Public Schools partnered with A+ to build capacity
Educators have strengthened skills & knowledge through A+ programs
Students served by stronger teachers & school leaders
Helping Texas teachers and leaders grow so that every child can succeed.
Texas A+ Challenge, a division of CHILDREN AT RISK, provides coaching, professional learning, and leadership development to strengthen teaching and learning across Texas schools. Our services include job-embedded coaching, training-of-trainers models, instructional rounds, and customized workshops that address best practices and current legislation. By modeling effective instruction and connecting theory to practice, we help educators and leaders build sustainable systems that drive long-term student success.
Upcoming Texas A+ Challenge Workshops
Oct 22 - Dec 11
Texas A+ Challenge: From Teacher to Leader
For new leaders needing practical tools to lead, coach, and support your colleagues effectively. Join us in person for hands-on learning designed just for beginners in instructional leadership.
October 23 Virtual October 30 In-Person
Nov 13 Virtual
December 9th in person
Our Data
Our support has helped schools improve performance on STAAR; Below are some examples of campus growth of students who meet grade level expectations on STAAR. data
OUR TESTIMONIALS
“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
“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, Principal
“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, Instructional Specialist
Our Latest Pk-12 EDUCATION Research & Resources
2024 C@R Learning Events
Learning Eventsconvening for change CHILDREN AT RISK is committed to hosting free events that engage the public and help them drive change for children. We aim to share research, unpack pressing policy issues, and highlight diverse community perspectives from across...
Ensuring the Mental Well-Being of Latino Children: The Importance of School-Based Mental Health Services and Parent Intervention
The Latino population represents the largest and fastest growing minority group in the United States. Data suggests that schools in the United States now enroll more than twice as many Latino students as they did in 1995, and it that by the end of 2030, Latino...
CHILDREN AT RISK Hosts The STEM Summit
Our last summit of the year will dive into the issues of STEM education, focusing on building a robust and qualified pipeline of professionals. A learning opportunity for educators and community leaders, this event will highlight the work of STEM industry leaders, educators, and nonprofit innovators working to improve access to STEM education for all students. Attendees will leave with a better understanding of what they can do to support the next generation of STEM professionals.
CHILDREN AT RISK Hosts The State of Latine Children Summit
The 2023 State of Latine Children Summit hosted on October 12th, 2023. Welcome remarks were provided by the emcee of the event, Dalinda Gonzalez- Alcantar, President of the Boys & Girls Club in McAllen. “Much of the Latin Population is concentrated in...
2023 Education Summit hosted by CHILDREN AT RISK
The 2023 Education Summit was introduced by Dr. Bob Sanborn, the President & CEO at CHILDREN AT RISK and Dr. Frazier Wilson, VP at Shell USA Company Foundation & Manager of Social Investment with Welcome & Opening Remarks which included a background on...
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.