WEATHER ALERT
Republicans maintain majority on the Texas State Board of Education
Read full article: Republicans maintain majority on the Texas State Board of EducationRepublicans Tom Maynard, Pam Little, Aaron Kinsey and Brandon Hall prevailed in contested races. Democrat Gustavo Reveles won in the District 1 race.
Five races for the Republican-dominated State Board of Education to watch this year
Read full article: Five races for the Republican-dominated State Board of Education to watch this yearRevising the social studies curriculum could be among the divisive issues the Texas State Board of Education tackles next year.
“More than our wombs”: Women in conservative Texas cities mobilizing to end GOP dominance
Read full article: “More than our wombs”: Women in conservative Texas cities mobilizing to end GOP dominanceDemocrats in Lubbock and Amarillo hope Kamala Harris’ candidacy and a backlash to abortion laws will help make their long-held vision of a blue wave a reality.
State Board of Education fields concerns about Christian bias in proposed K-12 curriculum
Read full article: State Board of Education fields concerns about Christian bias in proposed K-12 curriculumThe proposal comes as part of a larger effort by officials in Texas and across the country to inject Christianity into public life.
Texas voters will choose party nominees Tuesday in the primary runoff election
Read full article: Texas voters will choose party nominees Tuesday in the primary runoff electionGet The Texas Tribune’s coverage of election results for the 2024 primary runoff elections, which includes the Texas Legislature and more.
State Board of Education again delays discussion on whether to approve new Native studies course
Read full article: State Board of Education again delays discussion on whether to approve new Native studies courseThe next opportunity for the board to review the course will not happen until its meeting in June.
Veteran State Board of Education member loses her seat, two other Republican incumbents face runoffs
Read full article: Veteran State Board of Education member loses her seat, two other Republican incumbents face runoffsThe results of Tuesday’s primary elections could foreshadow a further push to the right for the body that sets the state's educational standards.
An effort to prepare West Texas students to work in the oil and gas industry is expanding
Read full article: An effort to prepare West Texas students to work in the oil and gas industry is expandingThe expansion, which will start with a smaller pilot in four high schools between Texas and New Mexico, is being paid for by the Permian Strategic Partnership, a group funded by major energy producers.
Texas board rejects many science textbooks over climate change messaging
Read full article: Texas board rejects many science textbooks over climate change messagingThe 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.
Texas eighth graders will soon be required to learn about climate change. But not without a showdown over textbooks.
Read full article: Texas eighth graders will soon be required to learn about climate change. But not without a showdown over textbooks.Texas is one of the few states that don’t already require eighth graders to be taught about climate change. That’ll change next fall.
Texas education board could ban textbooks that discuss gender identity under proposed bill
Read full article: Texas education board could ban textbooks that discuss gender identity under proposed billOther legislation this session has targeted school library books, which are optional reading materials, but House Bill 1804 might be the first to go after textbooks that teachers use for their lessons.
State Board of Education eases stance on vouchers after previously rejecting “school choice” policies
Read full article: State Board of Education eases stance on vouchers after previously rejecting “school choice” policiesThis comes two days after Gov. Greg Abbott voiced his most explicit support yet of a new school choice policy at a Parent Empowerment Night event in Corpus Christi.
Look up your representatives in the Tribune’s elected officials directory
Read full article: Look up your representatives in the Tribune’s elected officials directoryLook up information about every statewide elected official, every member of the Texas Legislature and every Texan in Congress and see who represents you.
Texas Republicans against “critical race theory” win seats on the State Board of Education, strengthening its GOP majority
Read full article: Texas Republicans against “critical race theory” win seats on the State Board of Education, strengthening its GOP majorityThe board is responsible for dictating what Texas’ 5.5 million students are required to learn in the state’s public schools.
Why all eyes are now on the often ignored Texas Board of Education races
Read full article: Why all eyes are now on the often ignored Texas Board of Education racesAll 15 seats of the State Board of Education are up for grabs in November, and one race in District 7 highlights how critical race theory has become a key issue.
When Texas students campaigned for a more diverse history course, they got a lesson in politics
Read full article: When Texas students campaigned for a more diverse history course, they got a lesson in politicsStudents had been pushing for the State Board of Education to adopt a new, more inclusive social studies curriculum this year. Instead, the board delayed their scheduled update until at least 2025.
Voter poll: What is the most important issue for Houston residents?
Read full article: Voter poll: What is the most important issue for Houston residents?KPRC 2 will be closely covering the candidates and want them address the issues residents care about most. So, tell us Houston-area residents, what is the most important issue for you right now? Please vote in our poll below and we will ask each candidate how they plan to address your concerns. If your biggest concern is not included, let us know in the comments below.
Texas education board moves to delay updates to social studies curriculum after conservative pushback
Read full article: Texas education board moves to delay updates to social studies curriculum after conservative pushbackOpponents of the recommended changes, including Republican legislators, complained that they downplayed Texan and American exceptionalism and didn't present opposing views on the gay rights movement.
Author of “critical race theory” ban says Texas schools can still teach about racism
Read full article: Author of “critical race theory” ban says Texas schools can still teach about racismState Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, said his intention was never to gloss over American history or have negative effects on teachers and administrators. His comments to the State Board of Education come as members consider new social studies curriculum.
State education board members push back on proposal to use “involuntary relocation” to describe slavery
Read full article: State education board members push back on proposal to use “involuntary relocation” to describe slaveryThe Texas State Board of Education is fielding proposals to update the state’s public school social studies curriculum this summer.
Texas GOP platform calls for ban on teaching “sexual matters,” while requiring students to learn about “dignity of the preborn human”
Read full article: Texas GOP platform calls for ban on teaching “sexual matters,” while requiring students to learn about “dignity of the preborn human”The party planks specify what the Texas GOP believes students should and should not be taught in the classroom about gender and sex, signaling further shifts to the right. Critics say such policies would be harmful and discriminatory.
