Books
November 23, 2022
The Year We Banned Books
Making sense of the politics behind the unprecedented attacks on Texas school library volumes that deal with issues of race and gender.
Education
News & Politics
November 9, 2022
Inside Texas A&M’s New Military Combat Lab
At the high-tech testing ground near College Station, the Army can develop its future drones, missiles, lasers, and vehicles.
Politics & Policy
November 7, 2022
How to Lose a Texas School Board Campaign in 150 Days
Maryam Zafar, a college junior, wanted to improve the Round Rock schools she had attended. Then she saw how hard it was.
News & Politics
November 1, 2022
This Texas Election Could Change School Lessons Nationwide
The fifteen-member State Board of Education will determine how public school educators and textbooks teach issues such as sexual orientation and race.
News & Politics
October 18, 2022
Inside the Secret Plan to Bring Private School Vouchers to Texas
Political operatives descended on the Hill Country town of Wimberley with a scheme to send taxpayer dollars to private schools. Now they’re shopping the same blueprint elsewhere.
Being Texan
October 8, 2022
This 1981 Photo Essay Captured Why Being an Aggie Is Not at All Funny
Will Van Overbeek's images, with words by Oscar-winning screenwriter and Texas A&M alum and proud Aggie Al Reinert, were "good bull."
Texas Country Reporter
September 19, 2022
Wildorado Cattle Company Is Not Your Average High School Gig
Far in the Panhandle, an upstart ag program at a small-town school has become a start-up business run by the students.
Texas Country Reporter
September 16, 2022
This Boys Ranch ISD Teacher Is Building a Reputation for Rocketry
Barre Wheatley leads an ambitious program that encourages students to shoot for the moon.
News & Politics
September 8, 2022
While Campaigning on “Parental Control,” Top State Officials Champion School Vouchers
Undermining public schools has been a winning strategy for governors in several states. But for many rural, conservative communities in Texas, such schools are the only game in town.
News & Politics
July 14, 2022
A Plan to Bridge Odessa’s Digital Divide Comes Down to Earth
After a pilot program with Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites, officials are opting to dig Biden-backed fiber to bring the internet to rural families.
Texas Country Reporter
July 13, 2022
Hankering for a Sweet Story? Look No Farther Than a High School in Beaumont
Two special-education teachers at West Brook Senior High launched a school-wide cookie-baking program that brings together students of all kinds.
Politics & Policy
May 10, 2022
Collin College Has a Free Speech Problem
At the sprawling North Texas community college, four professors say they were let go for speaking their minds. They’re not going quietly.
By
Ben Rowen
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Politics & Policy
May 4, 2022
In a Houston Suburb, Book Bans Fuel a Bitter School Board Race
Two right-wing activists in the high-performing, highly diverse Katy Independent School District aim to unseat incumbents in Saturday’s election.
Texas Country Reporter
April 22, 2022
Future Welders of America: This High School in Boerne Is Forging the Path
With clients including barbecue joints and the USDA, the welding program at Sam Champion High School is a template for vocational programs across the U.S.
News & Politics
March 17, 2022
Seven Texas Teachers on the State of Education: “I’m Tired of Getting Punched.”
After two years of hell, Texas teachers are burned-out, angry, tired—and sounding the alarm about public education.
By
Forrest Wilder
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and
Maya Mojica
Politics & Policy
January 26, 2022
A Texas GOP Candidate’s New Claim: School Cafeteria Tables Are Being Lowered for “Furries”
The allegation isn’t true. But that isn’t stopping some politicians and right-wing activists from running with it.
By
Dan Solomon
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News & Politics
December 2, 2021
A Texas School District Banned My Book. Then Things Got Really Ugly.
I’ve been the target of censorship and vicious harassment, but my greatest worry is what this trend means for young people who rely on school libraries.
Arts & Entertainment
October 20, 2021
The ‘Southlake’ Podcast Is a Troubling Look at the Race Debate Tearing Apart a North Texas Suburb
I grew up in Southlake and was mostly blind to the racism all around me. The NBC series changed my perspective.
Politics & Policy
October 14, 2021
Critical Race Fury: The School Board Wars Are Getting Nasty in Texas
A loud minority of parents is making life miserable for Texas school officials—and shouting down the kids who speak in favor of lessons about the history and persistence of racial discrimination.
Education
September 2, 2021
Who Is Bud Brigham, the Man Behind UT’s “Liberty Institute”?
With taxpayer money now committed to the project, alongside private pledges, the oil billionaire’s push to create a conservative think tank on the Austin campus nears the goal line.
Politics & Policy
August 21, 2021
Opponents of “Critical Race Theory” Are Winning a Culture War in Montgomery County
School board meetings in Texas's most Republican large county have devolved into shouting matches about curriculum, leaving many teachers worried about the academic year ahead.
News & Politics
June 22, 2021
Inside the New Luxury Campus for Texas Education Leaders
Charles Butt’s Holdsworth Center offers leadership training—and much-needed respect—for superintendents, principals, and teachers at Texas public schools.
By
Mimi Swartz
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News & Politics
June 3, 2021
This Was a Horrible Way to Do School. But It Had Its Moments.
As the academic year ends, a rookie teacher looks back at his struggle to keep himself and his students afloat with nothing but a Zoom connection between them.
Politics & Policy
April 8, 2021
How the Digital Divide Is Failing Texas Students—And Why That Might Be About to Change
For rural families who lack reliable, high-speed internet, Zoom-style instruction is a luxury.
Sports
April 2, 2021
Behind the Scenes of UT’s ‘The Eyes of Texas’ Controversy
In interviews with dozens of football coaches, athletic department officials, university administrators, and current and former Longhorn players, we found that the athletes were largely left to navigate the turmoil by themselves.
