Texas A+ Challenge
Creating Smarter & Stronger Education to Strengthen & Connect Communities
To be a catalyst for change and a model for innovation in education in the Houston area and beyond.
To ensure that every student is prepared for post-secondary success.
Public Schools partnered with A+ to build capacity
Educators have strengthened skills & knowledge through A+ programs
Students served by stronger teachers & school leaders
Our mission
We work with public schools to strengthen instruction and leadership through consulting, on-campus coaching, leadership academies, professional development workshops, and more. We convene educators and thought leaders to learn from peers and experts through our publications and events, including our free, public speaker series.
We know what works in classrooms. Why aren’t we doing it?
Texas A+ Challenge has a long history of supporting teachers and leaders to strengthen their skills and improve results. Our unique perspective – with one eye on schools and the other eye on the education reform horizon – brings a steady stream of research-based innovative practices to schools, serving not only as a catalyst for change but also as a partner in implementation.
What others say about our work
“My A+ coaches are my trusted source for highly-knowledgeable and relevant PD and coaching that I would not be able to provide otherwise and the sole instructional leader on my campus. They understand my vision, and they work well with my teachers, some of whom they have been supporting for multiple years.“
– Samyra Rogers, Principal (Pleasantville Elementary)
“You’ve NEVER experienced effective coaching from a third party until you’ve worked with A+ Challenge. Everyone grows with the coaching and is empowered to succeed after the coaching concludes. The A+ relationship endures – not because the growth is only possible when the coaching is happening, but because teachers have grown to a new place and seek out answers/collaborations to advocate for themselves in the areas they are now able to identify for their students with the content/curriculum.”
-Erin Chavez
“This coaching experience has made me feel cared for and supported to be able to access and implement new knowledge, participate in deep reflection and learning, and to be comfortable taking risks as a new instructional coach.”
-Raymond Mason
Contact Texas A+ Challenge
Our Team
Susannah Young
Academic Performance Coach (Literacy)
James Dirden
Academic Performance Coach (Mathematics)
Erica Milson
Academic Performance Coach (Literacy)
Erin McDaniel
Academic Performance Coach (Mathematics)
Jen Mascheck
Academic Performance Coach (Mathematics)
Dr. Marcy Baez
Chief Academic Performance Officer, Texas A+ Challenge
Our WORK
On Campus
On-site coaching, workshops, & more.
Customized support for real academic growth.
Virtual Coaching
Remote conversations and personalized professional development.
Goal-focused, outcomes-driven.
Workshops
Professional learning workshops that help teachers, coaches & specialists drive gains through research-supported best practices.
Academies
Monthly working groups that create space for networking & problem-solving with peers from around Greater Houston.
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.
Contact Texas A+ Challenge
Our Latest Pk-12 EDUCATION Research & Resources
How Parents Can Prevent Learning Loss and Build Student Skills Over the Summer
Most students probably agree that the best part of summer break is not having to go to class, do homework, or take tests. While these brain breaks can be great, the length of the summer break can lead to a lot of learning loss before the new school year. In fact,...
How did Children Fare in the 88th Texas Legislative Session?
Over the 140 days of the 2023 Regular Texas Legislative Session, approximately 11,800 bills were filed, and 4,550 passed. CHILDREN AT RISK showed up strong, registering support for bills 79 times, and providing expert testimony on legislation 29 times. In addition to...
C@R Texas House Select Committee on Educational Opportunity and Enrichment 7.11.23
Chairman Buckley, Vice Chair Gervin-Hawkins, and Members of the Select Committee: My name is Kim Kofron, Senior Director of Education. We are grateful to the Texas House of Representatives and Speaker Dade Phelan for the creation of this Select Committee and for your...
The Power of Immigrants that Texas Does Not Seem to Want to Understand
By Linda Corchado & Bob Sanborn The data is clear. A third of Texas’ nearly 8 million children are immigrants or the children of immigrants. In our cities, like Houston, the number is about half of our children. If children are our future then our path forward...
CHILDREN AT RISK Hosts The Future of Children Summit
The 2023 Future of Children Summit was introduced by Dr Robert Sanborn, President & CEO at CHILDREN AT RISK with Welcome Remarks The summit was broken down into seven sections that lasted 11 minutes followed by a brief Q&A led by Dr Bob and the speaker....
CHILDREN AT RISK and Texas Family Leadership Council Host Second Annual Motherhood Summit
Last month, the Texas Family Leadership Council and CHILDREN AT RISK hosted the second annual Motherhood Summit. The summit explored some of the most pressing issues facing Texas mothers and how these issues affect not just themselves, but their children and families...
Growing Up In Houston: Assessing the Quality of Life of Our Children
Data must be the catalyst for any conversation regarding the well-being of our children. However, data alone is not sufficient. We must also overlay context to better understand the complexities of the many issues facing our children. Growing Up in Houston aims to do just that.
CHILDREN AT RISK and Texas Family Leadership Council Host Third Annual State of Black Children in Texas
On Thursday, February 16, the Texas Family Leadership Council and CHILDREN AT RISK hosted the third annual State of Black Children in Texas summit. The summit explored the challenges Black children face growing up in Texas and how to best support them at all stages of...
C@R Testifies to Senate Finance Committee on Education
CHILDREN AT RISK Releases 2022 Annual Report
2022 was a year of huge growth for CHILDREN AT RISK, both in our work and as an agency! In addition to our main office in Houston, we are proud to report C@R now has multiple staff members based in North Texas, Central Texas, and El Paso. Having this statewide...
Supporting Opportunity Youth for an Inclusive Economy
Despite a decades-long drop in the opportunity youth population, which decreased from 5.8 million to 4.4 million between 2011 and 2021, the number of opportunity youth rose dramatically during the pandemic to more than 6 million. The term opportunity youth (OY)...
Education in Transition: Reshaping America’s Schools in a Post-Pandemic World
Reshaping America’s Schools in a Post-Pandemic World