Texas | Dreier Roundtable

Layoffs at the Texas Tribune

by jpitney | Aug 25, 2023 | Journalism, Journalists, Texas

Lauren Walker at WP: The Texas Tribune, the pioneering digital news organization, laid off 11 percent of its staff Wednesday, renewing worries about the sustainability of local nonprofit journalism. “There is no media company — commercial, nonprofit or public — that...

Homelessness: Worse in California Than Texas

by jpitney | Jul 9, 2023 | California Politics, Housing, Texas

Marisa Kendall at CalMatters: Texas as a whole last year recorded a 28% drop in homelessness since 2012, while California’s homeless population grew by 43% over the same period. In Texas, 81 people are homeless for every 100,000 residents. In California, the rate is...

Civics Downfall: Texas Curbs Student Contact with Electeds

by jpitney | May 1, 2023 | Civic Education, Education, Texas

Asher Lehrer-Small at The Guardian: Many states have restricted how schools can teach race and gender, but only Texas has banned student interaction with elected officials The defining experience of Jordan Zamora-Garcia’s high school career – a hands-on group project...

Autistic Public Servant

by jpitney | Jan 13, 2023 | Autism, California Politics, Education, Public Service, Texas

Carolyn Jones at EdSource: As a new school board member, Joshua Brown is prioritizing special education in his rural Northern California district. But his perspective is unusual: He has firsthand experience with the district’s special education program — as a student....