While policymakers are gathered for the 2017 Texas legislative session, a discussion about teacher preparation, which directly affects teacher retention, is of critical importance. To help students gain belief in themselves and the subjects they’re studying, teachers must be prepared to manage their classrooms and give all students the tools to access challenging material — especially students who have been let down in the past.
Freestanding ERs are not attached to hospitals and in most instances are not a part of a hospital’s network of services or providers.
Judicial independence is not some quaint custom, like the wig of an English barrister. It’s foundational. From traffic disputes to the U.S. Supreme Court, our judicial system will not work unless parties trust the independent neutrality of judges to enforce the law and thus accept decisions without resorting to unrest or violence, even when they disagree with the result.
When making the difficult decision to place a loved one in a nursing home, family members deserve to know that the facility is adequately regulated to ensure their loved one is safe and in good custody. In Texas today, those assurances don’t exist.
SB6 puts public school teachers like me in a precarious position. Environment has an enormous effect on a student’s ability to learn, and legislation that denies any student the right to a safe educational setting must be stopped.
Texas currently uses a paper-and-pen process for voter registration. There are 38 states using or preparing to use Digital Voter Registration, or DVR and we're not one of them. We should be.
Healthcare professionals and patients should not have to jump through burdensome administrative hoops to secure the most appropriate therapeutic options.
In practice, doctors generally charge higher rates and insurers generally pay lower rates; when they can’t agree, the patient gets a surprise bill. Since we live in a free society, it is reasonable to support both the physician and insurance company positions, but it seems unfair to place the patient financially in the middle of this difference of opinion between businesses.
Harris County Department of Education helps school districts in the state’s largest county meet the needs of uniquely challenged learners, directly serving students at their schools or one of four HCDE-operated campuses across the county.
Enforcing immigration law is the responsibility of federal law enforcement, but that does not mean Texas officials should be limited to making a phone call and hoping federal agents show up in a timely manner. This session, the Legislature must give law enforcement officers the authority, under state law, to arrest, detain, and charge individuals who cross our Southern border illegally.
For ICE agents to detain someone in family court when she is seeking an order of protection against her abuser flies directly in the face of both the letter and the spirit of these laws and punishes the very victims these laws were designed to protect.
The path to expansion and real change starts with IDEA’s principals who, more than anyone else, help ensure exceptional teaching and learning in every classroom.
Texas Republicans are, on average, notably more conservative than their fellow congressional Republicans. Likewise, Texas Democrats are on average notably more conservative than their fellow congressional Democrats. They proved it in the 114th Congress.
The Texas Counties Deliver public education campaign is a project of the Texas Association of Counties, the representative voice for all Texas counties and county officials.
For 22 years, charter schools have provided options within public education, yet some Texans are understandably confused about how these schools work. Public charter schools are frequently — and incorrectly — lumped in with private, religious, or home schools.
Let’s hope the Texas Legislature takes steps to address these most critical concerns that impact not only the disability community but also all of us, as taxpayers and Texans
Given the evidence of a positive relationship between higher economic freedom and greater prosperity, Texans should remain vigilant and pursue policy changes that will move Texas to be the most free.
When we turn our backs on refugees — in this present case, the Syrians who have suffered all the plagues of Job and more in the last few years — we commit an unpardonable act of inhumanity. We also weaken and degrade our country by falling victim to today’s version of Klanspeak, which seeks to demonize all immigrants who fall into certain religious or ethnic categories.
An education that provides access to a wide range of Texans, ensures workforce-ready knowledge, skills development and diversity and is accompanied by the lowest average student debt makes a powerful combination.
Was he guilty? I don’t know. Guess what? At this point I don’t care.
