It’s the question shaping every Texas classroom, and the question educators rarely get to answer together: What makes a great school?
Join The Texas Tribune on Wednesday, July 1 at The Holdsworth Center in Austin and online when we convene public school teachers, administrators and school leaders from around the state for a day built around that question and the realities shaping Texas schools today.
Recent legislative sessions have rewritten who teaches, what they teach, and how their work is measured. Schools are absorbing roles built for mental health, housing, and family services. Phones are out of classrooms, but technology’s harder questions are just beginning. And the decisions shaping Texas classrooms travel a long chain — one this symposium will help educators understand and shape.
View our panels and times below:
- 9:15 to 10 a.m. — Keynote conversation
- 10 to 11 a.m. — Recent changes to education policy and what they mean in the classroom
- In the span of a few legislative sessions, Texas has rewritten who’s allowed to teach, what they teach, and how their work gets measured. What does this wave of changes add up to for the daily work of teaching, and is it building toward a coherent vision or pulling in different directions?
- In the span of a few legislative sessions, Texas has rewritten who’s allowed to teach, what they teach, and how their work gets measured. What does this wave of changes add up to for the daily work of teaching, and is it building toward a coherent vision or pulling in different directions?
- 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.— When school is a safety net: The job beyond the job
- Schools have absorbed roles that mental health, primary care, housing, food, immigration, and family services were built to handle, asking teachers to provide trauma response, crisis support, and care they were never trained for. How can schools ensure students get the support they need while positioning educators to focus on teaching and learning.
- Schools have absorbed roles that mental health, primary care, housing, food, immigration, and family services were built to handle, asking teachers to provide trauma response, crisis support, and care they were never trained for. How can schools ensure students get the support they need while positioning educators to focus on teaching and learning.
- 1:15 to 2:15 p.m. — The role of tech in the classroom
- With phones out of the classroom, the harder question begins: when does technology elevate teaching, and when does it get in the way?
- With phones out of the classroom, the harder question begins: when does technology elevate teaching, and when does it get in the way?
- 2:15 to 3:15 p.m. — From the classroom to the Capitol: Governance, voice and the work of changing Texas schools
- Texas schools are shaped by a long chain of decision-makers. Where does meaningful change actually happen, and how can educators build community relationships, communicate their school’s story and grow into impactful leadership?
- Texas schools are shaped by a long chain of decision-makers. Where does meaningful change actually happen, and how can educators build community relationships, communicate their school’s story and grow into impactful leadership?
CPE CREDIT: This Texas Tribune event is eligible for up to 4 hours of continuing professional education (CPE) credits through a partnership with the Association of Texas Professional Educators. Use this link to learn more.
TELL US WHAT MAKES A GREAT SCHOOL: The Texas Tribune and its partner newsrooms, Austin Current and Waco Bridge, are exploring the variety of factors that make a good school. We want to hear from Texas educators, parents and students about what they think of or look for in a “good school” and what experiences or ideas have shaped that perspective.
Share your perspective using this form or email community@texastribune.org.
Disclosure: Association of Texas Professional Educators has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
