In its commitment to ensuring every child in every Houston neighborhood has access to a world-class education, Good Reason Houston has focused its 2025 89th Texas Legislative Agenda on strengthening schools, supporting teachers, and better preparing students for college, careers, and life.
“Good Reason Houston is helping drive systemic change in Houston-area public schools and that starts with advocating for public education policies that put students first.”
The 89th Texas Legislature convenes January 14, 2025. See an overview of Good Reason Houston’s state policy agenda for the upcoming session below.
Fair, Transparent & Rigorous Accountability and Assessments
Good Reason Houston is committed to maintaining an assessment and accountability system that sets expectations for student learning, measures outcomes, and incentivizes school systems to meet those expectations. Statewide, only 47% of students are meeting grade level standards across all grades and subjects, which drops to 36% for economically disadvantaged students. As school systems continue to grapple with addressing learning loss driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, now more than ever it is critical to maintain high standards for academic support. We want to ensure our accountability and assessment system is fully equipped to shine a light on student progress so that parents, districts, and policymakers are able to make effective decisions to support student growth.
Build Strong Foundations with High Quality Early Learning
Early education is critical in building a strong foundation for academic success. In Houston, 39% of eligible 3- and 4-year-olds are enrolled in public pre-K programs, but over 46,000 children still lack access. Good Reason Houston aims to increase this to 50% by 2028. The organization seeks for more financial investment in early education, supporting the expansion of the Early Education Allotment to both incentivize pre-K enrollment and resource high-quality programming. We also want to ensure students continue to receive high quality instruction after pre-K through the use of evidence-based literacy and numeracy tools to help all children succeed in this critical time for development.
Strategically Invest in Funding Streams to Support Students
Good Reason Houston is advocating for increased funding for public education, especially in researched-backed, high-impact areas, including expanding the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) to attract and retain high-quality educators. We also support increases to the basic funding allotment to keep up with inflation and ensure schools have the resources they need to close achievement gaps. This is especially critical as Houston’s student population continues to grow and become more diverse, with 77% of students identifying as economically disadvantaged.
Strengthen our Pipeline for Effective Educators
One of the biggest challenges facing Houston’s schools is teacher retention, with turnover at an all-time high across the region. Good Reason Houston is pushing for policies that will strengthen the teacher pipeline, such as incentives for teacher residency programs, which provide training in a real classroom environment, and increasing compensation to recognize and retain highly-effective educators. These policies, along with other recommendations made by the Texas Teacher Vacancy Task Force aim to ensure schools have highly qualified teachers, especially in high-need areas.
Drive Outcomes-Aligned Postsecondary Readiness in Public Education
Only 27% of Houston students complete a postsecondary credential within six years of graduating high school, a gap Good Reason Houston aims to close. Good Reason Houston is advocating for policies that strengthen Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, expand access to advanced coursework, and align high school curricula with postsecondary expectations. We want to ensure that students are equipped with the skills needed for success in the workforce, including access to pathways that lead to both college and career opportunities and ultimately choice-filled lives.
By advocating for strategic funding, support for teachers, and expanded early education, Good Reason Houston aims to help close the achievement gaps that exist in Houston’s public schools to create a system where every student can thrive, both in school and beyond.
