Make It Better
What to know: Many Texas school districts hope to continue to offer the option of remote learning in the fall.
The TPPF take: We moved K-12 online last spring because we had to do something quickly. But now, we have time to improve the delivery of online learning for those families who choose it.
“Texas was ill-prepared for the pandemic and the subsequent closing of schools,” says TPPF’s Emily Sass. “And we still are. The explosive growth in demand for virtual schooling met a supply intentionally constricted through state policy. As virtual education serves more students longer, the focus must shift from emergency response to creating a more sustainable, quality product that will meet the needs of Texas students in a changing landscape.”
For more on improving online education, click here.
Let it Flow
What to know: Texas and 18 other states are challenging the Biden administration’s executive order that cancelled the Keystone pipeline.
The TPPF take: Texas is right to challenge the cancellation.
“President Biden’s executive overreach will grow government, hurt responsible energy producers, and make the energy we need expensive and scarce — damaging every sector of our economy,” says TPPF’s Jason Isaac. “What’s even worse is that none of these actions will affect climate change in the slightest.”
For more on those energy-related executive orders, click here.
I Wonder Why
What to know: College enrollment continues to drop.
The TPPF take: Higher education needs a reality check.
“Skyrocketing tuitions and student-loan debt, suppression of free speech and debate, as well as poor student learning and administrative bloat, signal a deep, systemic crisis in higher education, both in Texas and nationally,” says TPPF’s Tom Lindsay. “This crisis will never be successfully addressed until these realities become public knowledge—and then inform public policy.”
For more on higher education, click here.