As members of the EdTrust in Texas Educator Advisory Council for the Houston Region and Teach Plus Texas Fellows, we came together for a powerful day of advocacy — united by a shared goal: ensuring every student in Texas, no matter their background or ZIP code, has access to an excellent education. During a pivotal moment of the legislative session, we had the incredible privilege of standing alongside some of Texas’s most passionate and committed educators at the State Capitol in Austin.

Every day, we use our voices in the classroom — to teach, to encourage, to guide. But on this day, we used them in a different way: to advocate. We took to the Capitol prepared, grounded in our real-world experiences and equipped with research and policy recommendations to benefit students across the state.

Throughout the day, we met with lawmakers and legislative staff in both chambers, on both sides of the aisle, to champion student access to learning acceleration, well-prepared and effective educators, and equitable resources for schools that serve predominantly Black, Latino, and low-income communities.

Chronic Absenteeism

Attendance sets the floor for learning acceleration. With chronic absenteeism rates doubling since then pandemic, we came to advocate for policy solutions that would codify definitions for both chronic absenteeism and truancy, strengthen data collection and disaggregated reporting, and assign chronically absent students “at risk” status that ensures additional support and interventions. We researched the issue, created policy recommendations, and distributed one-pagers to key committee members.

We were nervous going into the meetings, but once we started talking, we realized we were being taken seriously. We received vocal support from most of our meetings, which not only validated our hard work but also empowered us to continue pushing for legislation during the rest of session.

Teacher Preparation and Retention

As educators, naturally one of our priorities is teacher preparation and retention. With dramatic increases in uncertified teachers in classrooms across the state, we know there is no shortage of people wanting to enter the profession – rather, there is a lack of access to quality preparation pathways that will equip them to succeed and stay in the classroom. We discussed multiple policy solutions designed to keep great teachers in the classroom and support new educators. For example, we advocated for early career mentorship as a proven strategy to foster better instruction and reduce turnover.

This experience went beyond mere legislation: we shared our hopes, our frustrations, and solutions grounded in our belief that Texas can do better for its teachers. We built trust and asked for meaningful change. It is up to us to use our agency to amplify our voices as teachers and foster relationships with representatives to be a resource to improve pathways for teachers and ultimately students’ potential.

Support for Emerging Multilingual Learners

As the population of multilingual learners continues to grow, Texas must ensure our school finance system formula keeps pace to support their success. In our discussions, we made a clear ask to increase the Bilingual Education Allotment and extend its availability to include 11th and 12th grade students to support multilingual learners all the way to graduation.

The response gave us hope that our recommendations could help shape amendments to school finance legislation this session that would create a more inclusive and responsive education system for multilingual learners.

Our Advocacy Continues

Throughout the day, one message was clear: educator voices matter. We’re not just shaping minds in our classroom; we are shaping the future of education policy in our great state. Our experience at the Capitol left us more committed than ever to use our voices to serve our students and the future of public education. Our work doesn’t stop here.

At EdTrust in Texas and Teach Plus Texas, we believe policy is strongest when it is informed by those closest to our classrooms: educators. We are proud to support outstanding teacher-leaders as they fight for a better future for all Texas students.