 in the Texas Education Agency’s newly released 2024 accountability ratings, underscoring both the district’s academic strengths and its continuing challenges in schools serving high numbers of economically disadvantaged students. The district, which now enrolls more than 96,000 students across 80 campuses, earned B ratings in every accountability domain: student achievement, school progress, academic growth, relative performance and closing the gaps. The TEA data suggests that while many Katy ISD campuses are performing at an elite level, persistent equity gaps remain, especially at older schools in east and north Katy. view article

The Connally Independent School District on Sept. 15 had a special visit from the Commissioner of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) after two district schools received an F rating for the fifth consecutive year. The goal of the visit was for the Commissioner Mike Morath to see for himself why now three of the district’s six campuses received a failing accountability rating for the 2024-2025 school year. view article

Teachers and principals at seven persistently failing Fort Worth schools must reapply for their jobs for next school year if trustees approve a turnaround plan next week.  That’s because FWISD students deserve to have the best teachers in front of them, Superintendent Karen Molinar said Wednesday.  As a potential state takeover looms, Molinar wants to shift three middle schools and four elementaries to a Texas-approved turnaround model. On top of that, FWISD administrators want to use the state’s new reading materials that incorporate Bible stories into lessons.   Both moves come with extra money from the state if trustees adopt the plan at their Sept. 23 meeting. view article

The Connally Independent School District on Sept. 15 had a special visit from the Commissioner of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) after two district schools received an F rating for the fifth consecutive year. The goal of the visit was for the Commissioner Mike Morath to see for himself why now three of the district’s six campuses received a failing accountability rating for the 2024-2025 school year. Morath sat in on several classes and spoke one-on-one with administrators. view article

Monday night, Frisco Independent School District is set to consider the future of Staley Middle School. The board has contemplated closing the campus for months, citing budget, staffing challenges and aging facilities. Emotions have run high due to Staley’s importance as a cornerstone of the community. Many parents have told WFAA they feel the school has been 'historically underfunded' and 'overlooked' by the district. view article

A sweeping array of education bills passed this legislative session is set to transform the landscape of public education in Texas, sparking both hope and concern among educators and parents. Anna Smith, Place 4 Representative on the Leander ISD School Board, emphasized the significance of these changes. view article

Houston ISD state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles earned a $173,660 bonus after receiving a score of 91.4 out of 100 from the Board of Managers on his second annual evaluation last week.  The appointed school board is required to evaluate the superintendent every year by Oct. 1, according to his employment contract. Miles was eligible for a possible bonus of $190,000, although he did not earn the full amount. view article

Frisco ISD will discuss closing campuses today. Parents and teachers are concerned that the change will harm students view article

The future of many Austin ISD schools is uncertain after several campuses have not met state standards year after year. view article

An investigation by the Texas Education Agency found the School of Science and Technology Bayshore campus failed to properly administer and update a student’s individualized education plan (IEP) as he struggled with behavioral issues. Katie and Justin Parker said they fought a long, frustrating battle to get their son's IEP updated. view article

A dozen schools in the Austin Independent School District will need to close or make significant changes after receiving three consecutive failing grades from the state. The Texas Education Agency ratings were released last month. Austin ISD saw some improvements from last year, but roughly one third of the district’s 116 campuses still had unacceptable ratings. view article

Austin Independent School District (AISD) has some tough decisions to make about its failing campuses. The district is forced to submit turnaround plans for 24 schools after receiving failing grades from the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) accountability ratings, which were released last month. view article

Two years into its state takeover, Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles has set his sights on an ambitious new goal: By 2027, he said HISD schools will receive only As or Bs from the Texas Education Agency. To get there, the district has pitched an opportunity for business leaders to "adopt" one of the 64 non-charter schools that received a C or D in the state's accountability ratings this year, HISD's Alexandra Elizondo said at a press conference Tuesday. view article

Tomorrow, Wednesday, the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) will vote on a framework for the Social Studies standards (TEKS) that will be drafted later this year. Currently, Texas students have two opportunities to learn Texas history (4th and 7th grade). But this could change! The SBOE should vote on a framework where students have multiple opportunities to learn about our rich Texas heritage. The SBOE should REJECT any attempt to minimalize or reduce the amount of American and Texas History that is taught to our Texas students. The framework can influence how the Social Studies standards are written in the upcoming months. view article

The day Superintendent LaTonya Goffney received Aldine ISD's baseline 2021 test scores was one of the worst days of her career.  She remembers asking herself how they were ever going to recover academically from the pandemic, while Aldine ISD students, families and staff were still in the throes of its economic and social impacts.  view article

The fate of Lake Worth ISD is in limbo, facing a potential state takeover. This is the second school district in Tarrant County facing the TEA, joining Fort Worth ISD. view article

The day Superintendent LaTonya Goffney received Aldine ISD's baseline 2021 test scores was one of the worst days of her career.  She remembers asking herself how they were ever going to recover academically from the pandemic, while Aldine ISD students, families and staff were still in the throes of its economic and social impacts.  view article

More than 20 Austin ISD campuses must develop turnaround plans after receiving unacceptable ratings from the Texas Education Agency (TEA). On Thursday, AISD superintendent Mattias Segura sent a letter to district families about campus improvement plans following the recent ratings. view article

IRVING, Texas (AP) — Crowded around a workshop table, four girls at de Zavala Middle School puzzled over a Lego machine they had built. As they flashed a purple card in front of a light sensor, nothing happened.  The teacher at the Dallas-area school had emphasized that in the building process, there is no such thing as mistakes. Only iterations. So the girls dug back into the box of blocks and pulled out an orange card. They held it over the sensor and the machine kicked into motion.  “Oh! Oh, it reacts differently to different colors,” said sixth grader Sofia Cruz. view article

Do takeovers of Texas public schools produce better academic results for students?  Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath’s answer is yes.   “In every single intervention, the results were higher, or at least no worse after the board of managers was placed than before,” Morath said during a recent tour of William James Middle School in Fort Worth. view article

Across Central Texas, most school districts either slightly improved or maintained their overall ratings over two years, according to newly released A-F ratings from the Texas Education Agency  Despite fewer schools receiving a failing grade last year than in 2023, however, a higher percentage of Central Texas schools are failing than the statewide average.  view article

Dallas ISD wants to have zero D and F campuses by next year’s public school ratings. Dallas students posted significant academic gains this year, with dozens of struggling campuses improving in the 2025 A-F scores. Only 16 campuses received a D or F rating, the lowest count the district has had since the state began issuing campus grades in 2019. Now DISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde is aiming to bring all of the district’s schools to an A, B or C grade. view article

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