Education

House Bill 5 may create separate and unequal college paths for Texas students

Differences in course requirements across endorsements appear to provide some students a more direct path to selective four-year colleges and universities than other endorsements. What can school districts in Texas do to help students and families deal with these discrepancies?

Map of Houston area’s distressed and prosperous ZIP codes shows ongoing and growing inequality

Where you live determines to a great extent how much access you have to quality education, health care, housing, public services and more. More access correlates to better outcomes in life. One-third of the Black population and almost one-third of the Hispanic population of Texas live in an economically distressed community. The populations of the Houston area’s distressed ZIP codes predominantly are people of color.

Does Atascocita really have the worst quality of life in America?

It depends on whom you ask, but according to one list, it does. Overall, suburban cities in the Houston area are affordable and economically healthy, but they don’t stack up well when it comes to education, health and quality of life.

Students: Don’t leave college money on the table by failing to file a FAFSA

The vast majority of college undergrads depend on some amount of financial aid to afford their education. But to get it, they have to fill out a FAFSA. Research shows that students in higher-poverty school districts are less likely to complete the FAFSA than students in wealthier districts. So far this year, which has been greatly disrupted by the pandemic, completion rates are down at all levels, especially in high-minority and Title 1 high schools.

An economist makes the case for school integration

Contrary to popular opinion, efforts to integrate schools in the 1970s and 1980s were overwhelmingly successful, says economist Rucker C. Johnson. Johnson argues that we must renew our commitment to integration for the sake of all Americans.