Texas News
Local Students Awarded TALAS El Paso “Keep Moving” Scholarships
The Texas Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (TALAS) El Paso Chapter is proud to announce the recipients of the TALAS El Paso Keep Moving Scholarships. These scholarships, totaling $9,000, are awarded to outstanding students who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to academic excellence, leadership, and community involvement.
San Antonio ISD Experiencing Dual Language Programs Amid School Closures
mural on San Antonio’s West Side fills Esmeralda Alday with pride. It’s called the “8 stages in the life of a Chicana.”
“She’s looking in the mirror and and she’s seeing herself and she’s seeing her ancestors,” Alday said of the mural. “It’s like falling in love with yourself and falling in love with your cultura and where you come from.”
She’s from this barrio, which is known to be historically poor, but rich with culture. It’s a culture she says was stripped away from her growing up in San Antonio ISD.
As Advanced Placement program grows, students gain in Dallas ISD
Dallas ISD’s Advanced Placement (AP) students are excelling, according to the district’s Advanced Academic Services department, which reported an increase in enrollment, student participation in the AP exams, and qualifying scores for potential college credit.
Contrary to common belief, honors and advanced placement courses are accessible to all students across district high schools, irrespective of course grades, class ranking, or test scores.
As HISD school upheavals return, a look back to when Latino students in East End demanded change
When students at Stephen F. Austin High School in Houston’s East End returned from summer break in 1989, they faced institutional disarray.
Many instructors, equipped with outdated textbooks, taught multiple classes at a time, some in classrooms that were over capacity by dozens; others had classes with no students at all. Classes were scheduled inside broom closets and bathrooms.

Eager to learn but lacking the resources, the predominantly Latino student body at Austin High revolted.
‘Exhausted’, ‘confused,’ ‘unprecedented’: Texas professors, students reflect on DEI ban
Opponents of the ban on diversity, equity and inclusion offices and programs at Texas public universities and colleges say the new law removes protections against the historic exclusion of students of color and those who are LGBTQ+.
“DEI offices are not and have never been an instrument to promote one race or gender or sexual orientation above another,” said Courtney Avant, legislative counsel for the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ rights nonprofit. “They have been a critical tool to address inequality and discrimination.”
Looking for New Opportunities?
Leadership opportunities available:
- Ben Bolt-Palito Blanco ISD – Superintendent
- Brownsville ISD – Superintendent
- Pilot Point ISD – Superintendent
- Greenville ISD – Superintendent
- Rankin ISD – Superintendent
- Anahuac ISD – Superintendent of Schools
- Presidio ISD – Superintendent of Schools
- Whitehouse ISD – Superintendent
- New Home ISD – Superintendent
- Rogers ISD – Superintendent
- Lufkin ISD – Superintendent
- Venus ISD – Assistant Superintendent
- Mesquite ISD – Executive Director – Leadership Development
- Coppell ISD – Director of ESL and Bilingual Programs
National News
Districts charge into 2024 with a diverse group of new leaders
The new superintendents include two who are the first female leaders of their districts and several Black administrators.
Several school districts that had vacancies at the top are now entering 2024 knowing who their next leaders will be after a spate of holiday season hiring. Also good news is that the new superintendents, some of whom will serve in the role for the first time, comprise a diverse bunch.
$890 Million in English-Learner Aid Is Under New Management. Why Researchers Are Hopeful
Management over the state grants for improving instruction of English learners returned to the U.S. Department of Education’s office of English language acquisition, known as OELA, this week.
The office of elementary and secondary education, or OESE, has overseen Title III grants for the last 15 years. The federal aid is intended for supplemental services in language and academic instruction of English learners.
This Week’s Sponsor

Energia®, a nationwide energy-savings engineering firm, turns school district energy liabilities into educational assets. They are a team of Energy Performance Contract (EPC) experts and manage the process from start to finish for school districts. From scope evaluation, to ESCO (Energy Services Companies) selection, to construction oversight, to validating results, Energia represents YOU, the school district, making sure the entire EPC project goes as planned, and the savings are maximize