In a recent English period at Bertha Sadler Means Young Women’s Leadership Academy, teacher Makayla Gray began class with students reading out their learning goals. She encouraged them to think about why figurative language matters and begin drafting a personal narrative.   “If you can do these things, you will have been successful today,” Gray said. During her lesson on similes, metaphors and personification, seventh graders raced to raise their hands and giggled at Gray’s jokes.  “Our language is full of figurative language,” Gray said. “What about ‘You are an angel? ’ Doesn’t mean that you’re literally an angel, like you’ve got wings and you’ll start flying around.”  The class provides a window into how Sadler Means, a 222-student all-girls middle school in the Austin Independent School District, is trying to give students more ownership over their own learning.  The campus improved from an F rating in 2024 to a B this year on the Texas Education Agency’s annual letter grades, a success that school leaders largely attribute to data-focused teaching and instructors earning buy-in from students.  view article

The Texas Comptroller’s Office has included El Paso Independent School District among four institutions picked for “a detailed review” to examine if they spend state funds in compliance with state law. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott requested a review process in August to ensure that districts spend state funds on students, classrooms and teachers and not on more administration or what he called “non-instructional bureaucracy.” view article

Austin ISD will be the subject of state scrutiny once again, with a new investigation into the district’s finances led by the state comptroller and spurred on by Gov. Greg Abbott. Texas Comptroller Don Huffines announced Monday that Austin, as well as Barbers Hill, El Paso, and Prosper school districts, would undergo a detailed financial review. view article

From left, GP Mehaffey, assistant project manager for Landmark by Hillwood; Page Austin, senior lifestyle director; Denton ISD superintendent Susannah O’Bara; Andrew Pieper, senior vice president of Hillwood Communities; and Kim Cole, vice president of Hillwood Properties, pose at the future site of a Denton ISD elementary school. view article

A federal judge has ruled that Klein ISD violated federal law by restricting Disability Rights Texas' access to campuses to monitor conditions for students with disabilities. U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett signed the final judgment and permanent injunction on Sept. 28. The order requires the district to provide reasonable, unaccompanied monitoring access, including opportunities for private communications with students, under protocols incorporated into the judgment. view article

We are proud to announce that McKinney ISD has been named an Outstanding School District nominee for the prestigious H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards! The recognition doesn’t stop there! �� Our McKinney ISD Board of Trustees has also been nominated, along with several outstanding principals, school counselors and teachers from across the district. These nominations are a wonderful reflection of the incredible people who make McKinney ISD such a special place to learn, work and serve. We are proud to see our educators and leaders recognized for their commitment to students and excellence in education. view article

Students at Fort Worth ISD wrote an open letter to Superintendent Peter Licata and district leadership this week, sharing their concerns about what they have experienced during the Texas Education Agency’s takeover of the district — specifically critiquing scripted lesson plans. view article

Parent Renee Ingram came to the Lake Worth ISD’s community meeting with a question: What happens to students who cannot keep up? Her fourth-grade daughter struggles in her math class. Her seventh-grade son performs well but comes home talking about how stressful school has become. As the district moves through lessons at a faster pace than before state-appointed leadership took over, Ingram’s daughter has had more meltdowns at home. view article

At a Sept. 15 Board of Trustees meeting, Chief Financial Officer Mike White announced that Bastrop ISD earned 98 out of 100 points, two points higher than last year, in the School FIRST audit. This is classified as a Superior Achievement in the rating scale, which the district has maintained for the last eight years. view article

If you walk into your local library, you can borrow a book or ask for help with a research question. You can also get help with your resume, access the internet on public computers, borrow a movie, or perhaps participate in some free public programming.  The Texas Library Association commissioned a study this summer to measure the return on investment for public dollars spent on libraries. They found that every dollar spent by local libraries generates almost $5 in statewide economic activity.  Shirley Robinson, the executive director of the Texas Library Association, said they did this by comparing what people get from libraries to what they could pay for on their own.   “Our research firm compared all of those services to comparable resources that one might be able to go and find in the open marketplace if you were needing to pay for those things,” she said. “And so that’s how that dollar figure of $4.74 for every dollar invested towards Texas libraries produces for an individual and community value.”   The study included data from a wide variety of libraries, from small rural systems to big urban ones. It also looked at how libraries impact the economy beyond the direct dollar calculation. view article

