Students-First Policy In The 89th Legislature

To achieve our region’s true north goal of increased living wage attainment for young people in Dallas County, it’s essential that the state policy continues to support educational and economic opportunity. That’s why Commit is proud to work alongside our state legislators and fellow education advocates, both during legislative session as well as throughout the interim, to support practitioners and other stakeholders as they prepare testimony and providing data insights to lawmakers as they consider their options.

Thankfully, the 89^th Texas Legislature, which concluded last week, featured several pieces of legislation that placed students first by strategically investing in strategies shown by data to drive academic success. Commit was proud to play an active role in the passage of the following pieces of legislation, aligned to our four policy priority areas:

1. Leverage Data-Driven Solutions to Improve Academic Success

The marquee achievement in education policymaking this legislative session was undoubtedly House Bill 2, a historic $8.5 billion investment in public education signed by the Governor last week. This legislation is meaningful not only due to its size but more importantly due to the specific strategies it funds, all designed with the intention of improving student outcomes across Texas. Just a sampling of those strategies includes:

• Expanding the Teacher Incentive Allotment, which rewards our most effective educators and has been shown to promote teacher retention and student outcomes, by adding a fourth tier of recognition and significantly increasing the amounts awarded for performance

• Promoting educator preparation by investing in high-quality pathways and removing barriers for currently uncertified instructors to access greater support

• Addressing challenges for school districts seeking to implement the Additional Days School Year allotment to increase instructional time for students

• Expanding eligibility for a Resource Campus designation, allowing historically struggling campuses to access greater financial support for turnaround efforts, and

• Increasing funding for high-quality instructional materials aligned to the science of early literacy and numeracy acquisition.

2. Monitor and Assess Progress on Student Learning

A strong start in reading leads to future success. Early in elementary school, students should develop foundational literacy and numeracy skills that enable them to become strong readers. Yet both we and substantial numbers of parents currently have no insight into the progress of students in grades K-2 towards these crucial benchmarks.

HB 2 addresses this issue by providing funding for school systems to implement universal reading and math screeners for their early learners. These are meant to be quick, accessible touchpoints that provide educators and family members alike greater awareness of individual student progress toward early literacy and numeracy goals, allowing for more timely intervention in the instance certain students need additional support. To learn more, watch our explainer video here.

3. Build Strong Foundations in Reading and Math

Texas’ Early Childhood Education (ECE) system has immense value as a foundation for supporting students, families, employers, and the state’s long-term prosperity. Yet, Texas’ ECE system is highly fragmented across several state agencies, each managing their own data systems related to programs serving children from birth to age eight.

HB 3963 promises to improve government efficiency by streamlining these various data into one Early Childhood Integrated Data System, enabling more informed decisions that reduce duplicative efforts, save costs, and promote positive outcomes for young children, their families, and the state economy.  

In particular, these enhanced insights promise to also inform the work of the Governor's Task Force on the Governance of Early Childhood Education and Care, authorized by the passage of HB 117, another bill Commit was proud to support.

4. Improve Postsecondary Success for All Texans

Texas’ 50 community college systems are engines of economic mobility for the communities they serve, providing local students with accessible pathways to credentials aligned to high-wage, high-demand fields. 2023’s HB 8 (88 R) was a major shift in how these institutions are funded, moving away from an attendance-based model to rewarding outcomes such as credentials awarded and successful transfers to four-year institutions.

Two years in, House Bill 8 has already proven to be a significant success. We are seeing improved collaboration and increased outcomes as a direct result of these historic reforms, and we are gratified state leaders have reinforced the goal of those reforms by sustaining the resources needed to reward institutions for continued student success.

Lawmakers should also be applauded for the passage of SB 1786, already signed by the Governor, which clarifies the definition of a “credential of value” and ensures institutions are rewarded for supporting successful transfers to private and independent, as well as public, four-year institutions in Texas.

While there’s a great deal to be excited about, the work is far from over. In fact, the work of rulemaking and implementation has only just begun. Just as we were proud to support the passage of these students-first, data-driven pieces of legislation, we are also proud to continue working alongside our school system partners as they seek to maximize the value of the opportunities these new laws provide. We can’t wait to see what the students of Texas are able to achieve as a result.

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