EDUCATION

Colorized scanning electron micrograph of filamentous Ebola virus particles (red) attached and budding from a chronically infected VERO E6 cell (blue) (25,000x magnification).
Enlarge photo by: NAID
Colorized scanning electron micrograph of filamentous Ebola virus particles (red) attached and budding from a chronically infected VERO E6 cell (blue) (25,000x magnification).

Schools Face Fears of Ebola, Drop in Attendance

Though Texas schools are relying on the guidance of health officials to determine the level of risk to their communities, they are making decisions like whether to cancel classes, give notice to parents, or change health screening policies largely on their own.

University of Texas at Austin professor Michael Webber discusses the next steps for his Energy 101 massive open online course during a meeting with the design team at UT-Austin on Oct. 13, 2014.
Enlarge photo by: Charlie Pearce
University of Texas at Austin professor Michael Webber discusses the next steps for his Energy 101 massive open online course during a meeting with the design team at UT-Austin on Oct. 13, 2014.

UT Looking to Make More of Massive Online Courses

At the University of Texas System, "massive open online courses" are being reimagined. University leaders believe that the shift will provide them with a more effective tool in meeting their goals.

Schools Face Fears of Ebola, Drop in Attendance

Colorized scanning electron micrograph of filamentous Ebola virus particles (red) attached and budding from a chronically infected VERO E6 cell (blue) (25,000x magnification).
Enlarge photo by: NAID
Colorized scanning electron micrograph of filamentous Ebola virus particles (red) attached and budding from a chronically infected VERO E6 cell (blue) (25,000x magnification).

Though Texas schools are relying on the guidance of health officials to determine the level of risk to their communities, they are making decisions like whether to cancel classes, give notice to parents, or change health screening policies largely on their own.

UT Looking to Make More of Massive Online Courses

University of Texas at Austin professor Michael Webber discusses the next steps for his Energy 101 massive open online course during a meeting with the design team at UT-Austin on Oct. 13, 2014.
Enlarge photo by: Charlie Pearce
University of Texas at Austin professor Michael Webber discusses the next steps for his Energy 101 massive open online course during a meeting with the design team at UT-Austin on Oct. 13, 2014.

At the University of Texas System, "massive open online courses" are being reimagined. University leaders believe that the shift will provide them with a more effective tool in meeting their goals.

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Details Yet to Emerge in Patrick's Tax Proposal

Dan Patrick, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, is shown at the Texas Republican Convention in Fort Worth on June 7, 2014.
Enlarge photo by: Bob Daemmrich
Dan Patrick, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, is shown at the Texas Republican Convention in Fort Worth on June 7, 2014.

Dan Patrick, the GOP nominee for lieutenant governor, has made clear that he wants to lower property taxes. What he has left unclear — both to voters and to prominent business groups that have endorsed him — is exactly how he'll do that.

Lawmakers Exploring Ways to Remove Graduation Hurdles

Students in Yvonne McDaniel's English for Speakers of Other Languages, or ESOL, class participated in English-language exercises during summer school at McCallum High School in Austin on July 31, 2013.
Enlarge photo by: Gabriel Cristóver Pérez
Students in Yvonne McDaniel's English for Speakers of Other Languages, or ESOL, class participated in English-language exercises during summer school at McCallum High School in Austin on July 31, 2013.

If roughly 47,000 high school seniors in December fail to pass the state exams required to earn a diploma, their last shot at graduating with their peers in the Class of 2015 may depend on the quick movement of state lawmakers.

The Brief: Oct. 15, 2014

Enlarge photo by: Katie Harbath

Tuesday turned into a topsy turvy day in the federal courts for the state of Texas with the voter ID law conserved for the Nov. 4 general election but a new delay placed on enforcing the new abortion law.

The Brief: Oct. 2, 2014

An exterior view of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas on Oct. 1, 2014.
Enlarge photo by: Cooper Neill
An exterior view of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas on Oct. 1, 2014.

On the day after the country's first case of an Ebola infection appeared in Dallas, the focus has turned to the hospital where the patient was initially sent home with antibiotics before being admitted a second time for treatment.

The Houston Endowment Inc., the Lumina Foundation, and the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation have supported higher education coverage at The Texas Tribune. The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Sid W. Richardson Foundation, RGK Foundation, Burdine Johnson Foundation, and Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation have supported public education coverage at The Texas Tribune.

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The Brief: Oct. 8, 2014

Attorney General Greg Abbott in his second and final gubernatorial debate with state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth in Dallas, Texas on Sept. 30, 2014.
Enlarge photo by: KERA
Attorney General Greg Abbott in his second and final gubernatorial debate with state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth in Dallas, Texas on Sept. 30, 2014.

GOP gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott's $30 million campaign chest has captured a lot of attention, leading to the next question: why raise all that cash?

The Brief: Oct. 7, 2014

A day after a federal appeals court allowed Texas to begin enforcing new abortion restrictions, a group protested the ruling on the South Steps of the Texas Capitol building.
Enlarge photo by: Marjorie Kamys Cotera
A day after a federal appeals court allowed Texas to begin enforcing new abortion restrictions, a group protested the ruling on the South Steps of the Texas Capitol building.

New abortion restrictions passed by the Legislature could lead to one unexpected result: more abortions performed in doctors' offices as the number of abortion clinics in the state drops to single digits.

The Brief: Oct. 6, 2014

Attorney General Greg Abbott in his second and final gubernatorial debate with state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth in Dallas, Texas on Sept. 30, 2014.
Enlarge photo by: KERA
Attorney General Greg Abbott in his second and final gubernatorial debate with state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth in Dallas, Texas on Sept. 30, 2014.

GOP gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott's tenure as attorney general was the focus of news coverage this weekend. And it wasn't the sort of coverage craved by campaigns.