The Commit Partnership is proud to advocate for student-first and data-driven education policy in Texas. As we approach the next regular session of the Texas Legislature, beginning January 14, it’s important to take notice of our students’ academic performance so we can better understand how lawmakers might support improved outcomes.
Unfortunately, the most recent data show a slight decline in academic achievement after steady growth following the COVID-19 pandemic. Less than half of third graders currently read on grade level, a crucial predictor of future academic success. Only one in five public students goes on to earn some type of credential six years after high school – even though an increasing majority of good-paying jobs require a certificate or degree.
So how can Texas policymakers reverse these troubling trends and put more Texas students on paths to economic stability? That is the focus of Commit’s 2025 Legislative Agenda.
Building Strong Foundations
Research shows a connection between quality early learning opportunities and students later outcomes. Commit analysis shows eligible students who attend pre-kindergarten are almost two times more likely to be kindergarten ready than their eligible peers who did not attend.
To ensure young Texans enter kindergarten ready and meet critical academic benchmarks in third grade and beyond, Texas must embrace a coordinated early education system that prioritizes data-driven decision-making and targeted strategies to support students with the greatest needs.
Lawmakers can work toward this goal in a number of ways. By creating an Early Childhood Integrated Data System, we can better understand insights currently siloed in four state agencies. By providing first and second graders with evidence-based progress monitoring and targeted support, we can strengthen early literacy and empower parents with reliable information on their children’s progress. And by expanding the Early Education Allotment, we can increase targeted resources to schools to support foundational success.
Improving Academic Success
Across all grades and subjects, just 47% of Texas students currently meet grade-level expectations. But campuses and districts achieving greater academic success can point us toward the policies and best practices to scale across the state:
Increasing instructional time for students through the Additional Days School Year (ADSY) has resulted in significant growth in reading and math performance for students at Aldine ISD’s Ermel Elementary and across the state:
- Retaining our most effective educators and strategically placing them on the campuses that need them most has produced years of sustained growth across Dallas ISD, especially in once-struggling schools such as Blanton Elementary.
Legislators can build on this success by:
- Reducing barriers to implement the Additional Days School Year.
- Expanding the Teacher Incentive Allotment to reward more top teachers.
- Incentivizing teacher candidates to pursue rigorous preparation programs such as residency pathways.
Monitoring Student Progress
Data-driven education policy is only as strong as the information provided to families, school leaders and policymakers. Lawmakers must prioritize continuing Texas’ summative annual assessments system and innovative assessment design pilots.
State leaders should also reinstate Texas’ accountability system, currently on hold due to a series of lawsuits. Leaders should continue to evolve the system to focus on academic performance so that more students graduate with the skills to earn good wages.
Improving Postsecondary Success
Community colleges are crucial in developing the skilled, quality workforce our state needs. House Bill 8 (88R) established a new community college funding system that rewards colleges for student success outcomes.
Lawmakers should sustain HB 8’s success through continued investment in community colleges as student outcomes improve, with students earning valued credentials aligned to in-demand jobs that will support Texas’ continued prosperity.
As the eighth largest economy in the world, Texas can be a prosperous state where everyone has a fair shot at economic opportunity. Every student supported in earning a credential that leads to a living wage brings us closer to this vision. We’re excited to see the progress our state can make toward this goal in the upcoming legislative session.
