When the school year started, the 66 seniors in a Shoemaker High School college-preparatory class called AVID set a goal for scholarship money earned — $2 million. They were way off. Those students hit the $2 million mark in February. With just less than a month to go before graduation, the scholarship money thermometer recently stood at nearly $2,240,000 and counting. The elective class AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination and is offered in all Killeen ISD high schools and middle schools. view article

Gravely & Pearson, LLP, a leading Texas law firm specializing in insurance and construction defect litigation, will donate $1 million to the West Independent School District's "Restore West Foundation," four years after the April 17, 2013 West Fertilizer Plant Explosion. On May 10th, 2017, Gravely & Pearson will formally present the check during the district's May board meeting. view article

Gov. Greg Abbott has rightly pointed out that if Texas were a country, its economy would rank 10th in the world. Our businesses here in Houston, and across the state, regularly invest in science, technology, engineering and math industries, making us a significant producer of the most sought-after goods and services in the global marketplace. To maintain our position of strength, we must align our education system to our state's employment needs. Maintaining a pre-eminent economy and workforce begins with giving students the skills needed to adapt across multiple jobs and even careers within a lifetime. 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

Gene Solis who has served as superintendent of the Whitney ISD since 2008 was recently named the Texas Rural Education Associations’ Superintendent of the Year. Solis will be honored at the TREA Summer Conference on June 24 at the DFW Marriott Hotel in Fort Worth. The TREA awards committee was impressed with his servant leadership and ability to motivate his instructional staff to make Whitney ISD an excellent rural school district. Gene Solis is a 1978 graduate of Spur High School view article

The Abilene ISD has begun looking in earnest at its near future, a challenging task because change moves rapidly these days. The district has hired a consultant to work with a group that is studying the direction of the district the next five years. view article

School districts across East Texas are showing their support for Mount Pleasant ISD. Pittsburg ISD is wearing black and gold in honor of the district. On Thursday a horrific crash involving an 18-wheeler, took the life of Angelica Beard. Beard was a track team coach at Mount Pleasant High School. The crash also left several students and coaches injured. Mount Pleasant ISD Superintendent, Judd Marshall, says the remaining student has been released from the hospital and coaches Van Bowen and Ryan Stanage are both recovering after surgery. view article

African American children in the United States were not always guaranteed the right to a formal education. For decades, racism, segregation, and unequal opportunities were the barriers, which stood between black students and the educational standards of their white neighbors. view article

Students across Austin ISD are learning about kindness and anti-bullying through a fluffy blue character named Enoughie. The Kindness Campaign is in fifty schools right now, but looking to expand. Chants and cheers overtake a lesson in learning inside a Cunningham Elementary classroom for Enoughie.  view article

Dade Middle School's “Teacher Appreciation Celebration” pep rally came with a festive, Oprah-style twist. Amid the fanfare — including performances from the school’s cheerleaders and step team, and a video montage of students thanking their favorite teachers — Dade principal Tracie Washington stopped the proceedings to give her staff a holiday greeting. view article

After two previous failed attempts, many Pleasanton voters were elated when the $63 million school bond election passed in May of 2015. Pleasanton ISD residents showed their support by a vote of 780 to 643. As new construction and renovations continue, many residents are seeing red and alarmed at the $236,356 that the City of Pleasanton has charged Pleasanton ISD in fees and permits.  view article

Plainview school trustees at Thursday’s session will be asked to adopt a resolution to initiate the process for PISD to become a District of Innovation under provisions of House Bill 1842, adopted in 2015.  view article

Midland ISD will not let the latest state accountability ratings system deter it from its mission to improve academic outcomes and student achievement. That is the opinion of MISD board President Rick Davis, who said the system — which will use a single-letter grade (A through F) to rate campuses and districts — doesn’t tell the whole story of what is taking place inside classrooms.  view article

Dec. 14, 2012 will mark the day 20 children and six educators died when a gunman went on a shooting rampage inside a Connecticut school. Firearms are now the second leading cause of death for children and teens across the country, according to Texas Gun Sense.  view article

Whas an app and exactly how do you download one? Does my iPad have chrome? Snapchat? What’s that? Learning to navigate a high-tech world can be frustrating for those who are digitally challenged, but students in the Keller school district are doing their part to teach their older friends the finer points of smartphones, iPads and laptops and help them better understand social media. view article

Katy ISD will work closely with local legislators on key issues in anticipation of the upcoming legislative session in January. KISD’s Legislative Priorities Advisory Committee presented its official recommendations to the district’s board of trustees at its Nov. 21 meeting.  view article

School districts across Texas are concerned about plans by the state Legislature to give schools districts an A, B, C, D or F. At Tuesday’s meeting, the Harlingen school board unanimously approved a resolution opposing the assessment of letter grades.    view article

