Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Tuesday, June 18, 2024:
After the state took over Houston ISD, how did students do on the STAAR test?
The Houston Independent School District is one year into a controversial state takeover, after Texas said HISD was failing students and needed corrective action. One big way those outcomes were being measured was through the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness.
So after one year of the takeover, how did HISD students do on the annual standardized test? Houston Chronicle education reporter Nusaiba Mizan joins Texas Standard with a look.
Many scholarships are stuck in limbo after Texas’ DEI ban
After the Texas Legislature passed a ban on Diversity Equity and Inclusion programs at state colleges, universities have taken different steps to try at meet the Legislature’s guidelines.
Aside from university programs and departments, it’s also affecting scholarships – with many changed or done away with for now. Dallas Morning News reporter Marcela Rodrigues joins the show with more.
Why a longtime Texas educator is headed out of state
Jeff Key has spent decades teaching in Texas and working with students with special needs. Now he’s reflecting on a career in the Lone Star State – and sharing why he’s headed to New Mexico.
Controversy at Abilene’s Storybook Festival over new statue
If you live outside Abilene, you may not know the West Texas city bills itself as “The Storybook Capital of America.” Across downtown and in Abilene’s Storybook Garden, you’ll find statues of everything from Dr. Seuss characters to the big bad wolf.
The city just celebrated its annual Children’s Art and Literacy Festival and unveiled the latest addition to its statue collection. As KACU’s Alexsis Jones reports, this year’s new character caused some controversy:
A rare Strawberry Moon lights the Texas sky on Friday, the same day as the summer solstice
A rare Strawberry Moon will be visible from Texas on Friday night. This year, the Strawberry Moon coincides with the summer solstice, which hasn’t happened since 1985. And while you might see a reddish tint, the June full moon’s nickname has nothing to do with color.
Amy Ray, resident astronomer at the Hobby-Eberly Telescope at the McDonald Observatory, joins the Standard with the story.
Author Jessica Goudeau busts both Texas and family myths in new book ‘We Were Illegal’
Jessica Goudeau grew up learning myths about her family history tied to the myths she knew about her home state of Texas. But after an off-hand comment from a relative, she started digging deeper into her ancestors’ roles in Texas history.
In her new book “We Were Illegal,” she traces her family’s legacy – uncovering a nuanced group of people living in a much more complicated place than she imagined growing up. Goudeau joins the show today.
Hedge funds discover the perks of proximity to the Fifth Circuit court
Even in an increasingly interconnected world, most of the country’s hedge funds – private investment groups primarily for wealthy individuals – are clustered around New York City. But some hedge funds have found that a Texas address can be a useful commodity itself.
The reason? Proximity to Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Bloomberg legal reporter Madlin Mekelburg joins the Standard with their reasoning.
All this, plus Alexandra Hart with the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.
