The Republican-controlled Texas State Board of Education this week rejected most of the proposed textbooks that include climate science for eighth grade students. Five of 12 were approved.  A Republican-controlled Texas State Board of Education on Friday rejected seven of 12 proposed science textbooks for eighth graders that for the first time will require them to include information on climate change.  The 15-member board largely rejected the books either because they included policy solutions for climate change or because they were produced by a company that has an Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) policy. Some textbooks were also rejected because SBOE reviewers gave the books lower scores on how well they adhered to the state’s curriculum standards. view article

AUSTIN, Texas – November 27, 2023 – The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) voted to adopt instructional materials in response to Proclamation 2024 and explored adding a first-of-its-kind ethnic studies course focused on American Indian/Native studies for millions of Texas students at the regularly scheduled meeting November 14-17. view article

A Houston-area mother says the Fort Bend Independent School District’s failure to follow federally mandated protocols for children with disabilities resulted in her daughter’s sexual assault. The woman has filed a lawsuit against Fort Bend ISD alleging her daughter was sexually assaulted by a fellow student on two separate occasions, even though the girl has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that requires she be supervised any time she leaves the classroom. view article

Two-thirds of the nation’s schools faced severe chronic absenteeism in 2021-2022, with no sign of a major rebound in the following year, according to authors of a report released Thursday. Before the pandemic, 25 percent of schools witnessed a “high” or “extreme” level of students repeatedly missing from their classes, but that number more than doubled to an unprecedented 66 percent during the first year of full in-person learning nationwide, the analysis said. The implications are serious: Rampant absenteeism often hampers teaching and learning. Teachers must scramble to help students make up lessons they missed while still keeping others on track. Students often become disconnected from school. Research shows that the spike in absenteeism is linked to marked drops in student test scores. view article

The U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 college rankings came out last week, as my colleague Nick Anderson notes, with a somewhat revamped methodology that does not escape what has been growing criticism of the enterprise. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona captured some of the criticism last year when he said that any college ranking system that values wealth, reputation and exclusivity more than economic mobility and return on investment is “a joke.” view article

Virginia schools are looking for ways to combat chronic absenteeism as data shows the state struggles to get students back in the classroom after the pandemic. Students who are chronically absent are defined as those who miss 10 percent or more of the school year — typically 18 or more days. The number of chronically absent students in the state nearly doubled after the pandemic, jumping up from 10.6 percent during the 2018-2019 school year to 20.1 percent during the 2021- 2022 school year. view article

As they waited in the pickup line outside Thomas Middle School, 13 Investigates showed parents and grandparents job applications for some of the Houston Independent School District's hundreds of uncertified teachers. There's a former fast food crew member teaching reading, a barista teaching science, a sales associate teaching science and a paralegal teaching fourth grade math, according to the applications we reviewed. view article

Join Austin ISD for a districtwide repurposing event to learn more about the current status of the former Brooke Elementary School, Coy facility, former Metz Elementary, former Pease Elementary School, former Rosedale School, and former Sims Elementary School. view article

Superintendent Mike Miles has made sweeping changes in Houston ISD since he was appointed by the Texas Education Agency in June to run the largest school system in the Lone Star state. Nearly six months into his tenure, Miles has championed systemic reforms and swiftly implemented policies, some of which have sparked great pushback and turmoil among families, teachers and school communities across the district. For his part, the new superintendent says the drastic changes are necessary to significantly improve academic achievement, especially among Black and Hispanic students, by raising expectations and providing high-quality instruction. The Chronicle has compiled below a recap of the biggest changes so far in HISD under Miles. view article

Austin Independent School District said on Thursday it met a major milestone in its agreement with the Texas Education Agency to fix the district’s special education system. The school district has been under the watch of a state-appointed monitor since September. The board of trustees voted 8-1 to accept the deal from TEA after state investigators found the district repeatedly failed to evaluate students suspected of needing special education services on time. view article

Andy Cao and other members of Houston ISD’s District Advisory Committee listen to public comments during a Tuesday meeting at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center. The Houston ISD District Advisory Committee voted in favor of the “District of Innovation” plan Tuesday, putting the state’s largest school district one step closer to obtaining the designation. The plan, if given final approval next month, would allow the district to start the upcoming school year as early as the first Monday in August, expand the number of days in the school year and hire uncertified teachers without obtaining waivers every year from the Texas Education Agency. view article

Dallas ISD elementary and middle schools received top rankings in a recent report from U.S. News & World Report. Over 100,000 schools at the K-8 level were analyzed based on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education. Among the findings, 108 Dallas ISD schools are among the top 40% in the state, including 92 elementary schools and 16 middle schools. Overall, at the district and state levels, William B. Travis Academy/Vanguard ranked No.1. view article

