TX Needs Investment in Public Ed, Not Vouchers
Raise Your Hand Texas released a report on the myths and realities of school vouchers that is worth a a revisit as Senate and House committees debate school vouchers. Every voucher program is different...
View ArticleWhen It Comes to Charters, It Should Be Quality over Quantity
The charter school reforms offered in SB 2 put quantity ahead of quality in the name of offering school choice. Choice, flexibility, and innovation are important elements for an education system to...
View ArticleRestoring Education Should Take Priority
This week, I testified “on” SB 758 in a Senate Finance committee hearing because there are compelling reasons for and against undoing the Foundation School Program deferral - Deferring the FSP payment...
View ArticleThe Latest Viral Video–Wealth Inequality
Stay up with what the cool kids are watching. A study on wealth inequality went viral on YouTube this week. Dan Ariely, best-selling author of Predictably Irrational, and a Harvard Business School...
View Article211 Data: Austin-area residents struggling to make ends meet
We believe that every Texas family has the right to live a safe and healthy life. That means stable housing, nutritious food on the table, and access to a good education and training for the jobs of...
View ArticleOn The Road To A BETTER TEXAS
At CPPP, we believe in the people of Texas. And we believe that all Texans deserve a chance to live a safe and healthy life–seeing a doctor when they need one, having healthy food on the table, and...
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Even With Senate Budget, School Districts Will Still Have Less To Spend Per...
The chart below is based on one done in late February by State Representative Gene Wu, showing real (inflation-adjusted) spending per Texas student. The amounts for 2014 and 2015 reflect what is being...
View ArticleHB 2662 Would Help Texas Students Build Brighter Financial Futures
Last week, the House Public Education committee heard Rep. Marsha Farney’s bill (HB 2662) to create a semester-long personal financial literacy course required for high school graduation and I provided...
View ArticleOpen Letter to State Budget Conferees
Today, we sent a letter to the budget conferees outlining our recommendations for reconciling the differences between the House and the Senate regarding health and human services and public and higher...
View ArticleOPED–Lawmakers have an opportunity to do more for Texas kids
“When it comes to funding priorities for Texas children, legislators appear to be facing similar tough choices as they work to finalize the state budget. The Senate and House have proposed 2014-15...
View ArticleWhat can be done to help disadvantaged children succeed in school?
What can be done to address the barriers that often make it difficult for disadvantaged children to succeed in school? Noted education researcher Helen Ladd of Duke University proposes three steps,...
View ArticleSizing Up The Texas Budget: Public Education
Next week, our schools will open to serve 80,000 more students than last year, bringing the total number of children in Texas’ public schools to nearly 5 million. Public school enrollment has increased...
View ArticleReport Finds Majority of TX Public School Kids Are Low-Income
The Southern Education Foundation’s new report, A New Majority: Low Income Students in the South and Nation, brings attention to the fact that 48 percent of all school children across the nation live...
View ArticleEquity in school funding levels the playing field, promotes equal opportunity...
As we wait for the district court’s final ruling on the Texas school finance system lawsuit, new numbers show more than five million school children are being educated under a system that values some...
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Texas Needs an Ongoing Way to Invest in Basic Services
Last week, a House budget subcommittee addressed improving budget transparency by making the Texas budget less reliant on dedicated General Revenue balances. CPPP testified on the importance of finding...
View ArticleTexas Pre-K Lags in Quality Standards, but is in the Top 10 for Access
The annual rankings of state Pre-K programs by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) once again shows that Texas ranks at the bottom in quality standards measures compared to 53...
View ArticleSchool Districts Need a Reliable Source of Funding to Support Economically...
Many of the programs and interventions funded outside of the school finance formulas are directed towards improving the academic success of economically disadvantaged students and those at-risk of...
View ArticleCommunity Eligibility allows more children to eat and increases revenue for...
By Jeanie Donovan Nearly 3,500 high poverty Texas schools now have an opportunity to provide free meals–breakfast and lunch–to all students without having to collect school meal applications through a...
View ArticleAug 31 Deadline Approaches for Schools to Opt In for Free Breakfast and Lunch
By Rachel Cooper Nearly 3,500 high-poverty Texas schools now have an opportunity to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students without having to collect cumbersome school meal applications thanks...
View ArticleAfter the School Finance Ruling: What Does it Mean for Texas?
Nearly two years after the filing of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Texas school finance system, District Court Judge John Dietz issued his final ruling. Not surprisingly, for those...
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