Texas Education Agency Helped Bring Alpha’s AI Tool to Public Schools

Summary

An investigation by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found that Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath and Texas Education Agency staff helped Alpha School affiliates introduce their AI learning platform to public school districts. The effort began after Morath supported Alpha leaders’ unsuccessful application to open a Texas charter school using the technology; the State Board of Education rejected that application 10-3, citing concerns about AI-based instruction, student screen time and the company’s reported academic gains. Over roughly a year, TEA officials exchanged emails with Alpha-linked companies, visited campuses, discussed pilot structures, drafted a one-page explanation for districts and connected Alpha representatives with district leaders. The newsrooms identified at least 10 districts that were approached. Houston ISD, Fort Davis and Aldine launched pilots, while Ector County, Fort Bend, Irving, Pecos and Pflugerville confirmed they did not proceed. The pilots use the software as supplemental intervention rather than adopting Alpha’s full model, in which students receive basic-subject lessons from the platform for two hours a day while human staff focus on motivation and emotional support. Fort Davis plans to use it for K-8 reading and math support for students needing additional help, Aldine plans to serve about 300 middle-school students across four campuses in math, and Houston plans to evaluate whether it can accelerate growth among students with strong test scores. TEA says there is no formal partnership and that districts made their own decisions, but the agency has not fully answered questions about its involvement and is contesting the release of additional communications. The investigation also highlights unresolved performance concerns: Alpha-linked charter applications were rejected in at least nine states, and the company’s claimed results have not been matched by publicly documented evidence at the approved Arizona charter or a Texas school. At Texas Preparatory School in Austin, TEA data showed only 21% of students passed state tests, contributing to a third consecutive F rating. Education officials and board members therefore questioned whether the agency was promoting a tool without a sufficiently established record, especially as Texas considers tighter limits on classroom screen time.