Policy
Raise Your Hand Texas believes through equity and innovation we can create a world-class school system that fuels a brighter future for all Texans.
Where We Stand
We have established seven core policy priorities — our true north — that guide our long-term work strengthening and supporting public schools in Texas.
2021 Legislative Session Wrap-Up
In addition to funding issues, many of Raise Your Hand’s core policy priorities were addressed during the 87th Legislative Session. Take a look at our work this session.
Vouchers: Public Dollars Must Remain in Public Schools
Only public schools, which educate 94 percent of students in Texas, can effectively and efficiently meet the state’s demands for a well-prepared workforce and well-informed citizenry.
Vouchers divert scarce public education funds to private schools, which are not required to comply with federal protections for students with disabilities or report and track spending and student performance.
We support keeping education tax dollars in public schools and investing in quality public school choice and innovative programs.
Vouchers reduce equitable access to educational opportunity, weaken rights for students with disabilities, and expose taxpayers to fraud. The Legislature should reject any type of voucher.
What they don’t tell you is vouchers harm the schools that serve most Texas students by diverting money to private vendors without transparency and accountability for results. It’s time to review the research, set the record straight, and look at some of the real myths and facts about school vouchers.
School Funding: Money Matters in Education
A high-quality and well-funded public education system is essential for every child to reach their full potential.
Texas ranks in the bottom ten states in per-student funding with a student population that is over 60 percent low socioeconomic.
We support a public school finance system that provides equitable outcomes for all students regardless of race, socioeconomic status, language proficiency, disability, or zip code.
In 2019, the Texas public education system received a much-needed funding boost. House Bill 3 (HB 3) made investments in teacher pay raises, full-day pre-kindergarten, funding for an optional extended-year program, and additional dollars for low-income students. These new policies will positively affect our teachers, students, and economy for generations to come, but Texas still has work to do. It still ranks in the bottom 10 states in per-student funding.
Federal Stimulus Dollars
The state should not use federal stimulus dollars that were meant for education to fill other holes in the state budget.
Teacher Workforce: Teachers Make the Difference
The quality of our education system and the long-term viability of our economy are inextricably linked to the effectiveness and diversity of our teachers.
Inadequate pay and a lack of respect for teachers have caused fewer young people to enter the profession in recent years. Compounding this challenge is the need for better teacher preparation and less reliance on alternative certification programs.
We support enhancing teaching as a career, attracting and preparing a strong teacher workforce, and retaining quality educators in the field.
Whether it’s serving as the inspirational spark, the content expert, the compassionate ally, or the patient listener, Texas teachers are the heart of our state’s public education system. Effective teachers guide our students’ academic growth as well as their physical, social, and emotional well-being. For this reason, improving recruitment, development, and retention of our most promising and dedicated teachers must be a top priority.
Texas Teacher Workforce Report
In order to study and ultimately help strengthen and improve how our state recruits, develops, and retains teachers, Raise Your Hand Texas commissioned the University of Houston College of Education to prepare a comprehensive longitudinal analysis of Texas’ teacher workforce.
Whole Child: Serving the Whole Child Promotes Learning
Every Texas student needs a safe and healthy educational environment in order to meet their full academic potential.
Texas is ranked 41st in overall child well-being, including indicators related to economic well-being, education, health, and certain family and community traits.
We support meeting the needs of individual students through high-quality pre-Kindergarten, mental wellness services, and other wraparound supports.
Full-time Virtual Schools
Though some have pushed for the expansion of full-time virtual vendors, the continued lackluster performance of these programs shows that they are not a good solution for the overwhelming majority of students.
Full-day Pre-K
Protect funding for full-day pre-K that was part of HB 3 (2019) so students may close learning gaps and have a level playing field for success.
The Future of Virtual and Remote Learning Checklist
New legislation on remote and virtual learning can help Texas school districts meet individual student needs and be more adaptable in times of crisis. But, to ensure quality, we must be thoughtful about how we proceed.
Pre-K in Texas
Raise Your Hand Texas believes all children, regardless of family background, deserve a fair shot at success in school and in life. Full-day, quality pre-k gives them that opportunity.
Blended Learning
Blended learning combines the best of classroom teaching and online learning. Teachers use data and classroom technology to personalize instruction for every student.
Testing and Accountability: Student Growth and Performance Should Be Measured Fairly
Texas public schools should be held to appropriate standards of academic performance by an accountability system that accurately reflects the continuous improvement of students.
The state’s accountability (A-F) system is disproportionately based on a single end-of-year test that does not adequately consider a student’s academic growth. Additionally, it is the only measure of accountability ratings in grades 3-8.
We support real-time assessments that inform instruction, measure individual progress, and serve as one of multiple measures reflecting a student’s entire educational experience.
As Texas’ public education system adjusts to new instructional approaches and deals with technology issues due to COVID-19, state policymakers must take this time to reevaluate whether our accountability system appropriately measures all the factors of an effective education.
Charters: Texas Communities Deserve an Equal Playing Field
Charter schools and traditional schools should be held to the same high standards while serving all students within their communities.
Charter schools were founded on the promise of fostering locally developed, innovative approaches to educating children, especially with our most at-risk students, and some charter schools remain true to this vision. Unfortunately, for many Texas communities, the rapid expansion of charter schools has resulted in taxpayer inefficiencies, unequal access for students, and a parallel system of publicly funded schools.
We support equitable funding as well as expansion and accountability policies that require publicly funded schools to equally serve all students in their communities. All schools should promote local innovation and respond to the communities in which they operate.
In addition to a funding advantage, charters, unlike traditional school districts, are not required by law to accept all students. There should be a level playing field for all public schools.
SB 1882 District Partnership Map
This map shows the average per-student increase a district would receive if it were funded like a charter school, including student and program weights.
Charter Campuses in Texas
The charter expansion map tracks the growth of charter schools in Texas from 1997 through 2019.
Future Workforce: Prepared Students Ensure a Brighter Future For Our State
Texans deserve a public school system that creates a highly skilled workforce capable of meeting tomorrow’s challenges.
Only 20 percent of Texas 8th grade students in 2006 graduated from college by 2017. As such, Texas struggles to keep pace with current workforce demands and cannot solely rely on importing talent from other states.
We support research-based pathways to meet individual student needs as well as increased support for transitioning into college, career, or the military.
Michelle Smith, Ph.D.
Vice President of Policy & Advocacy
[email protected]
(512)617-2134
Bob Popinski
Director of Policy
[email protected]
(512)617-2553
David Anderson
General Counsel and Policy Analyst
[email protected]
(512)617-2129
Charles Gaines
Director of Government Relations
[email protected]
(512)610-5398
@RYHTexas
During trying times, Texans are building a stronger future for our kids.
1005 Congress Ave., Suite 100, Austin, TX 78701 | (512) 617-2121