It’s a challenge for much of Texas: recruiting and retaining public school teachers. The Lufkin school board is considering a Teacher’s Incentive Allotment program, funded by state grant money. Lufkin ISD Assistant Superintendent for Education Services Shelly Slaton said 26 names of their top-ranked teachers were turned in for recommendation to the state. view article

Goliad ISD received a “superior achievement” score for financial accountability in its 2022-23 Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) assessment, according to information released recently by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The rating is based on 2021-22 school year data. Goliad ISD was given a score of 96. School districts with grades from 90 to 100 were given A ratings for. A passing grade was 70 or better. view article

This isn't just math! In Chenay Taylor's class, students tackle big problems with big numbers and formulas. Rather than just throwing complex equations at students, Taylor makes everything real-world. Like a social media video where people are surprised to learn their height and arm span are connected. She makes students test it out. "We're measuring each other's height; we're trying to measure from one finger to another finger," said Alexis Olvera as he recorded his team's measurements. They're using the skills they've learned in AP statistics to analyze the data to predict how likely arm span and height would match up for all of us. view article

This isn't just math! In Chenay Taylor's class, students tackle big problems with big numbers and formulas. Rather than just throwing complex equations at students, Taylor makes everything real-world. Like a social media video where people are surprised to learn their height and arm span are connected. She makes students test it out. "We're measuring each other's height; we're trying to measure from one finger to another finger," said Alexis Olvera as he recorded his team's measurements. They're using the skills they've learned in AP statistics to analyze the data to predict how likely arm span and height would match up for all of us. view article

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Supporters of Texas’ education savings accounts proposal argue state money could allow special needs students to access schools catered to their unique learning abilities, while critics worry a state-subsidized tuition program would further neglect services in underfunded public schools. Lawmakers and stakeholders on each side of the debate agree: special needs students are not well-served by the current state of public schools’ special needs programs. Texas Academic Performance Reports show just 11% of students with disabilities were college ready in 2020, compared to 53% of all students. That’s a slight increase over 2018, when just 7.2% of students with disabilities were college ready. view article

Historically, it is more widely acknowledged that girls are more quick and adaptable to educational studies and adolescent struggles than boys are. Girls are often more focused and take school and their futures more seriously than boys, especially as teenagers. While the same extracurricular activities, classes and opportunities are offered to all public school students, both boys and girls, the latter are more likely to graduate from high school on time and apply for college. "Girls tend to be a little more advanced than boys," Richard Davis, an eighth grade teacher in Cleveland, told Fox News Digital. "We may have a boy who is a high-flier academically, but when you look at boys and girls, the girls tend to outdo the boys as a whole unit." view article

Houston ISD board managers approved a four-part plan aimed at improving State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness scores, increasing the percentage of graduates with industry-based certifications and improving the outcomes of special education students. view article

During a regularly scheduled Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD board meeting on Thursday, Nov. 2, the board approved the purchase of supplemental curriculum resources for English language arts and Spanish language arts. Teachers and principals in the district came to Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD staff, asking them to consider looking at additional resources to help sustain the work they had to do in preparing and designing for literature lessons. view article

Houston Independent School District has shared the final draft of its “District of Innovation” plan with the District Advisory Committee, keeping the option for an early August start to the school year but removing exemptions that would have allowed the district to determine its own class sizes and hire uncertified teachers without telling parents, among other changes. Obtaining the District of Innovation designation would give HISD the ability to exempt itself from a number of state education laws, something that the majority of Texas school districts have already done. The DOI planning committee released its draft to the DAC, which must approve the plan by a majority vote, last Monday and solicited feedback from the group Wednesday. The final draft was released Friday. view article

Houston Independent School District has shared the final draft of its “District of Innovation” plan with the District Advisory Committee, keeping the option for an early August start to the school year but removing exemptions that would have allowed the district to determine its own class sizes and hire uncertified teachers without telling parents, among other changes. Obtaining the District of Innovation designation would give HISD the ability to exempt itself from a number of state education laws, something that the majority of Texas school districts have already done. The DOI planning committee released its draft to the DAC, which must approve the plan by a majority vote, last Monday and solicited feedback from the group Wednesday. The final draft was released Friday. view article

The San Antonio Independent School District board of trustees voted 5-2 Monday to close 15 schools and merge others, capping a four-month process that will shutter over 15% of the shrinking urban school district’s educational facilities. Trustees voted, after a lengthy discussion, on a list of closures and mergers finalized by district staff that was formulated based on student enrollment, facility usage and cost per pupil. The moves are designed to better align the district’s resources with the student population. Sponsors help underwrite our nonprofit journalism. Sponsor today. MHM 2022_300x250_Health Equity #1 Trustees Art Valdez, Christina Martinez, Alicia Sebastian, Leticia Ozuna and Ed Garza voted for the measure while Stephanie Torres and Sarah Sorensen voted against it. Before the vote, Sorensen attempted to remove six schools from the closure list, and then two, but both adjustments failed on 5-2 votes. Parents, teachers and community members continued to protest the closures until the final hour, with 57 speakers signing up to comment during the meeting, mostly in opposition to the closures. view article

