January 2019
Leslie & Scott Milder
Co-Founders
Friends of Texas 
Public Schools
Est. 2004
CORPORATE PARTNERS
Schneider Electric logo
 







 






Founded in 2016 by Margaret Kilgo, Standards First, Inc. seeks to place importance on the national and Texas state standards in Reading, Writing, Mathematics, and Science. Click to learn more about offered workshops and resources to help improve student education and change the make-up of current standardized testing!

DK Haney Roofing is a certified TIPS and TXMAS vendor dedicated to helping schools get roofing projects done. Schools have been our specialty for 23 years, so we can help you navigate insurance claims and board approvals. Our state-of-the-art roof management portal provides instant access to all your roofs and reports. Call 866-379-4846. 
ADVERTISE WITH FRIENDS 

With more than a million hits annually on our website and more than 60,000 e-news subscribers, we are pleased to offer advertising and sponsorship opportunities available to organizations wishing to reach school leaders across Texas who support Friends of Texas Public Schools. 

For information on getting your organization's message out to Friends of Texas Public Schools followers and readers, please email Jennifer Storm.  

OUR MISSION
By educating Texans about Texas Public Schools and their many strengths and achievements, we aim to:

* Underscore the significance of them;
* Unite Texans around them;
* Restore pride in them;
* Strengthen confidence in them;
* Lift spirits among them; and
* Inject resources into them...

...all of which will lead to even greater performance.


SPED Student Performance Improves on EOC Exams!
The Performance-Based Monitoring Analysis System (PBMAS) Manual is a comprehensive technical resource designed to explain each year's PBMAS indicators and reports of a districts special populations. The PBMAS is used by the Texas Education Agency as part of its overall evaluation of school district performance and program effectiveness.  Based on this information, special education (SPED) students have made gains the past three years with the greatest gains in math at 11.7%



Dear Friends,

As the 86 th  Legislative Session begins, we need to spread our message throughout our communities about everything great happening in our local schools.  Let people hear the consistent message of student and faculty successes!  We can make a positive difference!
 
Thank you,

Blake W. Cooper

Executive Director
Friends of Texas Public Schools

Why It's Cool to Choose a Texas Public School

Texas public schools are the best choice because students have so many more options for learning and pursuing their interests and talents:

More course options
The variety of offerings in public schools has grown to an impressive array, designed to open new doors that can lead to lifelong studies.

More pathways to graduation
Students get to choose among endorsements in STEM, business and industry, public services, arts and humanities, and multidisciplinary studies.

More extracurricular activities
Whether students pursue art or debate or music or sports or service opportunities, public schools are a gold mine of possibilities.

Magnet schools, early-college high schools, and more
Check out your local school district to find a listing of all of the great choices available to the students in your community.
CORPORATE PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

College of Education and Human Services

Texas A&M University-Commerce has been training teachers in Northeast Texas for over 127 years.  We rank in the top 10 among universities in the number of teachers, principals, and other educators produced each year. Of particular note, according to the Center for Research, Evaluation, & Advancement of Teacher Education (CREATE), for our 2012 cohort of teachers, 85% were still teaching in a Texas public school after 5 years.  One of the many challenges of becoming a teacher is the time commitment to a quality program. Our students preparing for elementary and middle school certifications must spend a full year in the classroom, with the last semester equaling more than a fulltime job as they conduct their student teaching. The College of Education and Human Services at A&M Commerce is proud to be a platinum partner of the Friends of Texas Public Schools. Learn more about Texas A&M University-Commerce here.
 
#TxEdTuesday is kicking off on February 5. Use these topics or your own... just be sure you are engaging your communities and legislators with the great things happening in Texas Public Schools! 
Tag #TXLege and #TxEdTuesday in your posts.

Thank you to our Affiliate Partners!

Belfor - Cornerstone - Government Capital - Pfluger Architects -  Powell & Leon - Right at School -  Symmetry  Turf - Texas Association of School Business Officals (TASBO)  - Texas Association of School Personnel Administrators (TASPA) - Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA) - TransCend4
A Valuable Resource from our Friends at TEGAC & TXEdStrong

Your 1-Page Guides to Key Aspects of Texas School Finance
Keep these handy as the Legislature engages on a top priority
 
Money matters in education, and Texas leaders have wisely declared that remodeling the way we pay for Texas public schools will be a top priority this state legislative session.
 
School finance can be a complicated topic, but TxEdStrong has resources to make it easy.
 
Here are three of our  1-pagers  to help you quickly understand some of the key aspects - and real solutions - to our school finance challenges.
 
 
Check out  the rest of our 1-pagers  - including pieces on teacher salaries, facilities funding, and Pre-K.

These one pagers were commissioned by Texas Education Grantmakers Advocacy Consortium (TEGAC) and produced by the Center for Public Policy Priorities.
 
Follow TxEdStrong this Texas legislative session  where credible data  is shared to remodel our school finance system.