Texas has long failed to get most of its students the higher education credentials the workforce increasingly demands. But recent laws that reward schools for helping students succeed later in life could help the state make up lost ground, experts say. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board regularly tracks if students enrolled in eighth grade […]

While most of Texas’ eighth grade students graduated from a state public high school, only 1 in 4 eventually received an in-state higher education degree or certificate. That’s according to new data from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, which followed 400,000 students enrolled in eighth grade in 2013-14 and tracked their outcomes over the […]

Texas Tribune education reporters join TribCast to unpack what the recent spate of school district takeovers says about our systems for measuring academic performance

The top-ranked Celina High School football team is barrelling toward another state championship this month. Its coach is barred from the field.

The three interventions come after the state’s education agency announced plans to take over Fort Worth ISD in October.

The meeting happened days before Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick pledged $1 million to help establish chapters of the conservative student group on every Texas college and high school campus.

The law requires school employees to use names and pronouns that conform to students’ sex at birth.

Three school district leaders at The Texas Tribune Festival said the Texas Education Agency’s reliance on state takeovers to improve academic performance threatens local control.

KPRC 2 Investigates has found that truancy data reported to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) is not proactively monitored, despite a state law requiring school districts to engage in and report truancy prevention efforts.

The district has struggled to bring students’ grades up, especially at campuses in low-income neighborhoods with large Black and brown populations.

A takeover is meant to correct the course of struggling school districts. But it can become a fraught process since the district’s elected school board loses its decision-making power.

The North Texas district is the 11th since 2000 to be taken over by the state and the second largest after Houston ISD.

“Families should never have to navigate the challenges of homelessness alone,” TEA Commissioner Mike Morath said in a written statement.

Free speech experts say that when teachers speak in their personal capacity, even on school grounds but outside their official duties, they retain their right to comment on matters of public concern.

Transportation to school is a major challenge for many families during back-to-school season, but it is even more difficult for students with severe disabilities.

The university's announcement came hours after Gov. Greg Abbott called for the student's expulsion.

Several school districts have already taken disciplinary action against staff for comments made about the Christian conservative activist’s death.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) says it’s reviewing 180 complaints on educators’ comments they made online about the assassination of Charlie Kirk.

The Texas Education Agency says it will investigate teachers and school staff accused of making inappropriate comments on social media following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

The guidance comes in response to confusion over a new state law requiring schools to notify parents whenever students need health care services.

In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Tribune reporter Sneha Dey and the Commit Partnership’s Bridget Worley about the changes to the state’s standardized test.

House Bill 8 scraps the unpopular exam for three shorter tests at the beginning, middle and end of the year starting in the 2027-28 school year.

The numbers may grow as the state collects more data. Some districts adopted the plan not for its religious emphasis but for more funding and to better align with teaching requirements.

Test scores rose slightly after math scores previously fell last year.

The state can take control of a school district if at least one of its campuses receives a failing grade five years in a row.

In the 2024-25 school year, 14% of Texas school districts got an A, 71% got a B or a C, and 15% got a D or an F, new state data shows.

Texas Education Agency Commissioner, Mike Morath will discuss the Houston Independent School District’s accountability ratings

Texas is making waves in education with the introduction of the Bluebonnet Learning curriculum.

Alief Independent School District is offering a unique opportunity for individuals in the Houston area looking to transition into a career in education. With a starting salary of $51,500, the Associate Teacher Pathway program allows career-changers with a bachelor's degree to become certified teachers without the need to return to school full-time. This program, supported by the Texas Education Agency's Alternative Certification Programs (ACPs), enables participants to teach as paid interns while fulfilling certification requirements. Alief ISD is among 19 ACP programs in Houston, out of a total of 103 across Texas. Eligibility criteria include a bachelor's degree with passing grades in English and math courses, official college transcripts, and enrollment in an ACP upon agreement with Alief ISD. The program requires a $50 enrollment fee, with additional costs for transcript requests. Prospective participants can learn more by visiting the Alief ISD Center for Talent Development on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am-1pm or 4pm-6pm until August 28th, 2025.

Lawmakers added $100 million to a child care scholarship program but failed to expand access to free preschool for children with disabilities.

The mixed-bag results showed early literacy improvements, a key indicator of future academic success, but underline the challenges of preparing children for STEM-related jobs.

The private school voucher program is now law in Texas.

The private school voucher program is now law in Texas.

HAPPENING TODAY! The Frederick Douglass Freedom Alliance (FDFA) will host a FREE forum at the Christian Bible Church in Missouri City from 6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Share your thoughts. How do you feel about the state's extension?

Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath applauded the district for its improvements while citing the need for more time to “achieve lasting success for students.”

A new bill aimed at curbing the rise in violent and disruptive incidents in Texas schools is now awaiting Governor Greg Abbott’s signature—but some parents and educators say the proposed legislation falls short of solving the deeper issues at play.

The chambers differ on how much power districts should have to push back in courts over their accountability ratings. They risk keeping STAAR by default if they don’t reach an agreement.

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.

An appeals court granted the state approval to release the ratings after doing the same for 2023 scores in April.

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.