TIER is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan organization of community and business leaders throughout the state who have organized themselves to raise public awareness and educate Texas opinion leadership on the current status of public education in Texas, the progress of our standards and accountability based reforms to date, the prognosis for achieving the essential universal educational proficiency of the children of Texas, and the daunting challenges that we face in doing so.

Through its leaders and advisors, TIER has access to the nation’s leading education policy expertise, the best minds in the country, and will use these resources to bring to bear on the Texas reform effort the best available research-based strategies, benchmarked practices, and policy innovations.

Board of Directors

Jim Windham, Chairman – Houston

Andrew Erben, President – Austin

Charlie Amato – San Antonio

Tony Annunziato – Houston

Gene Austin – Austin

Michelle Brock – Midland

Bernie Francis – Dallas

Bill Hammond – Austin

Sandy Kress – Austin

David Merrill – Brownsville

Rod Paige, Ed.D. – Houston

Andy Thompson – Ft. Worth

Policy Advisory Board

Patricia B. Bubb

Chrys Dougherty, Ph.D.

Beto Gonzalez

Eric Hanushek, Ph.D.

Maria Hernandez Ferrier, Ed.D.

Rick Hess, Ph.D.

Dianne Johnson

Matt Ladner, Ph.D.

Don McAdams, Ph.D.

Chris Patterson

Billy Reagan, Ph.D.

Paul Ruiz, Ph.D.

Sandra Stotsky, Ph.D.