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

The Austin school district has not met minimum state exam standards for students with disabilities in the past four years, according to an independent review of the district’s special education programs. Stetson and Associates, a consulting firm, conducted a review of the Austin school district’s services for students with disabilities starting during the 2019-20 academic year, although the evaluation was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a change in leadership at the district. view article

A Valley school district is working to convince parents that it’s safe for their kids to be in school. Officials at the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District say they’re working hard to help families feel more comfortable about students being back in the classroom. view article

The Waco Independent School District and its charter school partner, Transformation Waco, could see more than half of their students start the school year Sept. 8 via remote instruction, according to registration numbers provided by both entities. view article

Dallas ISD is in a precarious position when it comes to grading. About 86 percent of its student body is classified as economically disadvantaged, more than 25 percent higher than the state’s average. Its population of limited English speakers is almost half, more than double the state’s. There are significant challenges when it comes to making sure all of its students are receiving adequate learning despite the disruption from the pandemic. More than 12,000 hot spots were purchased for students who lacked access to internet. All of these things affect grading, especially when these kids don’t have a school to go to. view article

Lloyd Potter, researcher and director of UTSA’s Institute for Demographic and Socioeconomic Research, is supporting local Head Start and Early Head Start programs toward being more effective. Potter has worked with the City of San Antonio’s Department of Human Services Early Head Start-Child Care and Head Start Programs, and with local nonprofit San Antonio AVANCE Inc. to better assess their programs to provide information about how they are meeting the needs of the children and families they serve. view article

For years, Stephens Elementary School in Aldine ISD has been defined by the challenges that it faces rather than its academic successes. Nearly 90 percent of its students are considered economically disadvantaged by the Texas Education Agency. Nearly half are English language learners. And to state education officials, the school was failing academically. view article

A fifth grade Lumberton Independent School District student reported "vulgar" language in the STAAR reading test last month, according to information from LISD.  view article

On Nov. 9 Hays CISD released the draft of its innovation plan, which must be approved by the board of trustees in order to receive a district of innovation designation. If approved, the district would be able to make changes to the academic calendar and to exempt some Career and Technical Education instructors from teacher certification requirements. The district of innovation designation was created by the Texas Legislature in 2015 as a way to give independent school districts some of the flexibility that charters schools have under state law. While becoming a district of innovation can allow for numerous exemptions to curriculum or logistics requirements, the most-used exemption is the one that allows schools to start earlier in August. view article

Some Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District students will have the opportunity to graduate with a high school diploma and an associates of science degree. At a recent school board meeting, the administration provided the board with information on a pilot initiative in partnership with Lone Star College CyFair, the College Academy, which will provide 2017-18 freshman students at Cypress Lakes High School with an opportunity to graduate with a high school diploma and an associates of science degree. view article

At the center of our district’s Learning Model, one of our Guiding Documents that directs all we do in LISD, is “focus on student learning.” After all, the whole reason our district exists is to provide an education to the children in our boundaries. While our teachers and staff have done an outstanding job over the years working to foster a challenging, supportive and effective learning experience, we recognize the benefit of taking a step back every so often to ensure our many educational pieces are creating a cohesive puzzle. Our last official audit was conducted nearly 20 years ago under Superintendent Tom Glenn. Since then, we have experienced incredible population growth in our area, as well as great strides in the teaching and assessment arenas.  view article

Perhaps one of the most striking characteristics of the new Crosby High School is the flood of natural light flowing throughout the building. Windows line the hallways, classrooms, offices, cafeteria, library and other rooms that would traditionally be encased in brick and mortar. The new Crosby High School opened in August 2016. It was a part of the $86.5 million bond passed in May 2013, which incorporated the high school, stadium renovations and the new baseball and softball complex. This year's freshmen students may not have anything to compare the new high school to. But, as its inaugural school year draws to an end, some may wonder what the new building looked like through the eyes of those who did walk the halls of the former Crosby High School. view article