New polling that shows Democrats leading the presidential and U.S. Senate races in Arizona demonstrates why Arizona will be one of the political epicenters in 2020. Read more»

A federal judge has permanently blocked Arizona from enforcing a controversial 2010 law that targeted TUSD's ethnic studies classes. An August ruling found the law was unconstitutional, and "enacted and enforced with a discriminatory purpose" by state politicians, "motivated by a desire to advance a political agenda by capitalizing on race-based fears." Read more»

The Arizona Department of Education was alerted in March 2015 that it was improperly distributing federal funds intended to help low-income students, but didn’t undertake serious efforts to identify and fix the problem until early 2017. Read more»

A federal judge Tuesday found that a controversial 2010 Arizona law that targeted TUSD's ethnic studies classes is unconstitutional, and "enacted and enforced with a discriminatory purpose" by state politicians, "motivated by a desire to advance a political agenda by capitalizing on race-based fears." Read more»

For the past decade, the vast majority of Arizona counties have faced a teacher shortage at the beginning of the school year, and as school districts head into the summer many teachers expect more of the same. And they’re not surprised. Read more» 1

Charles Heller embraces Donald Trump’s proposal to eliminate gun-free zones on school campuses, a move he sees as “really restoring a freedom, not eliminating anything.” But the Tucson resident acknowledges that legal and political realities will likely keep Arizona schools gun-free for the foreseeable future. Read more»

Arizona posted the nation’s biggest gains in fourth-grade standardized science test scores last year but still lagged behind the national average, with the fifth-lowest scores overall, according to national test results released Thursday. Read more»

Diane Douglas, the state Superintendent of Public Instruction, announced Friday that she was endorsing Donald Trump for president. Unfortunately for Douglas, the email was sent from an Arizona Department of Education email address — a pretty clear violation of state laws barring using public resources to influence elections. Read more» 2

Arizona student test scores stayed level from 2013 to 2015 while scores nationally declined slightly, but the state’s marginal gains were not enough to lift it out of the bottom ranks on a new national report card. Read more» 1

In her annual State of Education speech, Arizona schools chief Diane Douglas said "it is too early to tell if we are only spending enough money to settle a lawsuit and temporarily placate the public, or if we are seriously taking the first step to building the best education system in the nation." Read more»

Wednesday and Thursday nights, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas will be in the Tucson area to discuss her "Arizona Kids Can't Afford to Wait" plan. Read more»

The Arizona State Board of Education is suing Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas for refusing board investigators remote access to documents involving teacher misconduct. Read more»

Arizona House and Senate Democrats announced a plan they say would provide public schools an additional $3.8 billion over 10 years without raising taxes. Leaders say their plan addresses under-budgeting as well as hundreds of millions of dollars the state owes for failing to make inflation adjustments to school funding as required by a voter-approved law. Read more»

Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas missed Monday’s meeting of the Arizona State Board of Education, leading several members to note their disapproval. "I am astonished," said board VP Reginald Ballantyne. Read more»

If volunteers succeed in getting 366,128 signatures by Dec. 30, there will be a statewide recall election in which other candidates can take on state schools chief Diane Douglas. While many petition drives use paid petition circulators, the grass-roots effort is relying on volunteers. Read more»