I love the recent change in our weather. Clearly winter will soon be upon us, and the holidays are not far behind. Already it has been a very busy year. In October, 24 seniors at Lake Travis High School received recognition from the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program for their exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies. view article

The Bastrop school district joined other districts across the Texas Tuesday night in calling for the repeal of a 2015 state law that would assign school ratings on an A through F grade scale.  view article

Longview ISD is giving teachers more than $720,000 in merit-based bonuses today as part of its Longview Incentive for Teachers Pay for Performance Award program. The teacher and campus personnel incentive pay is given as a reward for good performance during the 2015-16 school year.  view article

During the last several years, the San Benito School District has utilized social media to inform parents, students and the community about what goes on inside the many school buildings. Most recently, Celia Longoria, the district communications director, has started to implement more awareness about the districts and its happenings on Facebook, Twitter and online. view article

Austin ISD says they’ll be ready on Wednesday for students who learned their school, T.A. Brown Elementary, will not reopen after structural problems caused it to be unsafe. Saturday morning, district and school leaders sat down with parents to answer some of their questions. Students in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten will go to Reilly Elementary just over two miles away and the other students, grades first through fifth, will go to the district’s Allan facility. view article

A meeting in Frisco on Thursday night could determine the future of several schools which are currently under construction. The school board is considering a delay in the openings of four new campuses: Memorial High School, Lawler Middle School, Talley Elementary School and Liscano Elementary School. The new campuses are all being built to ease overcrowding at other schools. Currently, they are supposed to open in the fall of 2017. view article

The people of America recently woke up to witness the independent spirit of the people of Great Britain. Despite the polls, the people voted 51.8%to 48.2% to leave the  [Education schoolkids] European Union and chart their own path. What were the issues that the Brits were upset about? The first thing I thought about the morning after was, we need a Brexit in education. view article

A new Judson Independent School District high school is on the verge of changing its name before it opens. Mackey High School opens in August and nine trustees from Judson ISD host a special meeting to vote on a name change. view article

Bonham ISD announced Monday they won't follow the new federal transgender bathroom policy. The superintendent told us there's no problem for transgender students at Bonham schools, but a former transgender student disagrees. view article

As the aftermath of the major April 18 rainfall event continues to wreak havoc in the Cy-Fair area, officials with Cy-Fair ISD have announced all schools and facilities will be closed through Friday, April 22. “School closure is not a decision I take lightly, but it is currently the best option for all our students and staff as we support those who have lost everything and ensure all buildings are safe for school,” CFISD Superintendent Mark Henry said in a statement posted to the district’s website. view article

Istation reports a study linking student results on Istation assessments with a high probability of passing Texas' standardized reading test. This study updates Istation's previous prediction band study completed in March 2014 that tracked student performance on Istation's Indicators of Progress (ISIP™) assessments and STAAR (State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness) scores. view article

Any Frisco ISD student who got a “hoverboard” for Christmas and wants to show it off at school is in for a rude awakening. The trendy mode of transportation will no longer be allowed on Frisco ISD campuses, the district announced Wednesday. view article

Some San Antonio students may have to wake up a few minutes earlier next school year. Parents can blame it on the politicians who passed a new state law changing the amount of time students spend in school. During the last legislative session, lawmakers approved House Bill 2610. view article

Arlington parents are hoping a few extra minutes in school every day will mean their students are out for summer break days earlier. The school district is about to lengthen its school days hoping to either provide a buffer in case weather-related school closures are needed or give everyone an early summer break. When kids go to school they’re literally on the clock. Their school year isn’t over until the school has clocked 17,600 minutes of student time. Arlington is hoping it can push all those minutes into a shorter school year. view article

A special board meeting for the Judson Independent School District is set to take place Wednesday night. On the agenda is the possibility of rescinding the name of Dr. Willis Mackey High School. The school was named after the district's former Superintendent who retired last year, and the topic has since been widely debated. view article

There is no replicating the classroom teaching experience, and having that experience should not be optional for public school superintendent job candidates. The State Board of Education is voting in Austin today on the states requirements for public school superintendents and is considering removing teaching experience from the list of qualifications. view article

Extending the student/teacher ratio for a few third-grade classes and approving a request made by the Texas A&M Agri-life Extension office were the only highlights during November's Plainview ISD school board meeting Thursday. With a unanimous vote, PISD trustees voted to approve an application for a waiver to exceed the ... view article

Six-year-old Harry Brown plopped down on the colorful rug in his kindergarten class and shook a clear little plastic container with two dice. He looked at the sets of dots facing up, added the two numbers aloud and pointed to the total number in Mandarin Chinese on his worksheet. view article