The Texas Tribune: Sneha Deyhttps://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/sneha-dey/The latest news by Sneha Dey.enTue, 17 Dec 2024 18:05:21 -0600An emerging Texas megadonor just pledged $20 million to “expand a true Republican majority”https://www.texastribune.org/2024/12/17/alex-fairly-texas-republican-political-group/Alex Fairly is an Amarillo businessman and father of a state House member who has previously given millions to West Texas A&M University, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton.By Sneha DeyTue, 17 Dec 2024 18:05:21 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/12/17/alex-fairly-texas-republican-political-group/Expanding college financial aid will help Texas meet workforce needs, new higher ed chief sayshttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/12/13/wynn-rosser-texas-higher-education/In his new role, Rosser will be responsible for helping Texas meet its goal to increase the number of Texans ages 25 to 34 with a postsecondary credential to 60% by 2030.By Sneha DeyFri, 13 Dec 2024 17:00:47 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/12/13/wynn-rosser-texas-higher-education/Wynn Rosser, photographed in 2015, introduced himself as the next public higher education chief Friday.Wynn Rosser, then CEO of the Greater Texas Foundation, during a symposium on higher education at Baylor University in 2015.Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas TribuneAt this Fort Worth charter school, Texas adults are getting a second chance at a diplomahttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/12/05/texas-adult-charter-high-schools/The Texas Legislature has prioritized getting high school dropouts the skills they need to enter the workforce.By Sneha DeyThu, 05 Dec 2024 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/12/05/texas-adult-charter-high-schools/Tiphainne Wright reads Margaret Atwood's novel “The Handmaid's Tale” in English class at New Heights High School on Nov. 6, in Fort Worth.Tiphainne Wright makes an expression while reading “The Handmaid's Tale” in class on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024 in Fort Worth, Texas. Wright is one of 5 students in Schnique Dory’s period four English class at New Heights High School.Maria Crane for The Texas TribuneCommunity college “deserts” deter Texas students from getting a degree, report sayshttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/27/texas-community-college-deserts/Black and Hispanic high schoolers who have to drive more than 30 minutes to a community college are less likely to pursue a degree, the report found.By Sneha DeyWed, 27 Nov 2024 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/27/texas-community-college-deserts/The Austin Community College Riverside campus on Feb. 27, 2019. High school students are more likely to leave their hometowns for college or not pursue a degree at all when they live in community college "deserts," or places where students would have to drive about 30 minutes to get to the nearest community college, a recent study found.ACC Riverside campus on Feb. 27, 2019.Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas TribuneInside the only college class in Texas to help prepare inmates for life after prisonhttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/26/texas-prison-reentry-classes-lee-college-huntsville/More than 250 Texas prisoners are on the waitlist to join the Lee College reentry class. Programs like these prepare students to find jobs and help lower recidivism.By Sneha DeyTue, 26 Nov 2024 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/26/texas-prison-reentry-classes-lee-college-huntsville/Women who are incarcerated participate in a Lee College course that focuses on preparing them for life after prison at Lucile Plane State Jail in Dayton on Oct. 28, 2024.Women who are incarcerated participate in a Lee College course that focuses on reentry at Lucile Plane State Jail in Dayton, Texas, US, on Monday October 28, 2024.Callaghan O'Hare for The Texas TribuneIn preview of legislative session, lawmakers expect school vouchers to pass and the House to shift to the righthttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/07/2025-legislative-session-preview/Lawmakers discussed public education, gun laws and health care policy at a daylong Texas Tribune event.By Juan Salinas II, Pooja Salhotra and Sneha DeyFri, 08 Nov 2024 13:52:55 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/07/2025-legislative-session-preview/How a boom in East Texas high schoolers taking college classes is transforming Kilgore Collegehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/25/dual-credit-texas-kilgore-college/High school students that are getting a jump on college through dual credit now make up the majority of students at one East Texas community college.By Sneha DeyFri, 25 Oct 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/25/dual-credit-texas-kilgore-college/Sabine High School students meet during a federal government class, on Oct. 15. The dual enrollment students will get both high school and college credit for passing this class.Sabine High School students during a Kilgore College dual credit federal government class, on Thursday October 15, 2024, at Sabine High School in Liberty City.Michael Cavazos for The Texas TribuneNearly half of Texas high school students who earn college credits are Hispanic, study sayshttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/16/texas-dual-enrollment-high-school-community-college/Despite the group’s strong participation, Hispanic students graduate college at a lower rate than peers in the program, according to a report.By Sneha DeyWed, 16 Oct 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/16/texas-dual-enrollment-high-school-community-college/Students pass through the halls at United South High School in Laredo in the fall of 2018.Passing period at United South High School in Laredo on Oct. 23, 2018.Rachel Zein for The Texas TribuneTexas students with immigrant parents lost out on college aid because of FAFSA glitchhttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/07/fafsa-immigrant-students-texas-grant/The glitch kept the students from submitting the form on time, which put them last in line to receive aid this year.By Sneha DeyMon, 07 Oct 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/10/07/fafsa-immigrant-students-texas-grant/Students walk nearby the Albert B. Allen Library on Texas State University in San Marcos on Jan. 31, 2018.Students walk nearby the Albert B. Allen Library on Texas State University in San Marcos on Jan. 31, 2018.Laura Skelding for The Texas TribuneLatest effort to block school ratings cracks Texas districts’ once-united fronthttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/23/texas-schools-accountability-ratings-lawsuit-split/Dozens of districts sued Texas saying the ratings painted an unfair picture of their