Students who are behind in third grade rarely catch up. Texas lawmakers want to intervene earlier.

We've got some thrilling investigations shaking up the Houston scene.

Houston ISD, the largest district in the state and currently under state control received a C grade for that year.

The Texas Education Agency released the 2022-23 school year ratings on Thursday after a 19-month legal battle over how those ratings are calculated.

After months of delays and legal disputes, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has released the 2022–2023 A–F accountability ratings for public schools and districts.

Failing grades for districts were made public for the first time since 2019. They showed schools with the poorest students were more likely to get a low score.

Santa Fe ISD shared on its Facebook page said a cyber event over the weekend caused a “network interruption which is affecting internet and phone service" throughout the district.

The Texas Education Agency has released updated A-F ratings for public schools and districts, after legal delays. The new accountability system shows a drop in student growth scores compared to 2022, leading to lower ratings for many.

Chronic absenteeism is a growing concern in Houston's schools, impacting student achievement and school funding.

SOUND OFF: As we prepare for our interview, KPRC 2 would like to hear from you, the viewer, on what questions you’d like us to ask the governor.

School leaders have privately criticized a bill that would make it harder to contest their performance ratings in court. But they did not testify against it to avoid lawmakers’ ire.

In response to the alarming rates of truancy and chronic absenteeism in Texas schools, lawmakers are pushing forward key legislation aimed at addressing these issues.

The House approved historic legislation that would implement school vouchers in Texas. Here’s how each representative voted.

Truancy remains a significant challenge in Texas, with around one million children reported truant each year. Recent investigations by KPRC 2 have shed light on the state's efforts—or lack thereof—in addressing this pressing issue.

KPRC 2 dug into records from 25 Houston-area school districts to find teachers and staff are facing a rise in student attacks.

With approximately 1 million students reported truant each year over the last four school years, concerns are rising about the effectiveness of truancy prevention measures.

Houston ISD has reported zero truancy prevention measures to the Texas Education Agency over the past four years, despite thousands of students being marked truant each year.

KPRC 2 has obtained a new list from the Texas Education Agency that contains the names of 60 new Texas educators who are currently under investigation in a teacher-certification cheating scheme that allowed unqualified teachers to work in local school districts.

Gov. Greg Abbott said cutting taxes is a top priority, however, state lawmakers don’t have as much money to plug into tax cuts as they did two years ago.

More than two dozen Texas Democrats expressed concern about the elimination of a federal policy preventing immigration arrests at schools.

The Fort Bend District Attorney’s Office has confirmed the identity of a now-former Katy ISD teacher accused of grabbing a student with autism by the collar.

ASK MIKE MILES: Superintendent Mike Miles will be LIVE at the KPRC 2 studio during our 4 p.m. broadcast. Let us know if you have any questions you'd like us to ask him.

The Texas Education Agency is investigating Katy Independent School District educator for possible assault against a child with autism.

The alleged scheme, reportedly worth over a million dollars, involved falsifying credentials to secure teaching positions for individuals who did not meet certification requirements, according to the district attorney’s office.

A growing teacher certification scandal continues to shake the Texas education system. Nearly 40 educators reportedly worked in Houston-area school districts.

KPRC 2 has obtained the Texas Education Agency’s list that contains the names of Houston-area teachers who are currently under investigation in a teacher-certification cheating scheme that allowed unqualified teachers to work in local school districts.

KPRC 2 News is celebrating a monumental achievement with their first Lone Star Emmy win for the "TAKEOVER" documentary!

Critics say the curriculum overemphasizes Christianity. Texas school districts don’t have to use it but will receive $60 per student if they do.

As investigations continue, HISD has promised immediate termination of any fraudulently certified teachers.

Vincent Grayson was the head basketball coach at a high school in the state's largest school district.

Houston ISD has started the school year with over 800 uncertified teachers, sparking a conversation about the effectiveness and legitimacy of uncertified educators in our schools.

Dozens of questions remain unanswered over a Houston-based cheating scandal involving hundreds of unqualified teachers getting certified; one of them is what policies were put in place? And what was ignored?

The Texas Education Agency found that checks mailed to Miles’ charter school network in Colorado were eventually deposited into the network’s Texas account.

Dozens of districts sued Texas saying the ratings painted an unfair picture of their schools. Others voluntarily have released their own.

