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Education

The ‘Houston Miracle’ Shell Game

How Houston ISD’s takeover regime inflated school accountability ratings by systematically holding back certain students

by Daniel Dawer and Ruth Kravetz

Keep Reading

University of Houston Is Gutting Its Gender and Sexuality Classes. That Won’t Stop Texas’ Crusade Against Higher Ed.

by Andrew Joseph Pegoda

The Real Lesson Behind Texas’ New Bible Curriculum Requirements

by Joel Zapata

In Texas Schools, a Crisis of Arrests of Kids as Young as 10

by Josephine Lee

A low angle view of the UT Clock Tower with trees in the foreground at the University of Texas at Austin, under a partly cloudy blue sky. Feb 21, 2024

‘Their Knees Are Still on Our Necks’: Black Women in Higher Ed

Female African American scholars still face significant obstacles in academia even without being slapped by Governor Greg Abbott’s regressive reforms.

by Deliah Brown

Representative Harold Dutton of Houston Feb 20, 2024

‘It’s Time for a Change’: Dem Behind HISD Takeover Faces Challengers

House Representative Harold Dutton Jr. stands behind the state takeover of the district. Can he survive another reelection after its fallout?

by Josephine Lee

Timothy Murray shows off his trophy from the annual Brownsville ISD Elementary Science Fair in November 2022. Feb 14, 2024

Judge Dismisses Charges Against Brownsville ISD Honor Student

For a third time, the Cameron County District Attorney's Office had asked for more time to pursue criminal charges against 11-year-old Timothy Murray.

by Josephine Lee

Feb 13, 2024

Anti-DEI Law Implementation Has Been a Disaster

Kowtowing to the legislature, UT Austin disbanded all its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs wholesale—with little input from students or faculty.

by Emilio Zamora and Angela Valenzuela

A Daughters of the Confederacy monument found in Bonham, Texas. Feb 07, 2024

Jim Crow Still Lingers in Bonham, Civil Rights Lawyers Say

A complaint filed this week alleges biracial child faced two years of racially motivated attacks.

by Josephine Lee

A person in a cowboy hat and a braid is seen, partly in silhouette, from behind in a crowd outdoors. Jan 30, 2024

Abbott Appointee Slams Brakes on American Indian/ Native Studies Course

The course was getting a first read after years of review. Then, the chair of the state Board of Education said he needed more time to assess it without “drama or controversy.”

by Josephine Lee

An illustration of two suited men shaking hands as they stand on an outline of the state of Texas. A conceptual illustration of a network, showing red pushpins interconnected by red lines, floats behind them. Jan 16, 2024

Partisans Are Politicizing Our Schools

A network of consultants, PACs, and political activists has quietly infiltrated school board elections.

by Steven Monacelli

The March/April issue of the Texas Observer, featuring some of our best work in 2023. The cover depicts a cartoon of young boy dressed as a militia member. Dec 26, 2023

Top 20 Stories From the Year We Nearly Went Under

After roaring back with an issue on women’s health, we exposed heat deaths at Tesla and USPS, went after Angela Paxton, and broke news on queer rights.

by Lise Olsen and Gabriel Arana

11-year-old Timothy Murray in front of fall foliage under text reading, "Happy Thanksgiving" Dec 13, 2023

Prosecutors Won’t Drop Charges Against Brownsville ISD Honor Student

Timothy Murray was put in solitary confinement after reporting Principal Myrta Garza for bullying.

by Josephine Lee

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