The Texas Tribune: Jaden Edisonhttps://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/jaden-edison/The latest news by Jaden Edison.enWed, 20 Nov 2024 16:46:40 -0600Approval of Texas' Bible-infused curriculum will likely depend on Abbott appointeehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/20/texas-curriculum-greg-abbott-tiffany-clark-leslie-recine/Tiffany Clark, who was elected to fill a vacant State Board of Education seat in January, said she would have voted against the curriculum.By Jaden EdisonWed, 20 Nov 2024 16:46:40 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/20/texas-curriculum-greg-abbott-tiffany-clark-leslie-recine/Tiffany Clark, who was elected to represent the State Board of Education's District 13, said she was disappointed that Gov. Greg Abbott appointed someone else to fill the seat through the end of the year, which was vacated when former SBOE member Aicha Davis ran for the Texas House earlier this year. Clark said she would have voted against a state-proposed curriculum currently under consideration. Abbott's appointee, Leslie Recine, has signaled she would vote for the curriculum, which critics say overemphasizes Christianity.SBOE District 13 elect Tiffany ClarkSocial MediaState Board of Education signals support for Bible-infused curriculumhttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/19/texas-sboe-bible-christianity-curriculum/Critics say the curriculum overemphasizes Christianity. The board is expected to officially vote on whether to approve the materials later this week.By Jaden EdisonTue, 19 Nov 2024 13:24:27 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/19/texas-sboe-bible-christianity-curriculum/The State Board of Education signaled support for a new state curriculum that critics say overemphasizes Christianity. Board members are expected to make a final vote on whether to approve the materials later this week.State Board of Education chambers during the SBOE hearing on the controversial Mexican-American studies textbooks in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 13. Scholars who have reviewed Mexican American Heritage have pointed out that the textbook is riddled with factual errors, promotes offensive ethnic stereotypes and disparages Mexican Americans and their contributions to this country. Martin do Nascimento for The Texas TribuneHow some Texas parents and historians say a new state curriculum glosses over slavery and racismhttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/18/texas-curriculum-history-social-studies-slavery-racism/Education officials say the materials were designed to be age appropriate but critics argue they repeatedly omit key context and oversimplify history.By Jaden EdisonMon, 18 Nov 2024 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/18/texas-curriculum-history-social-studies-slavery-racism/Texas parents and historians say a new state curriculum's lessons on the country's history of slavery, racism and civil rights omit key context. The teaching materials are currently under review.A U.S. History classroom at Akins High School in Austin, on October 2018.Rachel Zein for The Texas TribuneTexas Legislature will approve school vouchers and boost public education funds next year, Abbott sayshttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/06/texas-house-greg-abbott-school-vouchers-funding/Last year, Abbott refused to give public schools a major raise without passing a voucher program. His tone was more conciliatory after Election Day.By Jaden Edison, Graphics by Carla AstudilloWed, 06 Nov 2024 18:31:48 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/06/texas-house-greg-abbott-school-vouchers-funding/Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at the Kingdom Life Academy private school on Nov. 6, 2024, in Tyler.Governor Greg Abbott speaks about school choice during a visit to the Kingdom Life Academy private school on Wednesday November 6, 2024, in Tyler. Michael Cavazos for The Texas TribuneRepublicans maintain majority on the Texas State Board of Educationhttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/05/texas-board-of-education-2024-race-results/Republicans Tom Maynard, Pam Little, Aaron Kinsey and Brandon Hall prevailed in contested races. Democrat Gustavo Reveles won in the District 1 race.By Jaden EdisonWed, 06 Nov 2024 07:52:58 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/05/texas-board-of-education-2024-race-results/Texas State Board of Education chambers.State Board of Education chambers during the SBOE hearing on the controversial Mexican-American studies textbooks in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 13. Scholars who have reviewed Mexican American Heritage have pointed out that the textbook is riddled with factual errors, promotes offensive ethnic stereotypes and disparages Mexican Americans and their contributions to this country. Martin do Nascimento for The Texas TribuneTexas is slashing $607 million in Medicaid funding from program for students with disabilitieshttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/28/texas-shars-medicaid-special-education/School officials say the state decision to cut federal money likely will hurt their ability to recruit and retain critical staff for students with disabilities.By Jaden EdisonMon, 28 Oct 2024 13:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/28/texas-shars-medicaid-special-education/Dana Altamirano reads “The Wild Robot” to fourth graders at West Avenue Elementary School in Waco on April 5.Dana Altamirano reads “The Wild Robot” to fourth graders at West Avenue Elementary School in Waco, on April 5, 2024.Greta Díaz González Vázquez for The Texas