The Fort Bend ISD Board of Trustees voted to approve the early retirement of Superintendent Christie Whitbeck during a heated meeting Monday where Whitbeck and others accused the board of forcing her out. The retirement came as a surprise to many in the school district, as the board of trustees had previously voted in July to extend Whitbeck's contract until December of 2026. She started as superintendent in October of 2021. view article

Protests of the state takeover of Houston ISD escalated on Nov. 15. Members of Community Voices for Public Education (CVPE), an organization advocating for equitable public schools, traveled to Austin to address the State Board of Education. About two dozen people boarded a bus and rode to the state capital Wednesday morning, testifying on issues with the Texas Education Agency’s takeover of HISD. But TEA Commissioner Mike Morath left before hearing any of their concerns. view article

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. The board voted Friday to allow five textbooks for eighth grade science to be included on the list, published by Savvas Learning Company, McGraw-Hill School Division, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Depository, Accelerate Learning and Summit K-12. view article

But the State Board of Education wouldn't listen - and moved one of the HISD teachers to tears. Houston teachers, parents and community members went to the Capitol on Wednesday to protest the state takeover of Texas' largest school district – but were snubbed by the Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath, who left the meeting before the group had a chance to talk.  The Wednesday meeting began with Commissioner Morath presenting a special education resource program and guidance for teachers and parents and answering questions from the elected board. He left the meeting at the end of his presentation, refusing to listen to the advocates for the Houston Independent School District.  Following Morath's presentation, dozens of speakers attempted to testify about recent changes under HISD Superintendent Mike Miles but were frequently stopped by Board of Education Chair Keven Ellis, who directed speakers to refrain from speaking about items outside the board's jurisdiction. view article

The Texas State Board of Education is slated to vote today on which new science textbooks to approve for use in public schools. Some public education advocates are worried the Republican-controlled board will sign off only on materials that water down information about climate change. Emily Witt is the communications strategist with the Texas Freedom Network, a progressive group that has been advocating for textbooks that accurately address climate change. The TFN and the National Center for Science Education released a report in August evaluating whether the materials publishers submitted to the state board adequately addressed the issue. “We found that all but two conformed with the science standards on teaching about climate change, particularly that climate change is caused by human impact and greenhouse gases,” Witt said. The two submissions that did not comply with those scientific standards have since been withdrawn from consideration. But when the board met earlier this week, some Republican members called for changes to the remaining materials that Witt said would also undermine accuracy. For example, members raised concerns that materials had negative depictions of the oil and gas industry, Witt said. view article

But the State Board of Education wouldn't listen - and moved one of the HISD teachers to tears. Houston teachers, parents and community members went to the Capitol on Wednesday to protest the state takeover of Texas' largest school district – but were snubbed by the Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath, who left the meeting before the group had a chance to talk.  The Wednesday meeting began with Commissioner Morath presenting a special education resource program and guidance for teachers and parents and answering questions from the elected board. He left the meeting at the end of his presentation, refusing to listen to the advocates for the Houston Independent School District.  Following Morath's presentation, dozens of speakers attempted to testify about recent changes under HISD Superintendent Mike Miles but were frequently stopped by Board of Education Chair Keven Ellis, who directed speakers to refrain from speaking about items outside the board's jurisdiction. view article

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The State Board of Education on Wednesday gave an initial rejection to some science textbooks after concerns over their lessons on climate change. Members of the 15-seat education policy committee voted on party lines to withhold approval from numerous textbooks that recognize fossil fuels as a cause of manmade climate change. Among the rejections were publisher Green Ninja’s middle school science textbooks, which provides exercises that direct students to write about the future changes to weather and climate. Another publisher, EduSmart, was struck from the list for depictions that one board member worried cast the oil and gas industry in a “negative light.” 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