The debate over whether cell phones should be allowed in classrooms is something state lawmakers may weigh in.

Mike Morath made the recommendation as concerns rise that phones are harmful to students’ mental health and distract them from learning.

The superintendents said they haven’t received enough support from the state or time to fix errors the system generated.

The Texas Education Agency says there’s time to fix problems before officially reported data is used to determine how much money districts get.

The press conference at 2 p.m. Monday will examine how Houston ISD has seen dramatic progress in its campuses' accountability ratings.

As students and teachers embark on the journey that is the 2024-2025 school year, many schools will be working to improve their accountability ratings and those already on a strong slope, will aim to keep their momentum. However, many may be wondering exactly what the accountability rating exactly is and how it’s measured.

A Klein ISD parent filed a complaint with the Texas Education Agency regarding perceived slights by the district against his stepson, with special needs, and other students in the adult program.

Students’ scores in a test that gauges their English skills have been low since a redesign introduced computer scoring.

House hearing focuses on a curriculum plan and on school vouchers.

Texas families have not received a full picture of their schools’ ratings since 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and lawsuits blocking their release.

Many students and teachers in HISD are beginning the school year with a brand new curriculum under the New Education System with their daily routines overhauled, requiring them to adapt to a new learning approach.

“Teachers are being bullied into submission, bullied out of their careers,” one HISD student said. ”The new curriculum is horrible. I’m stressed out. I’m tired. Everything is gloomy, and the atmosphere is just anxiety and stress.”

Some secular groups and members of other faiths say the curriculum could give schools too much control over how children are taught religion.

The proposal comes as part of a larger effort by officials in Texas and across the country to inject Christianity into public life.

Fort Bend ISD says they have been informed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) that they are under investigation.

Public education advocates opposed the new charters, which would launch in Arlington, Austin, Big Spring and Manor.

"While we continue to see progress in other areas - which is a testament to the dedication and skill of our Texas educators - it’s clear that math performance is not where students need it to be for success after graduation,” TEA Commissioner Mike Morath said.

Do you have questions for Superintendent Miles about the STAAR exam results or HISD’s educational initiatives? Submit your questions! Our Candace Burns will sit down with him Tuesday afternoon and your questions could be featured!

Test results showed a steady performance compared to previous years, but showed slight declines in meeting grade-level percentages for U.S. History.

Former Texas Education Agency Commissioner Michael Williams is celebrating preliminary results Houston ISD’s superintendent shared with the public Wednesday.

Proposed lesson plans could improve student performance and help teachers, Texas education officials say. Not all district leaders and education advocates are convinced.

A state lawmaker and Houston residents urge the Texas Education Agency to investigate whether the state-appointed superintendent improperly sent public funds to out-of-state charter schools.

As part of the Houston Independent School District's NES model, teachers are evaluated daily on their performance. We looked at this practice during our visit to Fleming Middle School to see if it was working. Here's what we discovered:

A state-appointed board of managers overseeing the La Joya Independent School District is set to consider the policy this week.

The state will save more than $15 million by using technology similar to ChatGPT to give initial scores, reducing the number of human graders needed. The decision caught some educators by surprise.

Sean Tellez said becoming the principal at Houston ISD’s Love Elementary School in the Heights was a dream come true.

The Houston Independent School District will be holding a public meeting to review the 2022-2023 District Annual Report.

The state had been investigating IDEA Public Schools since 2021 and raised questions on its spending on things like a luxury driver and private jet.

Spring Branch ISD Board President Chris Earnest sharpened criticism against his State Senator, Paul Bettencourt. Tuesday night (Feb. 27, 2024) Bettencourt posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) sharing a recent opinion piece from the district’s former superintendent questioning the district’s recent funding shortfall.

The transition at the Waco-area school district will shed light on how a democratically elected school board resumes control after a takeover.

Policy experts worry students will fall short of the state's future workforce needs. Educators hope the new curriculum will help them.

Parents and educators must be aware of the warning signs of inappropriate student-teacher relationships.

The TEA appointed a “board of managers” to replace the district’s school board trustees and named a new superintendent.

Dozens of school districts sued the Texas Education Agency last fall, claiming revisions to the state’s accountability system would hurt them.

