For all the conversations we have about public education in Texas, something is missing: a shared vocabulary around the benefits of a Texas public school education offered throughout our ISDs. Hospitals, grocery stores, and government agencies earn our trust or lose it based on benefits we can name. Their primary stakeholders are children, who can't be expected to name the full range of benefits their education will eventually provide. Conversations about schools tend to start with a single issue or complaint rather than a discussion about how to build upon the benefits provided to students.
We're changing that.
As part of our back-to-school campaign, Friends of Texas Public Schools is partnering with Durable Labs on the Public Education Benefits Study, a long-term research effort to find out what Texans actually value from their public schools. The question we want every Texan to answer is this:
What do you believe are the key benefits offered to students in a public education?
We're asking parents, students, educators, business leaders, policymakers, and anyone with a stake in Texas public education. And we’ll be asking this question for a long time to come. Student benefits change over time. For example, a strong academic foundation or a safe place to learn may hold for generations. Others will emerge as the world changes. The study is built to keep listening.
Here are what changes once we have real answers: the role of a public school can be seen as establishing what is needed to deliver the benefits people expect. The job of policymakers then creates the conditions that make delivery possible.
That means every policy proposal gets one test: How does this increase a school's ability to deliver what Texas parents and communities have said matters?
Here's what we're asking of you.
Add your voice. The questions take about five minutes, and submissions are anonymous.
https://www.fotps.org/benefitscollection
Share it. Forward this newsletter. Send the link to colleagues, parents, friends, and community members. Post it. The more Texans we hear from, and the more varied their perspectives, the more useful the results.
For organizations: we're also inviting education advocacy groups across Texas to help distribute the study. It gives you a stronger evidence base and a shared vocabulary to draw on, plus a way to see what matters specifically to the audiences you reach. If your organization wants to help expand its reach, contact Friends of Texas Public Schools.
It all starts with a great question: What do you believe are the key benefits offered to students in a public education?