Raise Your Hand Texas Hosts Panels at SXSW EDU Focused on Teacher Pay and Pre-K Education

Austin, Texas (February 28, 2025) — Raise Your Hand Texas will host two panels at the 2025 SXSW EDU Conference, addressing teacher pay and retention and early childhood education. The discussions will feature educators, policymakers, and researchers examining challenges in the education system and exploring policy-driven solutions. 

The first panel, $mart Moves: Investing in Teacher Pay and Retention, will take place on Tuesday, March 4. It will focus on the teacher pay crisis, including the impact of inflation, retention issues, and the rising number of uncertified teachers. Panelists will share research and personal experiences on how competitive salaries and adequate funding contribute to stronger classrooms. Speakers include:

• Nicholas Ferroni, teacher and advocate, Township of Union/Teacher Salary Project
• Melissa Garza, senior research associate, Charles Butt Foundation
• JoLisa Hoover, teacher specialist, Raise Your Hand Texas
• Taniece Thompson, fifth-grade teacher, Abilene ISD, and Teacher of the Year

Full panel details and speakers: go.ryht.org/PathForward2025

The second panel, also on March 4, A Path Forward: Strengthening Pre-K Across the Nation, focuses on pre-K education and will examine the role of early learning in closing achievement gaps and improving long-term student outcomes. Data proves that students who receive a high-quality pre-K education build the foundational literacy and numeracy skills needed to achieve greater outcomes throughout their entire academic careers — from kindergarten readiness to 3rd-grade STAAR assessments to high school graduation and even into college. The discussion will highlight the economic benefits of investing in pre-K programs. Panelists include:

• Steven Barnett, senior co-director, National Institute for Early Education Research, Rutgers University
• (updated) Salman Bhojani, state representative, Texas House of Representatives
• Allison Muhlendorf, vice president, Longleaf Strategies 
• Maximiliano Rombado, legislative director, Raise Your Hand Texas

Full panel details and speakers: go.ryht.org/SmartMoves2025

Both sessions are accredited by the Association of Texas Professional Educators for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credit.

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About Raise Your Hand Texas
In 2006, Charles Butt and a group of Texas business and community leaders founded Raise Your Hand Texas with the belief that all Texas children should have equal access to high-quality education. Raise Your Hand Texas supports public policy solutions that invest in students, encourage innovation, and improve college, military, and workforce readiness.

About SXSW EDU
Now in its 15th year, the SXSW EDU® Conference & Festival reflects the world’s most critical social issues as seen through the lens of education. This year’s event will bring together learners, practitioners, entrepreneurs, and visionaries to share groundbreaking stories, tackle complex issues, and build reimagined paths forward. SXSW EDU serves as a place for attendees to renew their purpose in practice and reinforces the core principles of teaching and learning.

Contact for SXSW EDU:
Liz Stein
SXSW EDU Press & Publicity
press@sxswedu.com
240-461-3053

Contact for Raise Your Hand Texas:
Amelia Taurel Folkes, APR
512-968-1155 | afolkes@ryht.org