There are still two months before the 88th Texas legislative session starts in early 2023. Still, Texas Republicans’ pre-filing records show banning more books in public schools and deciding what students can read in a classroom will be a top priority for the...
Education
back to archiveCharting Greg Abbott’s Charter School Affinity
As the campaign for governor churns into its final weeks, Greg Abbott has made a huge point of championing charter schools around the state. Charter schools are funded by the government but operated independently of the state. For conservatives in Texas, charter...
Education Remains a Driving Force in Texas Races
A handful of runoff races over the weekend means that election season in Texas is finally, and mercifully, over until November. Still, the runoff races highlighted the growing divisions over education that have spilled over into school board and college races. In...
Ted Cruz Is Focusing on the Wrong Education Fight
Critical race theory, or CRT, has become a Republican staple for publicity grabs and divisive campaign messaging. The discourse surrounding CRT has resulted in the demonization of educators and book bans, an interesting aim from the party that claims to protect free...
The Rightwing Takeover of School Boards Continues in North Texas
School boards have become the epicenter of the culture war. After the recent constitutional amendment and municipal election on Saturday, several school board races in North Texas were captured by far-right candidates (often with less than ten percent turnout). Many...
How the Texas GOP’s Educational Goals go Through SCOTUS
After a lengthy dry spell, the subject of American education has again become a major hot button in national politics. Conservatives have mobilized over their hatred of increasing LGBTQ+ acceptance and racially-conscious history lessons, and bills targeting such...
Does Every Child in Texas Deserve Access to a Free Public Education? Greg Abbott Doesn’t Think So
In an interview on Wednesday with a rightwing talk show host, Greg Abbott was asked why the state of Texas must educate all children, including the undocumented. The Texas Governor responded by saying the state could be looking into “resurrecting” the Supreme Court...
Texas teacher pay ‘virtually stagnant’ for last decade, report finds
A new report by the Texas American Federation of Teachers union and the nonprofit think tank Every Texan shows a “lost decade” in teacher pay. Between the 2009-10 school year and 2020-21 school year, average teacher wages declined by four percent, according to the new...
Pasadena ISD over-policing statistics will scare you. Here’s a breakdown of the numbers
After Houstonian George Floyd was murdered in the streets of Minneapolis in 2020 by former police officer Derek Chauvin, the national conversation on police reform reached a peak in coverage the country hadn't seen in years. Floyd begging for his life in the nearly...