TribuneFive races for the Republican-dominated State Board of Education to watch this yearhttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/18/texas-state-board-of-education-races-2024/Revising the social studies curriculum could be among the divisive issues the Texas State Board of Education tackles next year.By Jaden EdisonFri, 18 Oct 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/18/texas-state-board-of-education-races-2024/This year's Texas State Board of Education elections will see five competitive races.State Board of Education chambers during the SBOE hearing on the controversial Mexican-American studies textbooks in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 13. Scholars who have reviewed Mexican American Heritage have pointed out that the textbook is riddled with factual errors, promotes offensive ethnic stereotypes and disparages Mexican Americans and their contributions to this country. Martin do Nascimento for The Texas TribuneHouston ISD superintendent didn’t illegally funnel state money to out-of-state schools, TEA sayshttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/15/houston-isd-mike-miles-cleared-wrongdoing-tea/The Texas Education Agency found that checks mailed to Miles’ charter school network in Colorado were eventually deposited into the network’s Texas account.By Jaden EdisonTue, 15 Oct 2024 21:11:03 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/15/houston-isd-mike-miles-cleared-wrongdoing-tea/Mike Miles, the state-appointed superintendent of the Houston school district, discusses public education at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Sept. 23, 2023.Mike Miles, the state-appointed superintendent of Houston ISD, discusses public education in Texas' largest city with Jacob Carpenter, team leader of the Houston Landing, at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Sept. 23, 2023.Eddie Gaspar/The Texas TribuneHow a school voucher supporter won in a Texas House district with almost no private schoolshttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/02/texas-house-district-18-school-vouchers-march-primary-election/Gov. Greg Abbott said the primary showed Texans want vouchers. In House District 18, an ad blitz and immigration fears may have played a larger role.By Jaden EdisonWed, 02 Oct 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/02/texas-house-district-18-school-vouchers-march-primary-election/A mascot poses with students during the "Meet the Wildcats" community event at Splendora High School on Aug. 16, 2024, in Splendora.A mascot poses with students during the "Meet the Wildcats" community event at Splendora High School on Friday, Aug. 16, 2024, in Splendora.Annie Mulligan for The Texas TribuneTexas education commissioner calls for student cellphone ban in schoolshttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/18/texas-school-cell-phone-ban/Mike Morath made the recommendation as concerns rise that phones are harmful to students’ mental health and distract them from learning.By Jaden EdisonWed, 18 Sep 2024 17:07:56 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/18/texas-school-cell-phone-ban/High school students walk to their next class after the bell rings at Elsik Ninth Grade Center in Houston on March 28, 2018.High school students walk to their next class after the bell rings at Elsik Ninth Grade Center in Houston on March 28, 2018.Pu Ying Huang for The Texas TribuneDozens of Texas school districts press state to suspend new student data reporting systemhttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/17/school-district-letter-ed-fi-system/The superintendents said they haven’t received enough support from the state or time to fix errors the system generated.By Jaden EdisonTue, 17 Sep 2024 15:27:38 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/17/school-district-letter-ed-fi-system/Texas education commissioner Mike Morath addresses the State Board of Education in Austin on June 26.TEA Commissioner Mike Morath addresses the State Board of Education on June 26, 2024, at the William B. Travis Building in Austin.Olivia Anderson/The Texas TribuneTexas school districts say upgrades to the state’s student data reporting system could hurt their fundinghttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/10/texas-education-data-reporting-school-districts-tea/The Texas Education Agency says there’s time to fix problems before officially reported data is used to determine how much money districts get.By Jaden EdisonTue, 10 Sep 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/10/texas-education-data-reporting-school-districts-tea/Some Texas school districts say a new system to submit student data to the state needed more testing before it was launched this month. The system was piloted last school year and led to thousands of errors, school officials say. The state's education agency said it's confident errors will be resolved before districts' reporting deadline.A school bus drives past the Texas Capitol Complex as State Board of Education members hold a meeting in the William B. Travis building on Nov. 17, 2023, in Austin.Julius Shieh/The Texas TribuneTexas schools are hiring more teachers without traditional training. They hope the state will pay to prepare them.https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/04/texas-uncertified-teachers-staff-shortages/Schools are hiring instructors with different types of backgrounds to deal with critical staff shortages.By Jaden Edison, Data reporting by Elijah Nicholson-MessmerWed, 04 Sep 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/04/texas-uncertified-teachers-staff-shortages/First-year educator Amanda Garza