Thousands of San Antonio ISD students and staff will soon learn if their schools will be closed next year for good. view article

Another heated Houston Independent School District meeting took place Thursday night. Dozens of angry parents and students showed up demanding answers after teachers, a librarian, a counselor, and the principal were fired at Eastwood Academy High School and Pugh Elementary. view article

Coming from a sports background, Duncanville Superintendent Dr. Marc Smith understands the concept of winning with consistency. Over his two decades in education, he’s done that consistently, and he’s been doing it as Duncanville since his arrival in 2016. “Education has been what I wanted to do from Day 1. My coaches and teachers, that was my first connection to education,” Smith said, adding that connection got him thinking, view article

All Texas public school systems are required to share their financial accountability ratings with parents and taxpayers and host a public discussion or hearing regarding their financial report. To review the final 2022-2023 FIRST ratings for all school systems (plus view final FIRST ratings from previous years), visit the TEA School FIRST web page for school districts or Charter FIRST web page for charter schools. view article

South Garland High School (SGHS) is championing the inclusion of female students in its welding program, spearheaded by instructor Jon Greuel. The school’s dedicated efforts toward gender equity in welding have led to a notable increase in female student participation. SGHS welding instructor Jon Greuel has been trying to recruit female students into the welding program. At the end of the 2017 school year, GISD board member and current President Linda Griffin attended a ceremony to celebrate SGHS students who passed welding certifications. She asked, “Where are all the female welders?” There wasn’t a single female student in the entire program. Simply asking about equal representation became the impetus and vision to recruit and retain female students. The problem that instructor Jon Greuel faced was when there were only one or two female students per class; they didn’t want to stay in the program because they were alone and uncomfortable. view article

CONROE, TX – Conroe ISD has received an “A” rating, or “Superior Achievement,” under the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST) for the 20th consecutive year. The “Superior Achievement” rating is the state’s highest, demonstrating the quality of Conroe ISD’s financial management and reporting system. Last year, the District recorded a perfect score of 100, while scoring 98 points during this auditing period. The 2022-23 ratings are based on annual financial reports provided to TEA by districts and charters from 2021-22. The financial accountability system requires TEA to review the audited financial reports from all districts and charters. The FIRST ratings are based on 20 financial indicators, such as administrative cost expenditures; the accuracy of a district or charter’s financial information submitted to TEA; and any financial vulnerabilities or material weaknesses in internal controls as determined by an external auditor. view article

A two-year investigation by the Texas Education Agency resulted in a nearly 50-page report that showed South San Antonio ISD’s Board of Trustees has systemic governing issues that led to operational problems in the district. Steve Lecholop, deputy commissioner for governance at the TEA, said the lack of quorum six consecutive times and board members struggling to get along are just some of the problems highlighted in the two-year investigation. view article

One of Texas' most historically disadvantaged school systems is facing a tough decision that could disrupt the education of as many as 10,000 students. San Antonio's Edgewood Independent School District is considering school closures as it grapples with decades of declining enrollment and funding challenges, school officials warned during a series of October community meetings. view article

The Austin Independent School District this week met a key requirement outlined in a state-ordered plan to improve its special education services. The Texas Education Agency's corrective action plan required Austin ISD to complete all overdue special education evaluations for which parental permission was obtained before the 2022-2023 school year by Oct. 31. AISD also needed to complete evaluations for which parental permission was obtained between June 30, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2022. A TEA spokesperson confirmed in an email to KUT that the district had met the deadline for each of the requirements. view article

Destiny Sparks is interested in reading about historical figures who look like her such as African American entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker. After years in Fort Worth ISD, Destiny started losing interest in reading. She didn’t relate to her school’s books. She couldn’t get one-on-one time with her teacher to ask questions about the history she loved. view article

Katy ISD's enrollment is projected to exceed 100,000 students by 2027, and a projected 30% of new enrollees are expected to be emergent bilingual students, or students for whom English is a second language, according to PASA, a demographic firm cited by the district. view article

DRIPPING SPRINGS — At its Oct. 23 meeting, the Dripping Springs ISD Board of Trustees decided to postpone any action on a requirement for a health course for high school students to graduate. The School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) meets throughout the year to assist the district in ensuring that local community values and health issues are reflected in DSISD’s health education instruction. As part of the district’s coordinated school health model, the School Health Advisory Council (SHAC), which advises the district on its health education instruction, recommended last week that the board add a local high school health course as a graduation requirement beginning with the graduating class of 2028. The structure of the course, as recommended by the committee, would include a health course for two semesters for 0.5 credits each. view article