Aliyya Swaby | Texas Tribune
Aliyya Swaby started as the Texas Tribune's public education reporter in October 2016. She came to the Tribune from the hyperlocal nonprofit New Haven Independent, where she covered education, zoning and transit for two years. After graduating from Yale University in 2013, she spent a year freelance reporting in Panama on social issues affecting black Panamanian communities. A native New Yorker, Aliyya misses public transportation but is thrilled by the lack of snow.
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A school finance bill in 2019 boosted funding for districts, but the pandemic has since added layers of financial uncertainty. -
Reports of depression, anxiety and thoughts of suicide among Texas students are rising as the pandemic drags on. Here is a resource guide for those seeking help.
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Months of remote learning were hard on the Frisco ISD student. Like other schoolchildren across the state, he experienced mental health issues, in large part due to social isolation during the pandemic.
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The report comes on the heels of Texas signing two, four-year contracts totaling $388 million with companies to develop and administer the standardized tests.
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Contracts totaling $338 million have been awarded to Cambium Assessment and Pearson, a longtime player in testing Texas public school students, to develop and administer STAAR for the next four years.
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The appeals court upheld a temporary injunction that stops Texas from ousting Houston ISD's school board. But the legal battle is not over.
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Enrollment has fallen as schools and families grapple with pandemic closures and health concerns. Next semester, the declines could start hitting district budgets.
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State lawmakers had previously asked the Texas Education Agency to seek a federal waiver to cancel the standardized tests.
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One of the board members said the state needs to be more cautious about getting back to normal — especially with a new legislative session set to begin next month.
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A summer of delay and inconsistency from state political and education leaders left Texas schools little time to prepare for an academic year with millions of students learning from home. Now many of those kids are failing through no fault of their own.
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Most Republicans voted against proposals to teach middle and high school students about consent, sexual orientation or gender identity. The board will take a final vote Friday.
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Third grade teacher Abigail Boyett is responsible for simultaneously educating 10 students in person and 11 at home. It's a challenge many Texas teachers face this fall as schools adapt to the pandemic.
