As part of the new Long-Range-Plan for Public Education, the State Board of Education is recommending state-funded full-day pre-kindergarten. According to the Texas Education Agency, the plan was created with goals of access and equity, and the recommendations are to be achieved by 2030. Texas children are eligible for pre-K if they are 4 years old on or before Sept. 1 and if they meet one of the following standards: federal free/reduced price lunch guidelines; unable to speak or comprehend English; currently or have been in foster care; homeless as defined by 42 U.S.C. Section 1143a; have a parent who is an active duty member of the U.S. armed forces or whose parent was injured or killed while serving on active duty as a member of the U.S. armed forces. view article

The files below provide summaries that highlight actions taken by the State Board of Education (SBOE).November 16  (PDF, 87 KB) 

Center for the Collaborative Classroom, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to providing curricula that support the academic, ethical, social, and emotional development of children, announced that the organization’s rigorous Collaborative Literacy Texas Edition is now included in the Texas State Board of Education 2019 Proclamation Adoption list. Collaborative Literacy meets both the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) required for the K–5 literacy curriculum, and Texas schools can now use Proclamation 2019-allocated funds to adopt Collaborative Literacy. view article

A simmering school-finance battle came back to life Wednesday in separate hearings that brought up Texas' educational endowment, the largest in the country.  While lawmakers in the Capitol recommended making significant changes to the fund, members of the State Board of Education lamented in their own meeting that the School Land Board has so far stood by a funding decision they announced in August that immediately spurred controversy.   "They need to reconsider now," state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, said Wednesday night. view article

The State Board of Education today adopted a new Long-Range Plan for Public Education that establishes goals through the year 2030. The plan establishes an overall goal of access and equity so that all children receive what they need to learn, thrive, and grow. This reflects a desire to have equitable access to funding, advanced courses and modern technology. Developed after assessing the strengths, opportunities, and challenges across Texas, the plan also focuses on student engagement and empowerment; family engagement and empowerment; and educator preparation, recruitment and retention as key areas that are vital to educational progress. view article

AUSTIN, Texas — Responding to concerns that Texas public school students would no longer learn about Hillary Clinton, Eleanor Roosevelt, Helen Keller and defenders of the Alamo, the State Board of Education took a final vote Friday to reject recommendations from board-created working groups to remove the figures from social studies curriculum.  The board on Friday unanimously approved the curriculum, cementing dozens of changes the panel made earlier this week. The new learning requirements will go into effect for middle and high school in the 2019-20 school year and the following year for elementary schools. view article

The State Board of Education approved amendments to a proposed Long-Range Plan for Public Education during its Sept. 11-14 meeting. Final adoption of the plan is expected to occur at the board's Nov. 13-16 meeting.  Four years in the making, this plan creates recommendations to be achieved by the year 2030 in four broad categories.  The goals of access and equity serve as the overarching vision of the proposed plan. These goals refer to funding, as well as access to advanced courses and modern technology.  view article

Texas education officials tentatively approved keeping the biblical figure Moses in the state’s social studies curriculum Wednesday while voting to change the language that potentially links Islamic fundamentalism with terrorism. view article

After more than 10 hours of discussion and public input, the Texas State Board of Education on Tuesday tentatively agreed to keep Hillary Clinton and Helen Keller in the state’s social studies curriculum. The majority-Republican board discussed the proposed curriculum changes and decided to keep Keller, a disability rights advocate who was the first deaf-blind person to earn a college degree, and Clinton, the former secretary of state and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, the Dallas Morning News reported. view article

Around two months ago, the Texas State Board of Education voted to remove Hillary Clinton from the state’s 11th-grade U.S. History standards. But on Tuesday night, the board backed a motion to reinsert Clinton into the curriculum. That action was just one of many the board took at its Tuesday meeting,  view article

Approaching the podium, Dallas middle school teacher Ron Francis faced the circle of 15 large, wooden desks at the Texas State Board of Education’s September meeting. The board was discussing changes to the social studies curriculum standards, the result of a 10-month-long process to cut back on what teachers have to cover in the classroom. But Francis, a 6-foot-tall Army veteran who teaches in Highland Park ISD, was more concerned about what the board wasn’t cutting. The standards currently list slavery alongside three other causes for Texas’ involvement in the Civil War, which he said downplays its historical role. “Get rid of tariffs, states’ rights and sectionalism,” Francis told the board bluntly. “Thank you.” view article

AUSTIN — At the end of the day, Helen Keller prevailed. So did the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots who stepped up to run flight and service missions in World War II after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Board of Education preliminarily voted Tuesday night to restore Hillary Clinton and Helen Keller to the state’s history curriculum and to slightly soften language about the Arab-Israeli conflict – surprising moments of bipartisanship for members who have long waged ideological battles about how students in the nation’s second largest state learn history. The moves came after the board’s 10 Republicans and five Democrats heard hours of often impassioned testimony from students, teachers, activists and university experts on proposed edits meant to streamline academic standards for history. A final vote is scheduled for Friday and more changes can still be made. view article

The Texas State Board of Education will vote on Tuesday whether to eliminate major historical figures like Hillary Clinton and Helen Keller from the state’s social studies curriculum, The Austin American-Statesman reported. Education professionals were appointed earlier this year by the Republican-majority school board to propose changes in social studies requirements for elementary, middle, and high school students, the report said. view article

Pastor David Sincere Jr. was recently honored by the Texas State Board of Education with the 2018 Heroes for Children Award in recognition for his service to the Fort Bend Independent School District. “Pastor Sincere is a valued community partner who is helping to make a positive difference in the lives of so many FBISD students,” Anthony Indelicato, FBISD assistant superintendent of school improvement said. “His commitment and genuine concern for children is apparent in all he does, whether behind the scenes or on the front line, and we couldn’t be more proud to partner with him.” view article

Suzanne Smith says she has tried to run a nonpartisan campaign in her low-profile bid for a place on the State Board of Education. But she stands to benefit from the current contentious political climate that might have Texas Democrats running to the polls.  Since January 2017, Smith’s campaign has blown through over $160,000 – just short of all other board candidates’ expenditures combined. With $26,000 left in the bank as early voting comes to an end, Smith could be the first Democrat seated in North Texas’ District 12 since it became an elected position in 1987. view article

Texas may change how your child understands biology when taught in a public high school classroom. The Texas' Board of Education tentatively approved changes to portions of the states Biology curriculum. Instead of asking Texas public school students to “evaluate” scientific explanations for the origins of DNA and the complexity of certain cells, the state will now ask that the students "examine" the scientific explanations for the origins of DNA and complexity of certain cells. In the past, some educators have argued that the word "evaluate" encouraged students to challenge the scientific theory of evolution and opened the door to teaching creationism. view article

The Georgetown Board of Trustees has hired Fred Brent as the district's newest superintendent. view article