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University Of Virginia Apologizes To Student Who Says She Was Gang-Raped

By • Nov 26, 2014

The University of Virginia publicly apologized on Tuesday to a student who told Rolling Stone magazine that she was gang-raped during a fraternity party in 2012.

As we reported, the magazine's harrowing account led to protests and a university ban on fraternities until January.

Sandy Hausman, of NPR member station WVTF, filed this report for our Newscast Unit:

Poverty Series: Dr. Bonny Cain, Tra Hall and Dr. John Jenkins

By Jill Ament • Nov 14, 2014

As we continue our series on poverty in the city of Waco this month – we’re also taking a look at Waco ISD.


Over a Year after Devastating Blast, West ISD Breaks Ground on New Schools

By • Oct 30, 2014
Jill Ament

The road to recovery after the devastating fertilizer plant explosion in April of 2013 continues for the city of West. Today West ISD officially broke ground on their new middle and high school campus – two schools destroyed by the deadly blast.


Apple Tech Grant Awarded to Waco Schools

By • Oct 29, 2014
Jill Ament

Four Waco elementary schools will receive iPads and computers through a grant from Apple. As KWBU’s Jill Ament reports, it’s part of an effort to even out the playing field for students who might not have access to technology at home.


Wary Of Loans, Texas Students Struggle Through College

By editor • Oct 29, 2014

Texans are carrying about $70 billion in student loans, according to the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank. The good news is that Texans have less student debt than than the national average. The bad news is that people in Texas are more likely to be delinquent in repaying those loans.

Lawmakers Look At Revising Truancy System

By Ryland Barton • Oct 23, 2014
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fragility_v2

Since 2001, Texas students who fail to attend school have been tried in criminal courts. Some advocates are trying to keep truant students and their parents out of court.

Program Changes Culture of School Discipline

By • Oct 20, 2014
Jill Ament

Four years ago Waco ISD piloted a program to try and reduce the number of referrals and suspensions of students. It’s called suspending kids to school. The district says this effort has helped keep kids in class and out of the court system—and it’s helped some schools change the entire way they look at discipline. KWBU’s Jill Ament has this report on University High’s student court, where students have a say in the disciplinary process.


Law Keeps Some Students Out Of Court, But Questions Remain

By Ryland Barton • Oct 8, 2014
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fragility_v2

Starting last year, students ages 10 to 17 to couldn’t be issued Class C misdemeanors in Texas public schools. It’s kept kids out of the court system, but critics say it’s also taken disciplinary tools out of the hands of school administrators.


GED Confusion Could Jeopardize Testing in Juvenile Detention

By • Oct 6, 2014
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alamosbasement

Since 1996 kids at McLennan County’s Juvenile Detention Center have been able to prepare for the GED through Waco ISD’s Challenge Academy. But last year the campus lost its certification and students who prepared for the GED there were no longer allowed to take the test. As KWBU’s Jill Ament reports, the school is now applying to get its certification back. 


TSTC's Funding Change And The Demand For Technical Workers

By Ryland Barton • Oct 2, 2014
Ryland Barton

Students who enroll in the Texas State Technical College system range from recent high school grads to older folks who’ve been out of school for years. But all of the students are trying to learn skill sets to improve their career opportunities, and usually, make more money. Last year the Texas Legislature changed the way TSTC is funded—no longer would the school be funded based on how many students were at the school or how long they stayed—but rather, the school would be rewarded for how much alumni wages are above the minimum wage.


USDA Admin Commends Bell's Hill for Food Program Efforts

By • Oct 2, 2014
Jill Ament

Bell's Hill Elementary school in Waco is getting high-needs students to eat healthier and learn about where their food comes from. Today a U.S. Department of Agriculture administrator stopped by to tour the school and check out the school’s lunch program. 


Behavioral Specialists Aim to Help Students Curb Referrals, Improve Test Scores

By • Sep 26, 2014
Jill Ament

A new district wide program at Waco ISD is utilizing behavioral specialists on campuses struggling with student behavior and discipline referrals. Overall -- district leaders are hoping this more ‘individualized’ approach will help boost STAAR scores at lower performing schools.  

Texas Seeks Federal Grant for Pre-K Expansion

By • Sep 15, 2014

The Texas Education Agency has asked the federal government for grants to­ fund an expansion of pre-k programs statewide for moderate and low-income families.

Texas will compete with 35 other states, and Washington, D.C., and is eligible to receive up to $30 million annually over a four-year grant window. The grant expansion is offering a total of $160 million nationwide. The new federal grant would help states that currently serve more than 10 percent of four years olds to build and expand on those programs, which have faced drastic cuts over the years.

White Student Enrollment in Texas Higher Ed is Down for the Third Straight Year

By • Sep 10, 2014

More people are attending public colleges and universities in Texas, but members of the Texas House Committee on Higher Education heard this week that the increases are not across all groups.

Susan Brown, the assistant commissioner of Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for planning and accountability, told lawmakers on Tuesday that enrollment at Texas colleges is up by about 21,000 students right now, but enrollment among white students had declined for the third straight year.

Behind the Story: New Leadership Hopes to Transform Indian Spring

By • Sep 5, 2014
Jill Ament

In this edition of Behind the Story, I’m featuring my full conversation with Dr. John Jenkins, the new principal at Waco ISD’s Indian Spring Middle School.

I’m excited to be able to feature this full interview with Jenkins because he has a lot of plans for the school. And in the story we aired earlier this week on Indian Spring’s new leadership, I felt I was unable to capture everything Jenkins wants to do for this struggling campus in just 2 minutes and thirty seconds. 

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