PK-12 Education
Only 1/3 of Economically Disadvantaged 3rd Graders are Reading On Grade-Level In Texas
One in ten children in the U.S. is born in Texas. Providing 10% of our country’s population with a quality education is critically important to the future of our local, state, and national economies. CHILDREN AT RISK conducts research to understand trends, inequities, resources, and opportunities in public education. We use that research to advocate for policy change at the local, state, and federal levels.
The Center for Social Measurement & Evaluation
One in ten children in the U.S. is born in Texas. Providing 10% of our country’s population with a quality education is critically important to the future of our local, state, and national economies.
Primarily achieved through our Center for Social Measurement and Evaluation (CSME), CHILDREN AT RISK works to ensure all Texas children have access to quality education, so they have the skills necessary to thrive in our 21st-Century economy.
Through strategic partnerships, CHILDREN AT RISK researches trends, inequities, resources, and opportunities to improve public education. We use this research to educate policymakers and advocate for better education policies
The Center for Social Measurement and Evaluation...
Collects and analyzes data on the quality of public education in Texas.
Collaborates with schools, districts, and agency
leaders to identify and evaluate innovative
practices understand their current needs and share our research findings.
Advocates for education policies that address racial and economic disparities, provide adequate funding, improve data collection practices and transparency, and expand
public pre-kindergarten programs.
Houston A+ Challenge Joins Children at risk
CHILDREN AT RISK is proud to welcome Houston A+ Challenge to the team!
Since 1997, Houston A+ Challenge has led an experienced, interconnected team of professional coaches to give school administrators, specialists, and teachers the tools they need to maintain a focus on student learning and academic growth. To date, they have served over 250,000 students and continue to grow.
Both nonprofits work tirelessly to be the catalyst for change Texas children need and are now combining efforts to increase the impact of their work to improve the public education system.
Read our press release here.
Our Latest Pk-12 EDUCATION Research & Resources
In the Time of COVID: Student Rights and School Policies
IN THE TIME OF COVID: School Policies & Student RightsCOVID-19 changed our public education landscape overnight. Thousands of Texas schools and nearly 5.5 million students had to adapt to new policies and health guidelines. As schools grapple with COVID's impact,...
School Discipline
IN THE TIME OF COVID: School DisciplineSchool discipline policies are guidelines that outline the rules of a school. They're important because they help to keep order in schools and to protect students from violence or abuse by other students, teachers, or...
TREC Hosts Racial Equity Roundtable on Going Back to School under COVID-19
On Wednesday, September 29, CHILDREN AT RISK and the Texas Racial Equity Collaborative launched the first in a series of monthly roundtables centered on racial equity first These monthly Racial Equity Rapid Roundtables will gather community leaders, child advocates,...
Special Session Update: Public Education Takes Center Stage
Today, August 30th, the Texas House Public Education Committee will hold a hearing on mask mandates. Two school mask-centered bills are up for public discussion. HB 164 (Dutton) would give school districts the flexibility they need to follow public health...
C@R & Shell Host Webinar on the Resegregation of America’s Schools
Education leaders come together to explore the root causes and potential solutions to school segregation in the 21st century. On August 18th, CHILDREN AT RISK hosted “The Resegregation of American Schools: The Economics of Inequity,” a discussion between education...
C@R & Shell Host Racial Equity in STEM Education Webinar
Teachers and administrators have spent the past 18 months re-envisioning the possibilities of the traditional classroom and what the future of education may hold for students today. On August 4th, CHILDREN AT RISK hosted "Racial Equity in STEM Education," a webinar...
How did Children Fare in the 87th Texas Legislative Session?
Over the last 140 days, Children at Risk monitored thousands of bills, registered support for bills 93 times, provided written testimony 23 times, and provided oral testimony 20 times. Out of our initial legislative priorities, 17 bills ultimately made it to the...
Most student achievement is attributed to out-of-school factors
The following is the first in our Children's Health Vlog Series. This entry highlights the out-of-school health factors that influence student academic performance and their impact. It also covers best practices for crafting quality environments for children to learn...
Chronic Absenteeism In Texas
Before the pandemic, Texas had a problem with chronic absenteeism in its schools. Statewide, chronic absenteeism averages at 12.5% pre-COVID and varies dramatically by region. More than 740,000 students missed at least one-tenth of their instruction in 2019. The...
Learning from Experience: Advice for PK-12 Schools from Summer 2020
COVID-19 has placed unprecedented strain on our education system with early closures and emergency shifts online leading to learning losses and inequities. We know how important it is for children to return to school in-person this fall, but will it be safe? Drawing...
Educational Equity in the Digital Classroom: It is all about access
Forced adaptation is a concept in biology that describes the modification of an organism’s properties by imposing drastic changes to its environment. This may be done purposefully, to bring out characteristics deemed beneficial, such as improving the...
2019 State of Public Education
For the past thirteen years, CHILDREN AT RISK (C@R) has assigned A-F grades and ranked Texas public schools to help parents, educators, and community members better understand how their local schools are performing. C@R has used this annual “dive into the data” to spark conversations about the quality of our public schools and push the state to adopt more transparent and rigorous standards.