Education
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How the fight for public education secured Democrats a Tarrant County Senate seat
Republican Leigh Wambsganss lost a runoff election in Senate District 9—considered a deep-red district in Tarrant County—to Democrat Taylor Rehmet on Jan. 31.
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Greg Abbott wants Austin school district investigated after students protest ICE during class
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is calling on Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath to investigate Austin ISD after hundreds of students walked out of class to protest US Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday.
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Greg Abbott halts visas for foreign workers at Texas universities
Public universities across the state can’t seek new visas without the Texas Workforce Commission’s permission from now until the end of the 2027 legislative session under a new directive from Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.
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How Texas A&M became ground zero for higher education’s culture war
Dr. Leonard Bright’s Ethics and Public Policy course was canceled a few days into the semester. It’s just one in a string of attacks on academic freedom at the university.
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New website turns Texas students into campus watchdogs
Students can now submit complaints against public universities and colleges to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s new Office of Ombudsman through an online portal.
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Texas teachers sue over investigations into social media posts following Charlie Kirk’s death
The Texas Education Agency urged superintendents in September to report teachers who were critical of the far-right political activist on social media.
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8 seats up for grabs on the Texas State Board of Education in 2026
Several offices across Texas will be on the ballot in 2026, including eight seats on the state board of education.
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Greg Abbott vows to put Turning Point USA chapters in all Texas schools
Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick joined Turning Point USA Senior Director Josh Thifault in Austin on Monday to announce a partnership with the far-right organization.
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How North Texas colleges work to keep pre-med students in the health care pipeline
Five months into college, Brian Mata sees the difference between exploring science in a high school lab and surviving a course in a university lecture hall.
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Texas’ private school voucher program is starting. Here’s what to know.
Rules for the state’s new $1 billion private school voucher program were finalized on Nov. 25. Here’s what you need to know about the controversial initiative.
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Far-right conservatives are rewriting Texas history. Education advocates are sounding the alarm.
Education advocates are raising concerns over a new panel stacked with conservatives that will reshape how social studies are taught in Texas public schools.
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Voters stopped a right-wing takeover of a Houston-area school board
In early November, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD voters elected three new trustees to their school board, breaking a conservative majority that was elected in 2023.
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Gina Hinojosa urges Fort Worth to fight for its public schools
State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, a Democrat running for governor, answered questions and called on community members to fight back against Fort Worth ISD’s state takeover at a town hall on Saturday.
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‘100% about politics’: Lawmakers denounce Fort Worth ISD takeover
Fort Worth ISD officials can defend the district during an informal review on Thursday. A state takeover would mean sweeping changes to the district’s local leadership.
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UT won’t say if it accepted Trump’s pledge targeting trans, international students
The Trump administration offered preferential funding to nine colleges that agreed to pledge loyalty to his conservative agenda. The University of Texas has yet to publicly respond to the offer.
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Texas State faculty fight back against ‘politically motivated’ curriculum review
The vague new order requires the university to ensure all curriculum is taught in a “value-neutral” manner, which critics said encroaches on academic freedom.
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DFW bookstores share their favorite banned books
Three North Texas bookstores share their favorite banned books as censorship is on the rise in Texas.
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How the government shutdown could hurt low-income students in Texas
The US government officially shut down at midnight on Oct. 1 after Congress failed to reach a funding agreement. Federal workers said it’s already impacting education funding.
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Fort Worth ISD adopts Bible-infused curriculum
Fort Worth ISD is now one of the largest districts in Texas to implement Bluebonnet Learning, and will receive millions of dollars from the state for adopting the new materials.
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Texas ranks second in the US for book bans
It’s Banned Books Week, which means PEN America—a nonprofit that fights censorship—has updated its database of banned books in public schools throughout the country.
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5 Texas school districts face state takeovers. Here’s what to know.
Several Texas school districts, including Fort Worth, are at risk of takeover by the Texas Education Agency. Here’s a look at what that means.
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Educators rally behind James Talarico at Dallas campaign event
State Rep. James Talarico, a 36-year-old Democrat and former teacher, is running for US Senate in Texas.
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Texas educators applaud increased public school funding, but question if it’s enough
Texas lawmakers provided $8.5 billion in new funding for public schools this year, including a pay raise for teachers.
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‘This is not right’: Texas students, educators criticize Ten Commandments in classrooms
Some Texas students and educators are criticizing new laws that added prayer time, Ten Commandments to public schools.
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Texas A&M fires professor for discussing gender identity in class
Texas A&M fired a professor and disciplined two administrators over backlash from right-wing lawmakers following a viral video showing a professor discussing LGBTQ+ topics in class.
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‘More stressed, more unsure’: Texas educators start school year under new DEI ban
Educators speak out on new laws they face in classrooms, including a ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion and a “Parental Bill of Rights” that makes it easier for conservatives to interfere in public schools.
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Why books shouldn’t be controversial: Welcome to your Texas banned reading list
Banned books have been hugely controversial when it comes to Texas education. Literature is fundamental to learning—and when the government is trying to dictate what students can and can’t read, important, diverse voices can be lost.
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Houston ISD hits milestone: No failing schools in new state scores
Houston ISD scored a dramatic turnaround under the latest ratings from the Texas Education Agency, including 74% of its campuses receiving an A or B grade.
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Classroom doors open, but wallets stay empty for Texas teachers
A study found that Texas teachers spend about $100 of their own money on school supplies.
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Texas private schools hire relatives and enrich insiders. Soon they can do it with taxpayer money.
An investigation by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found more than 60 instances of nepotism, self-dealing and conflicts of interest among 27 private schools that likely would have violated state laws had the schools been public.
