The World According To Don
So what if he's no longer the chair of the State Board of Education? Self-described "religious fanatic" Don McLeroy has big plans for Texas education — and science is just the beginning. Full Story
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The Midday Brief: November 5, 2009
Your afternoon reading. Full Story
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Student restraints, Day 3: Jennifer Howson's story
Jennifer Howson, 21, was restrained dozens of times at her school in the northeast Texas town of Kemp, often sustaining scrapes, bruises and black eyes. Full Story
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The Brief: November 5, 2009
Recommendation: Do not get swine flu. Tracking the vaccine is getting to be like figuring out what happened to all the TARP money. Full Story
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The Midday Brief: November 4, 2009
Your afternoon reading. Full Story
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2010: Former Tigua leader mulling Senate run
Albert Alvidrez, a former governor of the Tigua tribe in El Paso, is mulling a run for the Texas Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Sen. Eliot Shapleigh. But having Alvidrez in the Senate might not earn the tribe another vote for gambling rights. Full Story
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Dropout problem drags Texas down
“I represent a district that has 80 percent renters, 70 percent of people speaking a first language other than English, where there’s a high school with 42 languages and 40 percent turnover of the student body every year — now tell me how you plan to calculate the dropout rate,” Rep. Scott Hochberg said. “I will stipulate that it’s too big — let’s just start there. I wish we fought over solutions as much as we fight over the number.” Full Story
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![The 2007-08 graduating class started with more than 370,000 students — and ended with about 237,000, or 64 percent. Not all students dropped out. Some left Texas public school and graduated elsewhere. Researchers argue over how to measure the dropout rate, but they agree on this point: It's way too high, and disproportionately high for Hispanic and black students.]()
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Faulty figures: The great dropout debate
Despite years of research, the true picture of dropout and graduation rates remains elusive, even the subject of cross words between researchers. The consensus: Far too many Texas public school students, particularly those from poor and minority families, don’t cross the high-school finish line. Full Story
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Student Restraints Day 2: How Texas school districts compare
Texas school districts vary widely in how often they physically restrain students with disabilities – despite a shared state policy on when to use them. Use this interactive graphic to see how school districts compared during the 2007-08 school year, the most recent statewide data available. Full Story
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TribBlog: Runoff likely in Houston mayoral race (updated)
It could be a late night for the candidates in the Houston mayoral election, if early voting results are any guide. Full Story
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TribBlog: Chavez to decide on Senate by Turkey Day
As candidates stack up to challenge her, state Rep. Norma Chavez, D-El Paso, said she will make a decision about running for the Texas Senate by Thanksgiving. Full Story
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Trouble in the big tent
Those watching the Perry-Hutchison brawl for hints of the GOP's future may be looking in the wrong place. A small race for the State Board of Education gives a glimpse into the party's inner-turmoil. Full Story
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TribBlog: Mentally ill student who stabbed teacher will stand trial
The Tyler Morning Telegraph is reporting that the 16-year-old Tyler special education student who fatally stabbed his teacher in September (referenced in today's story on restraints) has been found competent to stand trial. Full Story
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The Polling Center: Our Inaugural Election Survey
The results of the first UT/Texas Tribune poll, which was in the field from October 20-27 and sampled 800 Texans who identified themselves as registered voters, shows Texas slowly turning their attention to the 2010 elections. Perhaps more to the point, they have become extremely skeptical about the direction of the federal government. Today we’ll focus on the election match ups and what they tell us about the state of play a little less than six months out from the March primaries. Full Story
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Disabled students restrained, injured in public schools
Texas educators routinely pin down students with disabilities to control them, according to state data. Disability rights advocates say the restraints point to a crisis in special education, and that teachers are resorting to physical violence because they aren't properly trained. Full Story
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![Jennifer Howson was restrained dozens of times in her Kemp public school, often sustaining injuries like these.]()
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TribBlog: Permanent School Fund Rebounds. But Will Schools Benefit?
The state’s permanent school fund, which spins off money for textbooks and the like each year, has recaptured billions of dollars after a frightening downward spiral this spring. Trouble is, the increase in the fund may produce no increase at all in education spending. The real beneficiaries of the fund often are the state legislature and its priorities outside education. Full Story
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Rick vs. Kay: Battle of the Titans
Today is Election Day for 11 propositions on the constitutional ballot in Texas, but most of the state’s political attention is focused on next November’s gubernatorial election—and the brightest light is squarely on the Republican primary battle between incumbent Governor Rick Perry and U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. Ben Philpott, who's covering the governor’s race for Austin public radio station KUT-FM and the Tribune, reports on the battle of the titans taking place in the GOP and what its aftermath could mean for the party in power ... and the Democrats' chances next fall. Full Story
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Exit notices for some, but not all
On the day Gov. Rick Perry removed three forensic science commissioners, citing their expired terms, at least 100 appointees whose time was also up remained in their jobs. Full Story
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Texas educators vent at feds over teacher test mess
Annoyed at a recent federal ruling that could nullify the credentials of thousands of public school teachers, Texas education advocates want Washington to waive a technicality they say would cause teachers and districts needless headaches. Full Story
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Education Commissioner Asks Feds to Reconsider Stripping Texas Teacher Credentials
"The real issue here is, you don't do something like this after school starts," Scott said in an interview this afternoon. "And you don't just decide it in a letter or an email... They leave themselves open to criticism and litigation when they do something outside the rule-making process." Full Story
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Credit: Jacob Villanueva
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