Testimony before the House Public Education Committee

April 30, 2012

Bring Home the Mississippi Miracle: A Texas Triumph in Early Literacy

Bring Home the Mississippi Miracle: A Texas Triumph in Early Literacy Texas lacks a coherent third-grade literacy standard and statewide implementation system. Restoring a mastery-based promotion gate and aligning coaching, screening, and funding can reverse stagnating reading outcomes. Key points: Texas removed its third-grade promotion requirement, weakening the connection between reading mastery and grade advancement....

June 9, 2026

Local Government

Will Voters Decide to Leave Austin?

Last year, the Texas Legislature passed a limited disannexation measure, House Bill 3053, that allows people unfairly captured by large cities during a particular time period to hold an election on the question of staying or leaving municipal control. The law was passed after concerns were raised that some cities had accelerated their involuntary annexation...

February 12, 2024

Border Security

Mexican Cartels Have Infiltrated Our Cities

Mexican cartels, with dangerous motives, have quietly and consistently infiltrated urban areas across the United States, leaving everyone to wonder about the scale and scope of their impact. Arrests have been made in the brutal killing of a pregnant San Antonio woman and her boyfriend—in what police say is a drug-related crime. Savanah Nicole Soto,...

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