test

The Gulf of Mexico is getting warmer

Sergio Martínez-Beltrán of the Texas Newsroom shares a look ahead at the Texas Legislature as bills make their way to committees this week. Plus, what could be a relatively rare bipartisan agreement: clearing the way for fentanyl testing strips as a harm-reduction measure.

How some Texas schools are dealing with teenagers caught with THC vape pens. Even though those vapes may be technically legal, some young people face felony arrests that can stick to their records.

And the Gulf of Mexico is warming at twice the rate of the world’s oceans.

Testy? Me Too.

As the omicron variant of COVID-19 continues its rapid spread, many are desperate to confirm whether any possible symptom is an actual case. Unfortunately, getting an appointment for a test or finding a box of the at-home variety has been very difficult. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.

Texas Standard: June 29, 2021

How much wall can a governor buy with $600,000 in donations? Our conversation ahead of the Abbott Trump border visit. Also, we’ll talk about topics involving the children of the state, the workers who care for our kids when they’re little, and the test scores kids get when they’re big. We now know how much those scores dropped after 2 years of school interruptions. And did you know your electricity could be disconnected starting today if your bill is unpaid? It’s rough but moratoriums are over. Plus how big tech may get restrained by Congress. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: 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. Also, what will college campuses in Texas look like in the fall? We’ll hear about the picture coming into focus. And planning a move to someplace less crowded? If it’s in Texas, you may want to double check the laws for landowners first. And the undiscovered musician joining the ranks of Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: September 17, 2020

The end of the month is fast approaching and that means time is running out to complete the 2020 census. With only a few days left on the census, we check in with counties in East Texas, far West Texas and Southwest Texas. Plus, a U.S. Congresswoman tells us why she was moved to introduce legislation after the gruesome murder of Fort Hood Army Specialist Vannessa Guillen. Also on COVID-19, we check in with San Antonio. And we tell you why some COVID-19 tests are so expensive? Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: August 27, 2020

Hundreds of thousands of people in Texas and Louisiana without power as Hurricane Laura makes landfall overnight. Despite warnings of an unsurvivable storm surge and record setting sustained winds, many along the northern gulf coast of Texas breathing a sign of relief, despite power outages and reports of property damage. Our conversations with people managing emergency efforts in Orange and Jefferson counties. Also what’s next in the aftermath of the storm. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: August 4, 2020

New numbers on COVID-19 testing in Texas tell us what, exactly? An investigative report by the Houston Chronicle says many Coronavirus test results are not included in official counts trying to chart the spread of COVID-19. We’ll hear why not and what it means for efforts to stem the spread of the virus. Also, El Paso students reflect on the deadliest attack on Latinos in modern U.S. history, one year on. And newsman Dan Rather on a plan to improve education. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 21, 2020

A sweeping stay at home order in Hidalgo county to stop the spread of COVID-19. But Governor Abbott says there’s no enforcement mechanism. In the Rio Grande Valley, doctors say resources are so limited they’re at the point of making difficult treatment choices. We’ll talk to the health authority in Starr county. Also, a state prison inmate surrounded by fellow inmates testing positive for COVID-19 is approved for parole but dies before his release. As his daughter grieves, she’s also demanding changes to the system. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: July 6, 2020

As officials confirm the killing of a soldier missing for months from Fort Hood, demands for the military to do more about sexual harassment, we’ll have details. Also, health officials in Texas concerned that finding a vaccine for COVID-19 may not be the final obstacle to a return to normal. Now some are speaking out about misinformation on vaccines. And many Texans are getting tested for the Coronavirus, but not all are getting their results. A firsthand account and what it says about the coordination of efforts in Texas to curb the spread of the virus. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: May 25, 2020

With the unofficial start of summer in Texas, a re-evaluation of what we’ve endured and what’s ahead. We’ll take a look at the state of the fight against COVID-19. Texas based vaccine expert Dr.Peter Hotez gets us up to speed on the impact of the relaxation of stay at home guidelines in Texas. Also, why many daycares, now authorized to reopen, may not make it despite economic recovery efforts. And an update on the Coronavirus story unfolding just south of the border, and a rediscovered history of women and the high court. Those stories and so much more today on the Texas Standard:

Texas Standard: January 30, 2020

The Iowa caucuses may be just around the corner, but Joe Biden’s setting his sights on Texas. We’ll talk with the former Vice President. Also, people in one part of Houston desperate for answers to their questions about a cluster of cancer cases, we’ll have the latest. And fully autonomous cars? Not quite there, but self driving semis? Coming soon to a highway near you. Plus why a liquor once derided by some in Texas as desert moonshine has been making waves in Washington. All of that and more today on the Texas Standard:

Standards

The Texas Legislature is considering changes to school standards. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.

Texas Standard: January 22, 2019

When a suspect dies in police custody in Texas, what’s the public’s right to get answers? Critics call it the dead suspect loophole. We’ll take a closer look. Also coming up this hour, a military uprising in Venezuela. Four officials are kidnapped before troops loyal to the president put it down. A coup in the works? What might it mean for the region, and for Texas? And as some kids from Marfa get their school projects ready for a literal launchpad, a Texas researcher takes a lead position in crafting a roadmap for the next decade of space research. We’ll meet him and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:

Best of “Higher Ed:” Education’s Four-Letter Word

This episode was originally posted on Nov. 19, 2017.

T-E-S-T. That word almost always strikes fear in the hearts of students. They’re worried about doing well, getting a high grade and comparing their performance to that of their classmates. In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger explore stressful test culture.

Who hasn’t had a “horror” story experience of taking a test? Ed and Jennifer share some memorable ones and take a closer look at why testing is so stressful. One reason: We tie our own worthiness into our test performance. Ed talks about how to decouple ourselves from our performance and how to make meaning out of our work on a test no matter the grade. Listen to the full episode to hear what words of encouragement Ed says you should never tell a test-taker. You will also get the result to the tricky train puzzler. It sounds like an arithmetic challenge, but there may be more to it.

This episode was recorded Sept. 22, 2017.

STAAR Testing

Some students in Texas are taking the state’s standardized tests. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.

Higher Ed: Education’s Four-Letter Word

T-E-S-T. That word almost always strikes fear in the hearts of students. They’re worried about doing well, getting a high grade, and comparing their performance to that of their classmates. In this episode of KUT’s podcast Higher Ed, KUT’s Jennifer Stayton and Southwestern University President Dr. Ed Burger explore stressful test culture. Who hasn’t had a “horror” story experience of taking a test? Ed and Jennifer share some memorable ones and take a closer look at why testing is so stressful. One reason: we tie our own worthiness into our test performance. Ed talks about how to decouple ourselves from our performance and how to make meaning out of our work on a test no matter what the grade. Listen to the full episode to hear what words of encouragement Ed says you should never tell a test taker. You will also get the result to the tricky train puzzler. It sounds like an arithmetic challenge, but there may be more to it.

This episode was recorded Sept. 22, 2017.