Ratliff & Fitzpatrick: System in Texas has not done enough to support teachers

Behind every student success story in our public schools is an effective teacher that's the standard thinking, at least.

However, effective teachers are not just players behind the scene but rather at the forefront of any success we have seen or hope to see in Texas classrooms.

Organizations such as ours — Raise Your Hand Texas and the Texas High School Project — see the issue of teacher effectiveness as critical to Texas' leadership role in education, workforce and business development and as an avenue to maintaining our state's position as an economic leader. While we value the work now carried out at our schools, we believe the education system has not done enough to support our current and future teacher corps.

That must change.