The federal push for accountability at “persistently low-achieving” schools across Texas is running smack into the hard, slow work of improvement at the local level.
education
TribBlog: Who’s He In Bed With Now?
The Obama administration — which is one of the ways Mark Sanford and Rick Perry are not alike.
TribBlog: States Echoing Texas on National Standards
State school leaders from across the West are complaining of too much federal intrusion into local curriculum decisions, along with inflexible rules – including that national standards be adopted “word for word.”
Heir Apparent
State Rep. Terri Hodge, D-Dallas, dropped her reelection bid on Wednesday to plead guilty to lying on a tax return. But it’s too early for Eric Johnson, her West Dallas-born, Ivy League-educated primary opponent, to claim victory.
TribBlog: Disability Rights Group Scolds SBOE Member
Disability rights advocates say State Board of Education member David Bradley’s comment to the Texas Tribune — “If you sit on the mental health commission, do you have to be retarded?” — is offensive and uninformed.
Ads Infinitum: White Releases First TV Spot
The former Houston mayor hits the airwaves.
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
The death penalty and DNA testing in a 16-year-old triple murder in the Texas Panhandle. The second debate between the three Republican candidates for governor. Charter schools are having a hard time hanging on to the employees that matter the most: Teachers. The possibilities and perils of a switch to electronic medical records. A rundown of top races. Who’s giving to candidates, and how much? Social networks and politicians. Ballots: The slow reveal. And a new and highly requested feature makes its debut. The best of our best from January 23 to 29, 2010.
Charter Churn
Teachers quit Texas charter schools at nearly three times the rate of traditional public school districts, according to state data. Dozens of individual schools lost well over half their teachers in the latest year.
TribBlog: Will Obama Put Texas Schools Back in the Race?
The president announced he would ask Congress for an additional $1.35 billion for the Race to the Top education grant program — which Gov. Perry spurned last week — along with more flexibility in doling it out to individual districts. He also took a swipe at Texas.
Latinos and the Pay Gap
In Texas, they earn 35 percent less than their Anglo counterparts — a disparity that’s bigger here than elsewhere. Is it because of education, age, discrimination, or some combination of the above?