schools. Others voluntarily have released their own.By Sneha DeyMon, 23 Sep 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/23/texas-schools-accountability-ratings-lawsuit-split/Students leave the classroom to work in the computer lab at Mata Intermediate School.Students leave the classroom to work in the computer lab at Mata Intermediate School.Pu Ying Huang for The Texas TribuneUT-Austin tightens automatic admission threshold to 5% of Texas’ top high schoolershttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/16/ut-austin-top-five-percent-threshold/The current threshold is 6%. The change comes after the university received a record-breaking 73,000 undergraduate applications for this fall.By Sneha DeyMon, 16 Sep 2024 18:09:34 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/16/ut-austin-top-five-percent-threshold/The University of Texas at Austin tower on July 16, 2020.The University of Texas at Austin tower on July 16, 2020.Allie Goulding/The Texas TribuneCollege costs weigh heavily on Texas students as they wait on late financial aid offershttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/08/22/fafsa-delays-texas-college-enrollment/Delays in the new FAFSA led students to take out debt, enroll in community college over their top-choice universities or opt out of going to college.By Sneha DeyThu, 22 Aug 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/08/22/fafsa-delays-texas-college-enrollment/Tina-Rose Chipeta, a sophomore at Texas A&M University in College Station, in her dorm room on Aug. 19. Chipeta is one of many students around the nation affected by FAFSA delays.Tina-Rose Chipeta looks out her dorm window on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, in College Station.Ishika Samant for The Texas TribuneJudge blocks Texas from releasing this year’s school accountability ratingshttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/08/12/texas-school-accountability-ratings-lawsuit/The ruling marks the fifth consecutive year Texas families have not received a full picture of their schools’ ratings, which are used to determine how they are performing.By Sneha DeyMon, 12 Aug 2024 17:06:50 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/08/12/texas-school-accountability-ratings-lawsuit/A Travis County judge temporarily blocked the Texas Education Agency from releasing this year's ratings of the state's school districts and campuses.Lorenzo G Alarcon Elementary School received Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to create a calming and quiet room with the school counselor in San Elizario, Texas on July 23, 2024.Justin Hamel for The Texas TribuneNorth Texas colleges want to make transferring between schools easier, saving students time and moneyhttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/26/dallas-north-texas-transfer-college-students/Thousands of Texas transfer students each year don’t get credit for some community college courses. The partnership seeks to address that.By Sneha DeyFri, 26 Jul 2024 13:00:45 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/26/dallas-north-texas-transfer-college-students/Students walk the Texas Woman’s University campus in Denton on Feb. 24, 2022.Students walk the Texas Women’s University campus in Denton, Texas, on February 24, 2022.Shelby Tauber for The Texas TribuneNational effort to connect rural students with colleges expands to Texashttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/24/stars-rural-students-college-texas-ut-smu/Southern Methodist University and the University of Texas at Austin will get funds to visit more students in rural communities and small towns.By Sneha DeyWed, 24 Jul 2024 19:59:16 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/07/24/stars-rural-students-college-texas-ut-smu/Fewer Texas students seek financial aid for college after this year’s bungled FAFSA rollouthttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/06/21/texas-fafsa-completion-financial-aid/Texas college access advocates are in a race this summer to get more students to apply for federal financial aid.By Sneha Dey, Data reporting by Elijah Nicholson-MessmerFri, 21 Jun 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/06/21/texas-fafsa-completion-financial-aid/Texas students’ STAAR scores decline in math and sciencehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/06/14/texas-staar-scores-math-science/The latest results in math are a setback after two years of modest progress toward recovering from the pandemic.By Sneha Dey, Graphics by Yuriko SchumacherFri, 14 Jun 2024 12:47:49 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/06/14/texas-staar-scores-math-science/Texas elementary and middle school students' STAAR scores dropped in math and science, data released Friday shows. The latest results highlight the challenges to recover from the pandemic's disruption on students' learning.A calculator and a test sheet on a desk at Elsik High School in 2018.Pu Ying Huang for The Texas TribuneUniversity of North Texas names Harrison Keller as next presidenthttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/06/07/unt-president-harrison-keller-thecb/Keller, commissioner of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board since 2019, takes office on Aug. 1.By Sneha DeyFri, 07 Jun 2024 14:20:33 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/06/07/unt-president-harrison-keller-thecb/Harrison Keller, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board commissioner, speaks at a Texas Tribune event in Austin on Feb. 23, 2023.Harrison Keller, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board commissioner, speaks at a Texas Tribune event in Austin on Feb. 23, 2023.John Jordan/The Texas TribuneTexas A&M bonfire will not return to campushttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/06/05/texas-am-bonfire/Resuming the bonfire was “not in the interest” of Texas A&M, said school President Mark Welsh III.By Sneha DeyWed, 05 Jun 2024 16:57:13 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/06/05/texas-am-bonfire/Documents detail how Texas’ DEI ban is changing university campuseshttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/24/texas-dei-ban-higher-education-brandon-creighton/In an update to lawmakers, university system leaders expressed worries about how the ban might affect crucial applications for federal funds.By Sneha DeyFri, 24 May 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/24/texas-dei-ban-higher-education-brandon-creighton/State Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, asked university system leaders to give an update on how they have been implementing the state's DEI ban. Legislators have warned they may pursue new laws to enforce the ban during next year's lawmaking session.State Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, on the Senate floor at the Capitol on May 29, 2023.Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune