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The formalized practice of having more experienced teachers coach those newer in the profession has the potential to help with a major challenge facing Texas public schools — teacher shortages. It also benefits everyone involved, from the experienced teachers acting as mentors who now have a chance to learn new skills, to the newer teachers [&hel
With just a few weeks left in the 88th Legislative Session, lawmakers are deciding how to spend a record-breaking $33 billion surplus, with tens of billions more in estimated growth in revenue over the next two years. And, as the hours creep closer and closer to the last day of the 2023 legislative session, they […]
Educators are telling us it will take teachers – lots of skilled, well-trained teachers – to close the learning gaps sustained during the last year. But will those teachers be there when the districts start to hire? The pandemic didn’t create the challenges facing the teacher pipeline in Texas, but it has certainly made addressing […]
We recently released a new podcast series, Intersect Ed, where the stories of Texas public education policy and practice meet. In our second episode, we are digging even deeper into teachers’ work during the COVID-19 pandemic this past spring. We learned that what educators experienced during remote learning highlights the inequities of virtual s
It is our pleasure to introduce you to Raise Your Hand’s new Podcast “Intersect Ed,” where the stories of Texas public education policy and practice meet. In our first episode, we’ll be focusing on one question: How has this pandemic affected teachers’ mental health? In a profession where the work is driven by a connection […]
This episode of Intersect Ed was taped on the morning of Friday, November 14, 2025, just a few blocks from the Capitol, during the 2025 Texas Tribune Festival. Our panelists discussed the “Legacy Education Fund,” a new, proposed idea about a public education endowment that could move Texas beyond two-year budget cycles and establish a […
This episode of Intersect Ed discusses the sticking points regarding HB 4 in Texas’ 89th Regular Session, as well as what the special session item – “eliminating the STAAR test” – could mean for accountability in our state. Our Intersect Ed host, Morgan Smith, is joined by Amy Dodson, Dean of Advocacy for Raise Your […]
This episode of Intersect Ed was taped on the morning of Tuesday, June 3, just a few blocks from the Capitol, the day after the 89th Texas Legislative Session ended. Public education and Texas legislative policy experts, who regularly meet with staffers, legislators, and advocates throughout the state, shared their top insights with a live [&hellip
This episode of Intersect Ed discusses how we measure the performance of Texas public schools, the value of local accountability systems, and the ways HB 4 could provide meaningful assessment reform for our schools and better support student learning for the sake of learning instead of assessment. Additionally, if HB 4 passed, it would put [&hellip
This episode of Intersect Ed discusses an often misunderstood topic: funding special education in Texas public schools. Our schools provide special education services to the almost 800,000 students with disabilities in the state. This episode will explore why it costs so much to do it right and the $2 Billion dollar gap that Texas school […]