The answer shapes the rules that the board of managers will use to hold Superintendent Peter Licata accountable. Managers are drafting superintendent guardrails and FWISD goals based on feedback from parents, students and other district residents. They will finalize the goals and limits at their Nov. 10 meeting. view article

The Westlake High School gym unfolded into a gameshow-like scene Thursday morning as 30 students tested their strength and cardio with World Wrestling Entertainment superstars Rey Mysterio and Paul “Triple H” Levesque watching.  The Austin-area students — all athletes who typically compete in sports like volleyball and basketball — lay on black mats to perform crunches, push-ups and plank holds. In the Westlake weight room, students cheered each other on as they tried to complete more pull-ups than the next person. view article

The State Board of Education raised concerns about Alpha School's AI tool. Then the Texas Education Agency helped pilot it in public school districts. view article

Parents at two Austin Independent School Distirct middle schools are weighing a petition that could give them a voice in what happens next as AISD faces possible state intervention following five consecutive failing ratings at both campuses. view article

DIBOLL – During the regular monthly meeting of the Diboll ISD board of trustees Monday evening inside the district’s administrative boardroom, board president Jay Wyatt saluted the four queen candidates from last weekend’s Diboll Day celebration and thanked them for raising $221,000 for the celebration. Temple-Inland, he said, gave thousands of dollars for each biannual celebration, so since its departure, it has been up to the queen candidates to raise funds.  DISD Superintendent Igor Gusyakov recognized Diboll High School students Noah Arnold, Riley Brown, Jersey Stuckey, Graham Ward and Katie Williams for receiving the Lone Star Degree, the highest award Future Farmers of America members in Texas can receive. He also recognized DHS FFA advisor Missy Kaemmerling, to whom the FFA gave an honorary Lone Star Degree. view article

Parents at two Austin Independent School Distirct middle schools are weighing a petition that could give them a voice in what happens next as AISD faces possible state intervention following five consecutive failing ratings at both campuses. Burnet and Webb Middle School parents are weighing a major decision as the district faces possible intervention from the Texas Education Agency. view article

Houston ISD administrators directed some campuses to cut staff and slash spending a month into the start of school, as the district confronts the mounting financial pressure of enrollment losses three years into a state takeover. view article

Houston ISD may begin to regain local control of the district by the end of this school year. In August, both Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath and state-appointed superintendent Mike Miles said Houston ISD could exit the intervention "relatively soon." The state's largest school district has been under state control since 2023, after Wheatley High School in the fifth ward earned more than five consecutive failing accountability ratings from the Texas Education Agency. The state intervention was renewed in June 2025 when Morath said the district needed to make more progress. view article

Houston ISD administrators directed some campuses to cut staff and slash spending a month into the start of school, as the district confronts the mounting financial pressure of enrollment losses three years into a state takeover. view article

The announcement comes after a Texas Tribune investigation revealed the reforms the district’s state-appointed superintendent implemented, known as the New Education System, are straining finances.  Houston ISD administrators directed some campuses to cut staff and slash spending a month into the start of school, as the district confronts the mounting financial pressure of enrollment losses three years into a state takeover.  On Monday, The Texas Tribune published an investigation revealing the sweeping set of reforms state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles has implemented, known as the New Education System, is straining district finances. HISD has dipped into reserves and had previous cuts to afford the costly reforms as it is losing tens of millions of dollars in state funding because of enrollment losses.  District officials characterized the recent reductions on Tuesday as part of its annual “campus leveling” process, in which schools receive more or less money depending on how closely their enrollment matches projections made in the spring. Employees affected by the reductions may be reassigned to other available positions, HISD officials said in a press release. view article

Waco ISD administrators have graded themselves on the district’s five-year strategic plan, finding 17 of 23 priority goals met for the plan’s first year but plenty of work ahead to meet next year’s metrics.The strategic plan, hammered out by Waco Independent School District administrators, trustees and community members and approved in June of last year, is Superintendent Tiffany Spicer’s road map to district improvement, with specific milestones each year to measure progress.  The plan covers four main priorities: students, staff, community and operations. During a board meeting Thursday, administrators told trustees the district met all goals in the staff and community categories, three of seven student goals, and five of seven financial/operations goals.  Waco ISD administrators have graded themselves on the district’s five-year strategic plan, finding 17 of 23 priority goals met for the plan’s first year but plenty of work ahead to meet next year’s metrics.  The strategic plan, hammered out by Waco Independent School District administrators, trustees and community members and approved in June of last year, is Superintendent Tiffany Spicer’s road map to district improvement, with specific milestones each year to measure progress.  The plan covers four main priorities: students, staff, community and operations. During a board meeting Thursday, administrators told trustees the district met all goals in the staff and community categories, three of seven student goals, and five of seven financial/operations goals. view article

