Texas Standard For April 13, 2021

Growing concerns among Texas education experts over how to measure the impact of the pandemic on learning – big questions over what standardized testing tells us about education during the pandemic and just how much may be missing from the data. And: What will college campuses in Texas look like in the fall? We’ll hear about the picture coming into focus. Also: Planning a move to someplace less crowded? If it’s in Texas, you may want to double check the laws for landowners first. Plus: The undiscovered musician joining the ranks of Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

By Texas StandardApril 13, 2021 9:36 am

Fallout From STAAR Testing

The administration of this year’s STAAR tests hasn’t been the smoothest. Talia Richman, reporter for the Dallas Morning News’ Education Lab, talks to the Standard about the problems educators and students are encountering.

What College Campuses Could Look Like Next Fall

What will college campuses look like in the fall if COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations remain low in Texas and vaccination rates continue to rise? The presidents of Texas State University in San Marcos and Texas A&M University in College Station both have said they anticipate students returning to classes in the fall. And private universities have said they will require students to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Alex Kafka, senior editor for The Chronicle of Higher Education, talks to the Standard.

Life In Federal Lockup During The Pandemic

In Texas, more than 7,000 in federal detention have fallen ill from COVID-19. They’re among the tens of thousands who have contracted the virus nationwide. Houston Public Media’s Paul DeBenedetto spoke with one man incarcerated outside of Austin, to learn more about what it’s been like inside federal lockup during a pandemic.

Voices Of North Texas Asian American Journalists

Last month’s killings in Atlanta left eight people dead, including six women of Asian descent. For Asian American journalists in North Texas, covering this attack and others targeting Asians means having to re-experience these stories of hate over and over again. KERA’s Elizabeth Myong checks in with three other North Texas journalists: NBC 5’s Alanna Quillen, WFAA TV’s Tiffany Liou and The Dallas Morning News’ Tom Huang.

Austin Elementary School Students Reading Together Again

The coronavirus pandemic has changed lots of things about our daily life. KUT’s Claire McInerny reports on a group of librarians in Austin ISD who have created a new experience for students to get them out of the classroom to learn.

Migrant Teens Sheltered At San Antonio’s Freeman Coliseum

Texas Republicans and Gov. Greg Abbott blame President Joe Biden’s immigration policies for the rise in teens and families arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border in the last few months. In his latest campaign against Biden last week, Gov. Abbott raised concerns about the conditions migrant children face in the federal emergency shelters. Texas Public Radio’s Maria Mendez profiles two teenage migrants who have a different perspective.

An Update To The ‘Don’t Mess With Texas’ Jingle

What do Willie Nelson, George Strait and Courtney Eoff have in common? All three have sung the theme for Texas’ anti-litter campaign: “Don’t Mess With Texas.” But Eoff is still a student, not a professional musician. In her song, the slogan actually becomes “Don’t M-E Double S With Texas.” Eoff talks to the Standard about her award-winning song.

Three Texas Laws Rural Landowners Need To Know 

More and more people are buying rural land in Texas during the pandemic. Sales have actually grown by almost 30 percent in the last year. But all of those new land owners may be in for a surprise if they don’t know Texas law. The Standard talks to Tiffany Lashmet, an attorney and agricultural law specialist for Texas A&M University’s AgriLife Extension Service and host of the “Ag Law in the Field” podcast.

All this and Texas News Roundup, plus Social Media Editor Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.

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