Our mission is to educate, engage, and activate Texans through public education policy and advocacy.
Raise Your Hand Texas is a non-partisan nonprofit organization supporting public policy solutions that invest in Texas’ 5.4 million public school students. We envision a world-class public school system that fuels a brighter public future for all Texans. Our statewide advocacy team works in communities throughout the state to raise the voices of parents, teachers, community leaders, business owners, and students who care about the future of public education. Our advocacy work and your voices, alongside current research, inform the policy recommendations we make to Texas lawmakers.
Our History
In 2006, Charles Butt and a group of engaged citizens founded Raise Your Hand with a belief that public dollars should stay in public schools. At the time, the group recognized that Texas public education, an essential investment offered to all Texas families and their children, was under attack by those who sought to dismantle this constitutionally guaranteed public good.
Where We Stand Today: Seven Policy Priorities
Today, Raise Your Hand Texas continues to fight for Texans’ right to a free, high-quality public school experience for every child. To support this, we have established seven core policy priorities that guide our long-term work across Texas and at the Texas Capitol, strengthening and supporting public schools in Texas.
RAISE YOUR HAND TEXAS APPROACHES THIS VITAL WORK WITH FIVE VALUES IN MIND: INTEGRITY, DEMOCRACY, COURAGE, EQUITY, AND PRAGMATISM.
Seven Core Policy Priorities for Raise Your Hand Texas
- Public Dollars Must Remain in Public Schools
- Money Matters in Education
- Teachers Make the Difference
- Serving the Whole Child Promotes Learning
- Student Growth and Performance Should Be Measured Fairly
- Texas Families Deserve an Equal Playing Field
- Prepared Students Ensure a Brighter Future for Our State
Our current legislative policy recommendations are focused on teacher workforce and retention issues, school funding, assessment and accountability initiatives, and standing against school vouchers.
In the 88th Texas Legislative Session, we will look to:
- Stand against vouchers of any kind;
- Increase the state’s overall investment in our public school students and in public education programs, including creating an increase to the basic allotment – the building block for per-student funding in Texas;
- Recommend the removal of all high-stakes testing consequences for students, and also expand the scope of Texas’ A-F accountability ratings system to include factors beyond STAAR test scores; and,
- Support teacher retention through increased compensation and benefits packages, adequate administrative support, and sustainable work environments, while also investing in teacher recruitment strategies, including scholarships for aspiring teachers.
For a full overview of our 88th Texas Legislative Session Policy Recommendations, visit the Resources section of our website.