Texas rejects more rigorous teacher certification exam
Read full article: Texas rejects more rigorous teacher certification examThe Educative Teacher Performance Assessment was designed to better prepare new teachers, but faced pushback from people who thought it would create barriers for people of color to enter the profession.
Texas State Board of Education rejects conservative-backed Heritage Classical Academy charter school for third time
Read full article: Texas State Board of Education rejects conservative-backed Heritage Classical Academy charter school for third timeTwo Republicans joined Democrats to veto the charter school application, including a Republican board member who lost reelection to a candidate endorsed by a PAC with financial ties to Heritage’s board chair.
Texas moves one step closer to adopting a new, more rigorous teacher certification exam
Read full article: Texas moves one step closer to adopting a new, more rigorous teacher certification examThe State Board of Education must still approve use of the Educative Teacher Performance Assessment, which was dropped by two states that had adopted it.
Facing a teacher shortage, Texas considers a more rigorous teacher certification exam
Read full article: Facing a teacher shortage, Texas considers a more rigorous teacher certification examTwo states have dropped the Educative Teacher Performance Assessment, and three others passed on it or want it gone.
Several Texas Republicans against “critical race theory” advance in State Board of Education primary races
Read full article: Several Texas Republicans against “critical race theory” advance in State Board of Education primary racesAll 15 seats of the State Board of Education are up for grabs in November, and there were more than 50 candidates vying for their parties’ nominations.
State Board of Education approves one sex ed textbook for Texas middle school students
Read full article: State Board of Education approves one sex ed textbook for Texas middle school studentsLast November, the board expanded curriculum standards to include birth control in addition to abstinence education.
Texas education board considers how middle schools teach climate change and sexuality as officials fight over library books
Read full article: Texas education board considers how middle schools teach climate change and sexuality as officials fight over library booksUntil now, the State Board of Education has left library selections up to local schools.
Gov. Greg Abbott tells state agencies to develop standards to block books with "overtly sexual" content in schools
Read full article: Gov. Greg Abbott tells state agencies to develop standards to block books with "overtly sexual" content in schoolsAbbott targeted two books that have been removed by schools recently that center on LGBTQ characters. One of the books includes a graphic illustration and the other includes depictions of sex.
Gov. Greg Abbott signs off on Texas’ new political maps, which protect GOP majorities while diluting voices of voters of color
Read full article: Gov. Greg Abbott signs off on Texas’ new political maps, which protect GOP majorities while diluting voices of voters of colorTexas lawmakers drew new maps for the state House and Senate, congressional delegation and State Board of Education. Here’s what Texans should know about the 2021 redistricting outcomes.
First lawsuit filed challenging new Texas political maps as intentionally discriminatory
Read full article: First lawsuit filed challenging new Texas political maps as intentionally discriminatoryBefore they’re even signed into law, the state’s new maps for congressional and statehouse districts have been challenged in federal court by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
Senate panel advances Texas Senate and State Board of Education maps
Read full article: Senate panel advances Texas Senate and State Board of Education mapsThe initial drafts of both maps have so far attempted to strengthen Republican majorities by protecting incumbents and creating more GOP-friendly districts.
First draft of Legislature’s map of new State Board of Education districts shores up Republican majority
Read full article: First draft of Legislature’s map of new State Board of Education districts shores up Republican majorityThe Republican-dominated, 15-member board determines what millions of public school students in the state are taught in classrooms.
Texas education board approves new sex ed policy that does not cover LGBTQ students or consent
Read full article: Texas education board approves new sex ed policy that does not cover LGBTQ students or consentOver the last several months, panels of educators and medical professionals formulated recommendations to overhaul the health and sex education policies. This marks the board’s first thorough revision to its sex education policy since 1997, and will affect millions of students in the state. In 2017, they unsuccessfully pushed a policy preventing transgender people from using public bathrooms that match their gender identity. Experts including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and the American Public Health Association oppose abstinence-only education and champion comprehensive sex education. This type of sex education prioritizes accurate and exhaustive information about contraception, human sexuality and sexually transmitted infections.
Texans urge state education board to expand sexual education standards and include LGBTQ information
Read full article: Texans urge state education board to expand sexual education standards and include LGBTQ informationAt the board's first public hearing on the proposals, many current and former Texas public school students recalled their own experiences with sexual education teachers who emphasized shame instead of accuracy. Neither the draft revisions nor current health education standards, the minimum statewide requirement for what students learn, include sexual orientation or gender identity. Texas does not mandate that school districts teach sexual education, and high school students do not have to take health education to meet state graduation requirements. Advocates of abstinence-plus education told board members that teaching students comprehensive sex education would reduce teen pregnancies, infections and sexual violence among students. And without any information on LGBTQ sexual health, sexual orientation or gender identity, LGBTQ foster children also will lack that information, she said.
“Names are important”: Texas activists protest the renaming of “Mexican-American Studies” course to “Ethnic Studies”
Read full article: “Names are important”: Texas activists protest the renaming of “Mexican-American Studies” course to “Ethnic Studies”Republican State Board of Education member David Bradley proposed the new course title in April, saying he found "hyphenated Americanism to be divisive.” On Tuesday, another board member, Democrat Ruben Cortez, called Bradley “the most mean-spirited” person on the board.
Texas education board approves course formerly known as Mexican-American studies
Read full article: Texas education board approves course formerly known as Mexican-American studiesAfter years of debate, the State Board of Education voted preliminarily to create curriculum standards for a Mexican-American studies class. But thanks to the objections of one member, it'll now be called “Ethnic Studies: An Overview of Americans of Mexican Descent.”