Sports
March 7, 2021
A University of Texas Report Will Find That ‘The Eyes of Texas’ Has “No Racist Intent”
Texas Monthly has learned that the report, to be released Tuesday morning, attempts to offer a nuanced history of the school’s alma mater, which some have criticized for its origins in a minstrel show.
Health
December 22, 2020
San Antonio’s Bus Drivers Have Stepped Up During the Pandemic
Watch the video to follow Bobby Richardson and others as they deliver food, and support, to the families along their routes.
Politics & Policy
December 22, 2020
“You See So Much in Our Field You Wouldn’t Believe”: San Antonio School Bus Drivers Have Become Relief Workers
Food insecurity has soared during the pandemic, but Alamo City bus drivers came up with a solution: get food to the hungry.
News & Politics
November 25, 2020
For Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, Social Distancing Is Not an Option
How Texas grandfamilies navigated the school reopening process during the COVID-19 pandemic.
News & Politics
October 30, 2020
“It’s Going to Start a Civil War”: A Midland School Discards Its Confederate Name
Shedding Lee High’s offensive legacy may leave less money and public support to address issues of educational equity.
Being Texan
October 28, 2020
I’m Not Ashamed of My Stutter
Stuttering is finally in the spotlight, thanks to Joe Biden’s campaign and the announcement of a groundbreaking new University of Texas research center. But it’s always been part of my life.
Politics & Policy
September 14, 2020
#BlackAtSMU Tries to Pierce the “Bubble” of Southern Methodist University
In the spring, racial-justice activism flourished on the affluent campus. Now, as the fall semester kicks off, Black students and alumni are hoping to see change.
News & Politics
September 9, 2020
Wary of the Coronavirus Disrupting Education, Many Texas Parents Have Turned to Homeschooling
Some fear COVID-19 itself. Others are disappointed by plans for both in-person and virtual learning.
News & Politics
August 11, 2020
Many Students Couldn’t Connect to Online Classes in the Spring. Will This Fall Be Different?
Almost 2 million Texas children don’t have access to a computer or internet at home, according to a TEA report.
The National Podcast of Texas
July 23, 2020
With Students Returning to Campuses This Fall, Contact Tracing Is Key
Texas A&M epidemiologist Dr. Rebecca Fischer on the critical systems being put in place to maximize safety in an uncertain time.
News & Politics
July 21, 2020
Texas Kids Got COVID-19 at Summer Camp. Is School Next?
Camp Pine Cove adopted a number of safety precautions to prevent the coronavirus’s spread. It still came.
News & Politics
July 17, 2020
I’ve Spent Years Protecting My Students. When Classes Resume, Who Will Protect Me?
As Texas schools look to reopen this fall, I am unsure how to keep myself and the children I look after safe.
News & Politics
July 14, 2020
HISD Offered to Help Employees Create Wills. Teachers Were Not Happy.
The message arrives at a time when anxious Houston teachers are deciding whether to return to classrooms as COVID-19 surges.
Sports
June 17, 2020
The Damning History Behind UT’s ‘The Eyes of Texas’ Song
Student athletes wrote a letter urging officials to change the tune, which was first performed in a minstrel show.
Being Texan
June 12, 2020
14 Resources for Teaching Your Kids About Racial Injustice
Recommendations from the creators of Texas’s new African American Studies elective.
By
Katy Vine
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News & Politics
May 23, 2020
Dallas-Area High School Seniors Cope With a Semester—and Rites of Passage—Cut Short
Students have found themselves celebrating milestones like prom, graduation, and Eagle Scout ceremonies virtually because of the pandemic.
Food & Drink
May 22, 2020
Priya Krishna’s Quarantine Journal, Entry No. 12: Our DIY Graduation Ceremony
Fish tacos, a hip-hop ‘Pomp and Circumstance,' and a fake diploma: throwing a safe backyard party was a welcome, memorable diversion.
Arts & Entertainment
May 1, 2020
After Their Semester Was Cut Short, a University of Texas Class Worked to Stage a Shakespeare Production Over Zoom
Students in the beloved Shakespeare at Winedale course got creative with online theater, overcoming grainy visuals and bad Wi-Fi.
Being Texan
April 16, 2020
An Eighth Grader Battles Existential Gloom, Watches Netflix
The kids are alright, but they’re getting a little bored.
News & Politics
March 24, 2020
The Coronavirus Has Meant Campus Closures and Layoffs for Some Texas Undergrads
College students who have remained on campus for financial reasons have seen their friends leave and funds dry up.
True Crime
March 18, 2020
The Aftermath
In 1978, an eighth grader killed his teacher. After 20 months in a psychiatric facility, he was freed. His classmates still wonder: What really happened?
Politics & Policy
January 31, 2020
UT-Austin and Dell Announce $100 Million Partnership to Help Low-Income Students Graduate on Time
The initiative follows on the heels of last summer’s announcement that the university will cover tuition for some students.
News & Politics
June 25, 2019
Why Does Presidio Have One of the Best High School Rocketry Clubs in the Country?
The West Texas border town of Presidio is one of the poorest places in the state. So why does it have one of the best high school rocketry clubs in the country?
News & Politics
June 11, 2019
‘Say Yes to the Scary’: The Best Advice From 2019’s Texas College Commencement Addresses
We watched a host of graduation speeches from the state’s hundreds of universities, and these are the ones we found most inspiring.
The National Podcast of Texas
June 3, 2019
S. Craig Watkins: “Millennials Are in Pursuit of Opportunity and Dignity, Not Wealth and Celebrity”
On this week’s National Podcast of Texas, the UT media scholar and ‘Don’t Knock the Hustle’ author outlines how millennials are defying stereotypes and creating a “new innovation economy.”