Education
137 stories
School of Rock »
Drive time at the popular Mesquite ISD radio station.
November 2012 by Jason Sheeler
Confessions of a Seventh-Grade Texas History Teacher »
Bobby Jackson has taught students in the Aransas County school district about the Plains Indians, the Battle of San Jacinto, and Spindletop since the state celebrated its sesquicentennial. How he does it bears no resemblance to the class I took when I was stuck in middle school.
September 2012 by John Spong
The Big Test »
Before Robert Scott stepped down as the state’s education commissioner in July, he told anyone who would listen that high-stakes standardized exams were ruining the public schools. But is it too late to learn from his lesson?
August 2012 by Paul Burka
Class Warfare »
Since 1984, the State of Texas has battled one school finance lawsuit after another. In nearly every case, the system has been ruled unequal, unfair, and unconstitutional—yet it remains largely unchanged. Will this time be any different?
March 2012 by Paul Burka
Super Collider »
Terry Grier is the hard-charging, reform-minded, optimistic superintendent of the largest school district in the state. He’s also the most divisive, embattled, and despised man in Houston. Did it have to be this way?
October 2011 by Mimi Swartz
A Q&A With Mimi Swartz »
The executive editor on the controversial superintendent of the Houston Independent School District, the politics involved in public education, and how parents need to be more vocal and vigilant.
October 2011 Interview by Stephanie Kuo
Night of the Living Ed »
With public education facing an estimated $7 billion in cuts, the question on everyone’s mind is, Are Texas schools doomed? So we assembled a group of dinner guests (a superintendent, advocates on both sides, an education union rep, and the commissioner of the Texas Education Agency) to find out. Check, please?
May 2011 Moderated by Nate Blakeslee and Jake Silverstein
Night of the Living Ed: The Complete Transcript »
The complete transcript of a roundtable discussion on public education hosted by TEXAS MONTHLY and published, in edited form, in the May 2011 issue.
May 2011
Schoolhouse Rocked »
How an angry parent’s e-mail turned an elite Houston private school into a political battleground.
March 2011 by John Spong
The Super »
After a year on the job, the superintendent of the largest school district in Texas is loathed and loved in equal measure. Does that mean he’s doing his job?
September 2010 by Mimi Swartz
Lesson Learned »
William Martin talks about how charter schools could fundamentally change the Texas education system.
August 2010 Interview by Steve Thompson
Head of The Class »
The question isn’t how the followers of an obscure Turkish imam came to operate the largest charter school system in Texas. It’s whether the incredible success they’ve had can help our ailing public schools.
August 2010 by William Martin
Leave It To Bea »
One woman’s unlikely crusade to help poor kids succeed—and what Texas can learn from her example.
July 2010 by Skip Hollandsworth
An A for Bea »
Skip Hollandsworth talks about finding story ideas, getting people to open up, and interviewing Bea Salazar, who started an after-school program that helped hundreds of low-income Hispanic immigrant kids succeed.
July 2010 Interview by Alexandra Murphy
Facts of Life »
When my sixth-grade “little sister” asked me some tough questions, I had some of my own: How do you talk to teenagers about sex?
July 2010 by Megan Giller
The State Board of Ed’s Final Exam »
Our quiz shouldn’t be hard, so long as you’ve been paying attention. You have been paying attention, right?
May 2010 by Katy Vine
Center of Gravity »
Who can challenge Republicans on the State Board of Education? A different kind of Republican.
March 2010 by Paul Burka
The Manual 2.0
Watch the experts at Calle Ocho teach Andrea Valdez how to dance cumbia.
February 2010
Dance, Dance, Dance
Senior editor John Spong talks with Sengelmann Hall owner Dana Harper and musician James Hand. Produced by Texas Public Radio.
January 2010
The Manual 2.0
A cowgirl and the experts at WWS Stables teach Andrea Valdez how to barrel race.
December 2009
A Beautiful Mind »
Terry Stickels is combining his love of puzzles with spreading awareness of Alzheimer’s disease in his new book, The Big Brain Puzzle Book
.
December 2009 by Kristin Ellertson
Dream of a Common Language. Sueño de un Idioma Común. »
The future of Texas depends on how well we are able to educate kids who can’t speak English. Has an elementary school in El Paso figured out the best way to do it?
September 2009 by Nate Blakeslee
Lowe and Behold »
An open letter to the lucky new chair of the most dysfunctional agency in Texas, the State Board of Education.
September 2009 by Paul Burka
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