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Education Newsfeed
Texas public education news and updates on our union's work, written and edited by Texas AFT staff.
Featured news:


A tale of two districts and the question of local control
Midland ISD is taking aim at recapture and Austin ISD is fighting shake off a potential TEA takeover. While their goals are different, both these challenges signal broader disgruntlement over local control and state intrusion.


Educator-backed candidates hit near-clean sweep in Texas primary runoff elections
Most Texas AFT-endorsed candidates emerged victorious in Tuesday’s primary runoff elections and will head to a general election - one that has great consequences for public education.
May 29


ICYMI: Public comment open window for Social Studies and literary lists until June 15
A reminder to submit public comment about changes to the social studies curriculum and literary lists.
May 29


The Unexpected Expansion of NAEP
The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), which sets policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), recently approved a new testing schedule for “The Nation’s Report Card” that allows for state-level results in grade 12 math, reading and civics; and grade 8 science and civics. The updated schedule would take effect in 2028 for grade 8 civics and grade 12 math and reading. The grade 8 science test would be administered in 2029 and seniors would take a
May 22


SBEC: Off-cycle meeting Recap
Texas Education Agency staff showcased the new and publicly available Educator Misconduct Dashboard. We have written extensively about Senate Bill (SB) 571--its reporting requirements and misconduct consequences. One feature of the bill was a requirement to establish an internet portal that aggregates this information. Broadly, the portal exhibits the number and types of reports (violence, inappropriate relationships, etc.), progress on investigations, and sanctions imposed.
May 22


SBOE Opens Public Comment Window for Social Studies and Literary Lists
The SBOE opened the official public comment windows for the proposals that were voted on at its April meeting. We invited concerned parents and teachers to submit comments on the required literary list that correlate to the K-12 English language arts standards and the K-8 Spanish language arts and reading. SBOE Proposed Rules At the April SBOE meeting, Texas AFT testified that the lists were too long and may rob teaching from other areas of ELAR or SLAR instruction, also leav
May 22


Higher Ed: Board of Regents Round Up
Texas University Systems are meeting this month to review and vote on proposed system policies. With each quarterly meeting, regents continue to introduce and approve policies that encroach on course curriculum and faculty teaching methods. The University of Texas, Texas Tech, University of North Texas, and Texas State University systems all held their committee meetings this past week, and our Texas AAUP-AFT members stood alongside students and alumni to stand up to policie
May 22


Texas schools are losing students and teachers. The numbers are starting to catch up.
Attendees gather at the 2023 Public Education Advocacy Day, rallying with signs for respect for public schools. Photo by: CCR Studios. For years, conversations about Texas public schools have revolved around test scores, accountability ratings, vouchers, and curriculum fights, but two newer sets of numbers tell a different story about what is happening inside schools across the state. Texas is losing students before graduation, and at the same time, schools are struggling to
May 22


Our Vote Can Make a Difference
Current voter turnout is low for the Primary Run-off Election on May 26. Elections in November are won now by selecting strong nominees for the General Elections who we can count on to fight for public schools and our educators. If we don't show up now, we are giving an advantage to those who want to keep things exactly as they are, eroding public education and increasing our cost of living. As educators, we have long been experiencing the increase in cost of living, the at
May 21


House Public Ed. interim hearing and the "state of education."
The House Public Education Committee met on May 11 to address two parts of their interim charges list: HB 1481 and the State of Education. But also looming over the hearing was the specter of enrollment drops.
May 15


Texas educator survey says over 70% are burned out, want legislative fixes.
Texas AFT's 2025-2026 membership sruvey results do not paint a bright picture of the real state of public education.
May 15


SBEC Recap: HB 2 and disciplinary changes
The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) met in Austin Friday, Apr. 24 for it’s second regular meeting of the year. The actions of the board will have broad impacts and consequences for educator preparation and discipline in the coming months and years.
May 8


Organizing worked in recent local elections. Now the runoffs begin.
Last week’s school board elections brought a wave of encouraging results for public education across Texas.
May 8


What to expect with the House Public Education Committee interim hearing
The House Public Education committee will meet in Austin Monday, May 11 for the first of at least a few hearings to discuss their interim charges for the 89th Legislature.
May 8


The Texas Capitol rumbles back to life
The Texas Capitol is stirring to life again after the 2026 primary season with a few big announcements from the top offices in the House and Senate – watch the changes in the Senate especially.
Mar 27


New report reinforces what we already know about investing in K-12 education
A new report reveals what we know to be true – financial investment in public education does matter and Texas isn’t doing enough of it.
Mar 20


Texas educators condemn efforts to exclude immigrant children from the classroom
Congressional hearing floats overturning landmark legal precedent protecting access to public schools.
Mar 19
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