The high price tag, coupled with less state funding from students leaving the district, raises questions about whether the academic improvements are sustainable in the long run and whether other districts can afford to replicate it. view article

Wanting to hold students more “accountable,” the school board at Judson Independent School District backtracked on a previous rule that let middle schoolers fail math or reading and still move on to the next grade level.  The new policy, passed in a 5-1 vote on Thursday, requires that students score an overall average of 70 in all their classes and a grade of 70 or above in English, math and science or social studies.   “I definitely think it’s the way we need to go,” said Kristin Saunders, chief instructional officer at Judson, during the meeting. “Is it going to be uncomfortable? 100%. It’s always uncomfortable. … the reality is we have to draw a line in the sand.”  view article

Attorney General Ken Paxton says he has successfully shut down a Houston “birth tourism” center following his lawsuit against the operation.  De’Ai Postpartum Care Center was accused of operating an illegal scheme that imported foreign nationals to give birth for U.S. citizenship. The center catered to Chinese nationals, communicating with clients through Chinese social media and websites.  It claimed responsibility for 1,000+ American-born babies. view article

The North East Independent School District has identified 16 schools that meet the district’s criteria for possible closure. All 16 are elementary schools, ranging from Redland Oaks south of Loop 1604 to Oak Meadow north of Hardberger Park. view article

The high price tag, coupled with less state funding from students leaving the district, raises questions about whether the academic improvements are sustainable in the long run and whether other districts can afford to replicate it. view article

Fonville Middle School hired learning coaches to help students falling behind in the classroom. It bought new state-of-the-art technology, such as webcams and smart boards. The school days are longer. view article

East Austin students could soon be officially zoned to Marshall Middle School for the first time since the campus opened in 2023 as part of an Austin Independent School District plan to redraw attendance boundaries at two schools. view article

The Cy-Fair ISD board of trustees unanimously approved two local board policy revisions, strategic plan goals and updated performance objectives for the 2026-27 school year during a Sept. 14 regular meeting. Local board policy revisions include those regarding parents’ rights and responsibilities regarding parent consent to administer student well-being questionnaires, or surveys pertaining to specific matters. view article

Austin Independent School District officials will not be involved in helping parents petition to close two schools in an effort to avoid a state takeover of the entire district. Parents from the impacted schools met on Monday night to learn more about options for their campuses and how that can have an impact on the whole district. view article

Prekindergarten partnerships are collaborations between local education agencies (LEAs) such as school districts or open-enrollment charter schools, and private child care or Head Start programs. LEAs, and private child care or Head Start programs, may establish formal or informal partnerships based on enrollment and development activities. The partnerships are developed to reflect the needs of children and families, local resources available, and community trends.  Public-private prekindergarten partnerships are encouraged because of the collaborative opportunities and benefits they foster, and are required by Texas Education Code 29.1533 in some situations. Providers must also meet solicitation, eligibility, and enrollment requirements required by TEC §29.171.  view article

The score changes are part of an annual process to review the accuracy of STAAR results, state officials said.  About a dozen districts will see a bump in school accountability ratings on Tuesday after a manual rescoring of thousands of STAAR tests improved some results. view article

Whatever the state decides about the Austin school district in coming months may not stop at schoolhouse doors. A takeover could shift control of one of Austin’s largest public institutions away from locally elected leaders, with consequences that could reach into the city’s housing, economy, health care and broader quality of life. view article

The Texas Art Education Association has named the Chisum ISD a District of Distinction for outstanding visual arts programs. More than 1,200 districts were eligible, but only 127 met the high standards of TAEA’s comprehensive 14-point rubric, placing their programs among the top 10% in Texas. It was the fifth consecutive year Chisum has been honored with the award.

Belton ISD’s two newest campuses are officially Purple Star schools, Belton ISD announced Tuesday. Hubbard Branch Elementary School and James L. Burrell Elementary School join four district campuses — Belton High School, Lake Belton Middle School, High Point Elementary School and Charter Oak Elementary School — that have received the distinguished honor. view article