Public schools got little help from lawmakers this year to address the state’s chronic teacher shortage, so they’ve turned to other creative solutions — like leaning on cultural exchange programs to recruit international teachers.

The second of a series of meetings discussing the changes at the Houston Independent School District will be underway this afternoon.

The 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.

KPRC 2 Investigates has been researching why a law meant to better safeguard children walking home from school has never been used.

The ruling comes after dozens of school districts sued the Texas Education Agency, claiming the revised accountability system would hurt their ratings.

Representatives of several school districts have filed a lawsuit against the Texas Education Agency following the recent changes to the state public school accountability system.

As tensions have flared in the escalating conflict and protests have spread across Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott announced that the Texas Education Agency would provide resources to schools to counter misinformation and antisemitism.

The new clinic met resistance from a vocal group of parents who raised concerns the district was overstepping its authority in caring for students.

Parents of Texas’ growing population of home-schooled students are split over whether education savings accounts would give them much-needed financial help or represent an unwanted government involvement in their kids’ educations.

For one reading class, Superintendent Mike Miles said instruction would focus on English, even if it meant risking state funding for dual-language programs. Parents say it goes further than that, adding that their kids are receiving no assistance in Spanish at all.

Miles said he should be held accountable and be fired if the district doesn’t improve academically in the next two years.

Alief ISD has voted to join a lawsuit brought against the Texas Education Agency (TEA) in regards to the agency’s accountability rating system.

Several members in Houston ISD’s advisory committee received an email Wednesday night thanking them for their time on the voluntary committee and ending their service.

TEA said it needs to make adjustments to account for changes in students’ academic performance after the pandemic. The delay comes after several school districts sued to stop the agency from releasing school rankings produced under a new rating system.

Lawmakers failed to pass legislation on school vouchers or teacher raises this year, but they approved other education-related laws like an $800 million investment in high-quality instructional materials and new rules for students found vaping or using marijuana.

House Bill 900 requires book vendors to rate all their materials based on their depictions or references to sex before selling them to schools. Vendors say the law aims to regulate protected speech with “vague and over broad” terms.

Thousands of families in Houston started the new school year under new leadership after the Texas Education Agency appointed a new superintendent and board of managers to oversee the largest district in Texas.

The largest school district in Texas, the Houston Independent School District, is slated to begin classes on Monday, Aug. 28.

Several ousted Houston ISD elected board members joined together virtually to speak with the community Tuesday. They say the purpose was to walk people through the proposed policy changes that Superintendent Mike Miles wants the new state-appointed board to approve.

Two Texas bookstores and three national bookseller associations file suit over House Bill 900, which requires private booksellers to rate books on appropriateness, and bans “sexually explicit” material from libraries.

Experts say many of the changes will bolster school safety but some requirements may be challenging for public schools to implement by the upcoming school year with limited funding and staffing constraints.

Some Houston Independent School District employees were calling out the district’s new superintendent, F. Mike Miles, over a delay in receiving their paychecks Wednesday morning.

Mike Miles has wasted no time in restructuring schools and proposing administrative layoffs. The changes are designed to pay teachers at struggling schools more if their students show improvement.

Threat assessment teams were created to prevent the next school shooting. However, confusion surrounds how these teams operate and what they even do with a child exhibiting threatening behavior.

The Texas Education Agency takeover is in full effect. Thursday, a newly appointed HISD Board voted in it’s managers and solidified a contract for the controversial new superintendent.

Lawmakers sacrificed school funding to block school vouchers, but the issue could be debated again in a special session. Districts will get new funds for school safety, though Uvalde families were ultimately left disappointed with inaction on gun restrictions.

The Texas Education Agency announced the appointment of a nine-member Board of Managers for the Houston Independent School District and the selection of a new superintendent Thursday.

The former Dallas ISD superintendent and a state-appointed board of managers will replace Houston’s elected school board in response to years of poor academic outcomes at a single campus in the district.

The Texas Education Agency announced the appointment of the nine-member Board of Managers for the Houston Independent School District and the selection of a new superintendent Thursday.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Friday that Millard House will serve his last day as superintendent at Houston Independent School District following the Texas Education Agency takeover.

Both chambers have said school safety is a priority this session after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at a Uvalde elementary school last year.

The Texas Education Agency plans to reveal its takeover plan for Houston Independent School District during a meeting Thursday morning.