Raise Your Hand Texas Sponsoring 95 Principals from 65 School Districts/Charters for Harvard Institutes

Austin, Texas — (BUSINESS WIRE) — Raise Your Hand Texas, a nonprofit advocacy organization working to strengthen and improve public education, is sponsoring 95 principals from 61 school districts and four charter school organizations to participate in a summer leadership program at The Principals’ Center at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

With this year’s group, Raise Your Hand Texas will have sponsored more than 900 principals to attend Harvard in the eight years of the program. Raise Your Hand covers all expenses for those selected, including program tuition fees, travel, hotel and other discretionary funding – an average of about $7,500 per attendee, for a total of nearly $750,000 in sponsorships for 2016, and more than $6 million since the program’s inception.

“Building strong campus leaders is one of the fastest, most effective ways to improve education for all kids in public schools across Texas,” said Dr. Andre Morgan, program director for Raise Your Hand Texas. “With this year’s cohort, Raise Your Hand will have sponsored more than 10 percent of all Texas principals to benefit from a rigorous weeklong program at the Harvard Leadership Institutes.”

Attendees will join campus leaders from around the globe in one of the following six institutes, and engage in training and workshops led by national and international experts in the fields of education and leadership.

1. National Institute for Urban School Leaders
2. Improving Schools: The Art of Leadership
3. Leadership: An Evolving Vision
4. Closing the Achievement Gap
5. Family Engagement in Education
6. School Turnaround Leaders

Each Institute lasts for 5-7 days, between June 6 and July 28, 2016.

About Raise Your Hand Texas
Raise Your Hand Texas is a non-profit, non-partisan organization advancing public education by igniting fiercely innovative leadership and advocacy for our state’s 5 million+ students. We invest in best-in-class programs to develop an innovative new breed of leaders for Texas public schools, and lead research-driven public policy advocacy that elevates the quality of Texas public education, ensuring that our economy remains strong and Texas’ future remains bright. Visit RaiseYourHandTexas.org to learn more.

Featured

  • S4L Announces 2026 Education Design Showcase Winners

    Spaces4Learning is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2026 Education Design Showcase! Now in its 27th year, the annual awards program honors innovative solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction across K–12 and higher education.

  • Washington State District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    Cheney School District No. 360 in Spokane County, Wash., recently announced that construction has begun on a new elementary school, according to local news. The district held a groundbreaking ceremony on May 18 in Airway Heights for the yet-to-be-named school, which is scheduled to open in fall 2027.

  • University of Kansas Breaks Ground on Entrepreneurship Hub

    The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new KU Entrepreneurship Hub, according to university news. The Hub is part of the university’s School of Business and will include spaces for experiential learning and programming.

  • USC Launches Major AI Initiative After $200M Gift

    The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Calif., recently announced that it has launched a “transformational” new AI initiative thanks to a $200M gift, according to a news release. The project will leverage AI toward breakthroughs and innovations in subjects like the health sciences, business, security, and the arts.