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.
The return of six books temporarily suspended by Highland Park officials to classrooms has not ended an intense debate over who should determine what is read in public classrooms. Since September, two opposing groups of parents have mobilized.
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The State Board of Education voted to adopt a new list of social studies textbooks Friday morning, following a week of intense debate and hundreds of pages of updates and corrections.
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A major publisher has decided to withdraw a social studies textbook under consideration for approval in Texas amid ongoing controversy over last-minute content changes.
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Lt. Gov.-elect Dan Patrick adds two Capitol veterans well versed in state finances and legislative procedure to his staff for the upcoming legislative session.
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After wrangling over the proper definition of jihad and the influence of Moses on the Founding Fathers, the State Board of Education’s initial vote on new social studies textbooks was ultimately derailed by Common Core.
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As new social studies textbooks near approval, a conservative grassroots group formed by a San Antonio man with ties to a national anti-Muslim organization is jumping in with its objections.
In June, the state ordered Honors Academy Charter District to close its campuses due to poor academic performance. But Honors' campuses remain open — and the district publicizes itself as accredited.
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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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