Morgan Smith reports on politics and education for the Tribune, which she joined in November 2009. She writes about the effects of the state budget, school finance reform, accountability and testing in Texas public schools. Her political coverage has included congressional and legislative races, as well as Gov. Rick Perry's presidential campaign, which she followed to Iowa and New Hampshire. In 2013, she received a National Education Writers Association award for "Death of a District," a series on school closures. After earning a bachelor's degree in English from Wellesley College, she moved to Austin in 2008 to enter law school at the University of Texas. A San Antonio native, her work has also appeared in Slate, where she spent a year as an editorial intern in Washington D.C.
In two legislative contests in Tarrant County — House District 94 and Senate District 10 — Democrats are pinning their hopes on Republican voters soured by the most conservative elements of their party.
Buoyed by recent polling numbers in the Texas governor's race, Republican nominee Greg Abbott touted his support among female voters during a Wednesday campaign stop, less than a week before the Nov. 4 election.
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In a month, the State Board of Education will take a final vote on the social studies textbooks that will be used in the state's public schools for the next eight years.
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.
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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.
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Most of the fifth- and eighth-graders who failed their state reading and math exams will likely move on to the next grade anyway.
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Since July, Democratic state Senate candidate Libby Willis has raked in more than twice the campaign cash her Republican opponent Konni Burton has in the race to fill the Fort Worth seat left open by Wendy Davis.
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UPDATED: Republican Texas House candidate Tony Tinderholt has raised about $25,000 since July, according to his latest campaign finance report.
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UPDATED: A month before the November election, Republican lieutenant governor hopeful Dan Patrick has about $2 million more in his campaign bank account than his Democratic opponent, Leticia Van de Putte, according to figures released by both candidates.
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State Sens. Dan Patrick and Leticia Van de Putte, who are running for lieutenant governor, are taking part in an hourlong debate Monday evening, the only such forum scheduled in their race.
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UPDATED: Attorney General Greg Abbott will appeal a ruling that the Texas school finance system is unconstitutional, according to a notice his office sent Friday to attorneys in the case. The appeal is set to go directly to the Texas Supreme Court.
Full StoryTexas' headway with high school graduation rates hasn't been matched by similar success in measures that track students’ college and career readiness, prompting questions about what it takes to earn a high school diploma.
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State Board of Education members said Thursday that they hoped to persuade regulators overseeing the teaching profession to reconsider a decision made against raising the minimum GPA for educator certification programs.
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Several academics on Tuesday pointed to flaws — including inaccurate descriptions of world religions and out-of-date racial terminology — in proposed social studies textbooks up for adoption by the Texas State Board of Education.
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In a shift for a state that has shunned other federal education initiatives, Texas will participate in an Obama administration early learning program.
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