November through December 2025, CHILDREN AT RISK  will host a Education Leadership Conversation Series to give Texas families, journalists, policymakers, and community leaders direct access to the people shaping public education in Texas. Through in-depth virtual interviews hosted by Dr. Bob Sanborn, this series features candid discussions with district superintendents, state officials, and other key voices influencing the direction of Texas public schools.

Created as a companion to CHILDREN AT RISK’s 2024–2025 Texas School Rankings, the series offers a clear, accessible look at how statewide academic trends, district performance patterns, and Texas education policies connect. By combining rigorous data with firsthand insights from education leaders, the series provides a richer understanding of the forces driving progress, challenges, and innovation across Texas school systems.

Each conversation explores the issues most relevant to families and the press today, including how well students are performing post-pandemic, what districts are doing to strengthen instructional quality, how Texas Education Agency Accountability Ratings align with the Texas School Rankings, and what statewide priorities are emerging for the year ahead. The series also examines learning recovery, chronic absenteeism, resource equity, and the policy decisions shaping opportunities for Texas students.

About the Texas School Rankings

For more than two decades, CHILDREN AT RISK has produced the Texas School Rankings to help families, policymakers, and educators understand the performance and quality of more than 7,000 public schools across the state. The Rankings evaluate campuses on student achievement, academic growth, and college and career readiness, painting a clear picture of where progress is happening and where gaps remain. Paired with the Education Leadership Conversation Series, the Rankings offer both data and context to support informed decision making in communities across Texas.