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HB 8 Replaces STAAR: Analyzing the Lingering Issues with Texas’ A-F Accountability

In the summer of 2025, at the end of the second called special session, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 8 (HB 8), a law that will overhaul the state's standardized testing system. Beginning...

Teacher behind three elementary students at Kennedy-Powell Elementary in Temple. One student is on a laptop.

89th Legislative Session Proves “Historic” for Public Education, But More Work Needed

A Recap of Texas’ 89th Legislative Session  As state lawmakers assembled in Austin back in January 2025, there was every indication that the 89th Legislative Session would be a “historic” legislative session for public...

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The Ripple Effect of Increasing the Basic Allotment in Texas

The Power of the Basic Allotment for Texas Schools  The public education system in Texas is one of the largest in the nation, with more than 1,200 school districts and public charter schools and...

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Across the Lawn – September 5, 2025

ONE THING TO DO: Read our Statement on the Passage of HB 8 This week, we issued a statement regarding the passage of House Bill 8 (HB 8). Raise Your Hand Texas has maintained...

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Across the Lawn – August 29, 2025

ONE THING TO DO: Read The Texas Tribune’s article on STAAR The recent changes to House Bill 8 have a direct and significant impact on how Texas schools are evaluated. The Texas Tribune has...

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Across the Lawn – August 22, 2025

ONE THING TO DO: Get Involved! Do you know your local Regional Advocacy Director (RAD)? Our Regional Advocacy Directors live and work throughout Texas to create a pro-public education state. We invite you to...

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Across the Lawn – August 15, 2025

IT’S TIME TO REIN IN STAAR AND FIND A BETTER WAY FORWARD This year, our schools face both exciting changes and real challenges, from classroom innovations to important policy shifts. As the Texas legislature...

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Across the Lawn – August 8, 2025

Listen to the latest Intersect Ed Podcast episode In our latest episode of Intersect Ed we discuss what the special session item “eliminating the STAAR test” could mean for Texas, along with the differences...

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Across the Lawn – July 31, 2025

Watch New Assessment & Accountability Video Real change for Texas’ school accountability system is possible.  Texans have made it clear: we need to build a better report card that measures more than a single...

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Across the Lawn – July 25, 2025

One Thing to Do: Sign Up for Text Alerts Given the fast-paced nature of a special session, we encourage you to sign up for our text alerts so you can track movement on key...

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