Attracting Great Educators to Texas
The Texas Senate Committee on Education is holding a public hearing this morning to find out how the state can improve preparation programs for teachers and principals.
The committee plans to look at and make recommendations for programs at traditional colleges of education and alternative certification programs.
They also want to find out what the state can do to improve the recruitment of high-quality educators and how to keep them in Texas schools.The public hearing starts at 9 a.m. at the Capitol.
Grab Your Helmet, It’s Bike to Work Day
The Austin Police Department is encouraging drivers and bicyclists to share the road today for Bike to Work Day.
It’s the 56th annual event encouraging more people to rely on bikes for transportation.
Nearly 20 refreshment stations are set up across town this morning to provide participants a snack and a chance to meet fellow bicycle-commuters. About a dozen refreshment stops will be set up this the afternoon.
According to the League of American Bicyclists, one percent of Austinites are regular bike commuters – 0.53 percent of all Americans ride their bicycles to and from work regularly.
Here Come the Graduates
Nearly 8,000 students are graduating from the University of Texas at Austin this weekend – including about 2,000 Master's and Ph.D. students.
The commencement ceremonies began this morning and are scheduled into Saturday afternoon.
The 129th Spring University-wide Commencement is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. The ceremony features musical performances as well as speeches by UT-Austin President Bill Powers and Former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates. As per tradition, the UT tower will be lit up orange and “The Eyes of Texas” will play during a fireworks finale.
The City of Austin is closing down a couple of streets Saturday for the university-wide commencement: 21stt Street from Speedway to Whitis Avenue and a portion of University Avenue will be closed from 7 a.m. to about 11 p.m.