McIntyre interacts with her students at Freeport Intermediate School in Freeport on Aug. 16, 2024. McIntyre transitioned from being an administrative assistant at a construction company to becoming an eighth grade science teacher through the help of a Freeport Intermediate School preparation program.First year educator Amanda McIntyre interacts with her students at Freeport Intermediate School in Freeport, Texas, on August 16,2024. She recently completed her teacher apprenticeship program.Douglas Sweet Jr. for The Texas TribuneChurch, state and the Texas Legislature: Debate heats up over what students should learnhttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/08/12/texas-education-hearing-religion-curriculum/House hearing focuses on a curriculum plan and on school vouchers.By Jaden EdisonMon, 12 Aug 2024 20:14:56 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/08/12/texas-education-hearing-religion-curriculum/Odessa High School students walk between classes. On the first day of school for many Texas students, state lawmakers debated the role of religion in the curriculum.Odessa High School students walk between classes Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 in Odessa.Eli Hartman/The Texas TribuneTexas schools got billions in federal pandemic relief. It is coming to an end as the school year starts.https://www.texastribune.org/2024/08/07/texas-schools-covid-19-pandemic-esser/Educators say they’ll struggle to keep the programs they created with those funds, highlighting their precarious situation without more state help.By Jaden EdisonWed, 07 Aug 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/08/07/texas-schools-covid-19-pandemic-esser/Students at Lorenzo G. Alarcon Elementary School this summer open boxes of school supplies paid for with Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds in San Elizario.Students at Lorenzo G Alarcon Elementary School open boxes of school supplies paid for with Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds in San Elizario, Texas on July 23, 2024.Justin Hamel for The Texas TribuneRural Texas officials and civic leaders discuss economic development, health care and water supply in smaller communitieshttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/08/01/small-town-big-possibilities-San-Antonio-symposium/The Tribune’s rural symposium highlighted the challenges the state’s far-flung regions face — and the opportunities they offer.By Alejandra Martinez, Jaden Edison, Kayla Guo, Pooja Salhotra, Terri Langford, Texas Tribune Staff and Xiomara MooreThu, 01 Aug 2024 13:11:13 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/08/01/small-town-big-possibilities-San-Antonio-symposium/Texas teachers stand behind Kamala Harris after years of feeling targeted, neglected by Republicanshttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/25/texas-teachers-kamala-harris-houston/At a gathering for teachers in Houston, educators saw Harris as a potential ally at a time when conservatives push for changes in Texas classrooms.By Jaden EdisonThu, 25 Jul 2024 18:21:47 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/25/texas-teachers-kamala-harris-houston/Vice President Kamala Harris gave the keynote speech at the American Federation of Teachers’ 88th national convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston on Thursday.On July 25, 2024 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas, Vice President Kamala Harris gives the keynote speech at the American Federation of Teachers’ 88th national convention.Danielle Villasana for The Texas TribuneKamala Harris to visit Houston Thursday for national teachers’ union conferencehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/23/kamala-harris-houston-visit/The visit will come days after President Joe Biden said he would not seek reelection and endorsed Harris’ bid for the Democratic Party’s nomination.By Jaden EdisonTue, 23 Jul 2024 16:08:50 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/23/kamala-harris-houston-visit/Texas’ Christian-influenced curriculum spurs worries about bullying, church-state separationhttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/19/texas-christianity-school-curriculum-worries/Some secular groups and members of other faiths say the curriculum could give schools too much control over how children are taught religion.By Jaden EdisonFri, 19 Jul 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/19/texas-christianity-school-curriculum-worries/A monument to the Ten Commandments on the grounds of the Capitol in Austin on June 24, 2024.A monument to the Ten Commandments on the grounds of the Capitol in Austin on June 24, 2024.Olivia Anderson/The Texas TribuneTexans heading into a second week without electricity are battling heat, frustration and boredomhttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/15/texans-power-outages-hurricane-beryl/More than 200,000 CenterPoint Energy customers without power struggle with the heat one week after Hurricane Beryl swept through southeast Texas.By Jaden Edison and Pooja SalhotraMon, 15 Jul 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/15/texans-power-outages-hurricane-beryl/Juan Piñón disperses wet concrete on Sunday while repairing a fence destroyed by Hurricane Beryl in Houston. Sunday marked the family’s seventh day without power at their home on the east side of the city.From left, Olga Minez and Gabriel Leal grill burgers for dinner on Sunday, July 14, 2024, at Aldine in Houston, Tx. In order to make the blackout more manageable, the couple and their five children have been using a generator left over from the previous year’s blackout.Olivia Anderson/The Texas Tribune