Rob Reid
@robcat26.bsky.social
Education Data Developer @texastribune.org, proud product of public schools, immersing myself in all things Texas through reading and building community and long-distance walking
labor leader Zarifis: "But it’s a matter of, of all the terrible things we have to do, which is a bunch of terrible things because of the state, this is the least terrible of all of them.” austincurrent.org/2026/07/22/a...
Austin ISD to close Paredes Middle School
Austin ISD plans to close Paredes Middle School as the district awaits pivotal state accountability ratings, district leaders announced Wednesday.
austincurrent.org
From Yates to Heights, 11 Houston ISD schools are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year. Here's a look at the campuses that have persisted through segregation, school closures and a century of upheaval. www.houstonchronicle.com/projects/202...
11 HISD schools reflect Houston’s history as they celebrate 100 years
At least 11 HISD schools have persisted through segregation, school closures, and a century of upheaval to celebrate their 100th anniversary this school year.
houstonchronicle.com
Catches my attention when someone's been around long enough or studied history enough to talk about centuries: “If there is one consistent lesson that one may glean from studying school reform over the past century, it is the danger of taking a good idea and expanding it rapidly, spreading it thin.”
🧵 @audacityofdespair.bsky.social and Ed Burns self-describe their work as "stand-around-and-watch" journalism, but I'd label it something like "relational" journalism or "I see you" journalism. It respects their real-life corner characters by truthfully capturing their depth and flawed humanity. 1/
My first collaboration with our Austin newsroom, and a good example of where data can help find a story. The proportion of Austin ISD students receiving dyslexia services nearly doubled in the past year to 23%, compared to 7% statewide. austincurrent.org/2026/05/04/a...
Austin ISD's preliminary proposal for addressing its budget shortfall suggests moving dedicated librarians into other support roles to save $2 million. austincurrent.org/2026/04/09/a...
AISD librarians cuts draw backlash
Austin ISD’s proposed changes to librarian roles that would move them into support roles to save money prompted backlash among librarians, parents and students
austincurrent.org
...and about 75% of voucher applicants attended a private school or home-school during the 2024-25 academic year. www.texastribune.org/2026/04/01/t...
White families make up bulk of Texas voucher applicants
Of the almost 275,000 students who applied for vouchers, 45% are white and 75% attended a private school or home-school in 2024-25, final numbers show.
texastribune.org
New Schools Explorer is up and running, and it literally adds a whole new dimension to the old version: time. Not to mention money (funding & spending). My hope is that this will help us all have better, more data-informed discussions about our public schools. Go explore! schools.texastribune.org
Texas Public Schools Explorer | The Texas Tribune
What the data says about your Texas public school. Explore data on 1,202 districts and 9,113 public schools.
schools.texastribune.org
"For Austin ISD, those campuses represent potential revenue as the district works to close a growing budget gap. For the city, they represent land and money it could lose if it signs away its interest without pushing for a fair price." austincurrent.org/2026/03/26/a...
AISD land sales face city restrictions
Austin ISD could sell campuses to cut a growing deficit, but a city proposal could reshape deals and put parkland at stake.
austincurrent.org
The school triggering the would-be takeover moved its students to a school operated by a charter school network founded by Mike Miles—the state appointed superintendent of Houston ISD. www.texastribune.org/2026/03/05/t...
Wichita Falls school district avoids state takeover, officials say
The threat of a Texas Education Agency takeover was triggered by one of the North Texas district’s schools that had been underperforming for years.
texastribune.org
Indianapolis, IN—here for a conference but found a place to stay a couple miles' walk from the conference hotel, half the price, and astoundingly Victorian in all directions as far as I can see
"International students typically pay significantly higher tuition than Texas residents, making their decline especially costly for public universities..." www.texastribune.org/2026/02/20/u...
UNT blames shortfall on loss of international students, cuts
Travel restrictions and sharper federal attention are dissuading foreign students from attending U.S. colleges, advocates say, hitting the Denton university harder than most.
texastribune.org
Student voice: "We are so young, we think that our voice is not going to really make a change. But, seeing how all of us were gathered there that day made me feel really hopeful after a period of being really scared for my family and my friends.” austincurrent.org/2026/02/16/a...
