Educate Texas - Philanthropy Advocates

Philanthropy Advocates was formerly known as the Texas Education Grantmakers Advocacy Consortium (TEGAC) until August 2020. Previously-created resources, documents and blog posts mentioning TEGAC are still provided on this website for your reference.

Clear signals to prepare and pay teachers; invest wisely in our 5.5 million students

House Select Committee on Educational Opportunity & Enrichment Report Released

Today, the House Select Committee on Educational Opportunity & Enrichment released their report after two days of hearings this July. We applaud committee members and Chairman Buckley for sending a strong signal in this report that the Texas Legislature should enact policies that support improving outcomes for Texas students and meaningfully supporting educators and education systems.

Public Comment: Investing wisely in our 5.5 million students and teachers

House Select Committee on Educational Opportunity & Enrichment

Investing wisely in our 5.5 million students and teachers stands to improve postsecondary success rates and ultimately will ensure the state meets goals articulated in both the Building a Talent Strong Texas plan and by the Tri-Agency Workforce Initiative.

Read our public comment submitted to the House Select Committee on Educational Opportunity & Enrichment.

Request for Special Session: Investments in school finance

Philanthropy Advocates respectfully requests that Governor Abbott add the following school finance items to a call for a special session that would support improved outcomes for students and teachers.

Philanthropy Advocates knows Texas cannot reach the ambitious goals established by the state in Building a Talent Strong Texas without education systems – cradle to career – that equip students for lifelong academic and career success. Specifically, we believe Texas cannot maintain global competitiveness or advance economic mobility for Texas families if state leaders do not double down on proven strategies to support a highly qualified teacher workforce and ensure our public schools have the necessary resources to provide high-quality educational experiences to our students.

Philanthropy Leaders Across the State Praise Teacher Workforce Bill

Shortly after the passing of HB 11, philanthropy leaders from across Texas praised this achievement and thanked our state leaders for their work to improve our state’s teacher workforce. Here is what they said.

SB 9 and HB 11 - Supporting Texas Teachers

SB 9 by Senator Creighton and HB 11 by Representative Dutton are key to investing in and improving our state's teacher workforce – the workforce behind our future Texas workforce.

HB 8 and SB 2539 - Community College Finance is Transformative for Texans

HB 8 and SB 2539 will increase economic mobility for families by increasing affordable postsecondary options as early as high school through its efforts to enhance dual credit options. It will also invest in re-skilling and up-skilling efforts that are often necessary for mid-career professionals to advance and increase their household earnings potential. We know that education can transform lives and we look forward to our state leaders working to ensure this mission is supported for decades to come.

Research: Exploring Systems for College Readiness in Texas

Research by Texas Tech University, commissioned by Philanthropy Advocates, on Texas policies defining student coursework patterns and college readiness standards

This report is intended to provide legislative staff simple information that outlines the effect of policies on student transitions from preK-12 into postsecondary education - overviewing college readiness incentives and accountability standards established by the state and analyzing trends in student course taking through the lens of HB 5 (2013).

College readiness is defined in state statute in one way, but there are multiple college readiness standards that are not fully aligned between preK-12 and higher education. This misalignment, coupled with an analysis of HB 5, indicates challenges in student transition between preK-12 to postsecondary education is largely a systems issue rather than that of individual students making poor choices. To achieve the goals of the Building a Talent Strong Texas strategic plan, the state should do more to further align education systems to reduce the burden on individual students and families navigating their postsecondary and career pathways.

Philanthropy Advocates applauds the Texas Senate’s efforts in their current budget proposal

Looks forward to policy advancements to improve access to high quality early learning, funding for community colleges, and prioritizing teacher retention

This week, the Senate Finance Committee will be discussing Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), the Senate’s budget proposal for the 2023 legislative session. We thank Senate budget authors for their initial and ongoing work to invest in Texas education to advance and current and future workforce.

Public Comment to TEA - Algebra 1 in 8th Grade

Public Comment to TEA - Algebra 1 in 8th Grade

Philanthropy Advocates has provided public comment to the Texas Education Agency for consideration as the agency continues to reimagine the state’s public education accountability system. Our public comment aims to increase student access to Algebra 1 in 8^th grade as we continue to pursue systems in Texas education that increase students’ opportunities in their academic and career pursuits.

It's Time to Invest in High-Quality Teacher Preparation

Co-authored by Philanthropy Advocates, Educate Texas, the Commit Partnership, Teach Plus, and The Education Trust.

Today’s teachers are responsible for preparing the workforce of tomorrow. We urge our state leaders to consider investing in rigorous, affordable, high-quality education preparation pathways this legislative session as the solution to our staffing challenges.

Recap: State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) Meeting

Notes on the December 9 SBEC Meeting

The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) met on Friday, December 9. Board members met for the final agenda of the year receiving updates from TEA staff regarding Texas Teachers of Tomorrow and edTPA.

Research: Exploring Impact of Teacher Certification Policy on Educator Workforce

Research by University of Houston, commissioned by Philanthropy Advocates, on Texas teacher certification policies

This report is intended to provide legislative staff simple information that outlines pathways for adults to become a classroom teacher – overviewing teacher certification policies and trends in hiring uncertified educators.
Through both preparation routes and policies permitting uncertified teachers to serve as classroom teachers, there are many routes to prepare teachers to meet workforce demand.

In the face of staffing challenges, flexibility is available for school districts to hire uncertified teachers. We aimed to understand the impact of this practice on students and the overall teacher workforce pipeline.

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