Billions of dollars for Texas public schools hang in the balance as the Trump administration redefines the federal government’s role in education.
Michael Zhang
Michael Zhang is a data reporting fellow for the Houston Landing, working to gather, analyze and publish data that sheds light on issues across Greater Houston. He is a fourth-year sociology major at the University of Texas at Austin. Michael was a FOIA intern with the Daily Dot, an investigative intern and digital data producer with KPRC Houston, and an AI researcher in the University of Texas' Media Innovation Lab. Michael has lived in the Houston area for most of his life.
Posted inEducation
Learning Curve: Texas universities say these are the big barriers facing transfer students
A lack of financial aid and issues with transferring credits hinder students looking to jump to Texas universities, school officials say.
Posted inEducation
Learning Curve: What thousands of HISD students said about their teachers and schools
The Nation’s Report Card collected responses from thousands of Houston ISD students in 2014 about their school experience.
Posted inEducation
Learning Curve: How charter school growth, declining birth rates are hitting Aldine ISD
The Houston-area district says charters and fewer school-age children in the area are main reasons for a proposal to close seven campuses.
Posted inPublic Safety
Texas attorney general to join efforts to enforce state standards at Harris County Jail
The move escalates the state’s efforts to improve conditions in Harris County’s jail system, which has struggled to comply with a remedial order since 2023.
Posted inEducation
Learning Curve: See how much money Houston districts get from Teacher Incentive Allotment
Several of the region’s largest districts participate in the program, which rewards highly rated teachers, while several more will join soon.
Posted inEducation
Learning Curve: See how Houston students grew in math, reading on STAAR by district
Most Houston-area students hit the state’s threshold for demonstrating growth on the standardized tests, but performance varied by district.
Posted inEducation
Learning Curve: Most Texas community college graduates find work or transfer schools
At least 85 to 90 percent of graduates land a job or enroll at another college after finishing classes, including those in Greater Houston, state data show.
Posted inEducation
Learning Curve: How Houston ISD plans to spend $2.2 billion this school year
Here’s a breakdown of Houston ISD’s 2024-25 budget, detailing how much will go to instruction, school leadership, building maintenance and more.
Posted inEducation
Did suspensions, school fights in HISD change under Mike Miles? Here’s what the data show.
Houston ISD saw mixed results on suspensions, fights and behavioral issues in the first year of the state-appointed superintendent’s tenure.