Austin-area students unite against ICE in school walkouts
Students in school districts across Central Texas rallied together to protest U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement despite pushback from the Texas governor.
austincurrent.org
Our Austin newsroom follows up on the school district's efforts to recoup (or try to justify) funds committed to expanding/modernizing schools now slated for closure. austincurrent.org/2026/02/05/a...
Austin ISD seeks to exit $72 million in bond contracts
Austin ISD spent $24 million in bond renovations on closing schools and has another $72 million in contracts that the district hopes to exit.
austincurrent.org
One reason Minneapolis remains in the world's eye is we have one of the most robust & independent media ecosystems remaining in the country. You all need this...and more! @mprnews.org @startribune.com @sahanjournal.bsky.social @minnesotareformer.com @minnpost.bsky.social @racketmn.com etc.
“...a stretch of river that seemed so wild that we immediately felt transported to a different time...the river clear and bright as it flowed over mussel shoals and cut deep channels around unexplored islands.”
To process the chaos, I'm spending a few minutes each night stitching a news diary--embroidering tiny icons representing an important story of the day. One month in, and it feels like I've already sewn a year's worth of news. But it helps me make sense of it all, so I think I can manage 11 more.
1.5 years and 16 cross-city walks in to being an Austinite, I feel more strongly than ever that the best way to get to know a city is to travel across it as inefficiently as possible-- on foot. I just put four more walks on the calender for the spring. If you're in town, hope you can join one!
Texas Education Agency moves to correct 4,200 errors in Bible-infused curriculum www.texastribune.org/2026/01/30/t...
TEA moves to fix 4,200 errors in Bible-infused curriculum
State Board of Education members criticized the publishing errors and postponed their vote on the agency’s request until their next meeting.
texastribune.org
NGL this description of Bsky in Vulture cracked me up
The Open Visualization Academy (OVA) IS LIVE! openvisualizationacademy.org Thread follows #dataViz #infographics #dataJournalism #dataVisualization
The Texas Tribune is dedicated to helping Texans vote. Ahead of the 2026 election, we’ve collected our voting resources on this page for you to easily find and share them with others:
Voting resources: How to vote in Texas - The Texas Tribune
How to vote in Texas.
texastribune.org
Highest poverty schools were 30x+ as likely to receive a D or F from the state as lowest poverty schools. Compared to majority-white schools: majority-Black schools 4x+ as likely, Hispanic schools 2x+ www.texastribune.org/2026/01/27/t...
The common traits in Texas schools that trigger takeovers
The demographic makeup of the “trigger” schools raises questions about whether Texas' accountability system fairly considers historic inequities tied to race and poverty.
texastribune.org
I'm thankful for the holiday and a beautiful day for a walk thru Austin's Black history, from early councilman Henry Madison's restored cabin...
While the e-assist did all the heavy lifting, the balance and steering was alllll me 🤗
Our local Austin newsroom officially launched today. Here's their first education story. austincurrent.org/2026/01/12/a...
Austin ISD spent $100 million on schools it will soon close
The bond was pitched as a way to shore up struggling schools as Austin ISD faced mounting financial pressures and declining enrollment.
austincurrent.org
Our data viz editor Chris put together a greatest hits compilation of work by Alex, Carla, Dan, Yuriko, Edison, and me in 2025. Chris's name doesn't show up in the bylines of most of these works, but he played a key role in all of them. www.texastribune.org/2025/12/29/t...
Top stories from the Texas Tribune’s data visuals team
The Tribune’s team of data journalists produced a congressional redistricting tool, covered several education data releases, visualized the measles outbreak and more.
texastribune.org
decades of Christmas: 1950s record/1960s custom built media cabinet and centralized audio distribution system/1990s wave radio/2010s turntable
The same old story about the intractability of poverty—and the uphill efforts of those who help students work past it—needs retelling in as many ways as we can. www.texastribune.org/2025/12/18/t...
Texas college completion rises, low-income students left behind
Economically disadvantaged students are much less likely to go on and attain degrees, according to new state data that tracks long-term outcomes.
texastribune.org
