State Rep. Diego Bernal to join Teach Plus Texas Student Success Summit for fireside chat
SAN ANTONIO, TX, November 2, 2026—On November 7, educators, community leaders, and state lawmakers will gather at Teach Plus Texas’s San Antonio Student Success Summit to turn statewide teacher data into policy proposals for the January 2027 legislative session. The fourth stop in a statewide series, San Antonio marks a shift. After gathering educator feedback in Dallas-Fort Worth, El Paso, and Houston, the summit now moves to drafting legislative recommendations.
The work centers on Teaching Towards Tomorrow: Building the Systems for Career-Connected Teaching and Learning, the Teach Plus Texas report released in July. Based on a survey of 608 Texas educators, the the report finds that classroom support hasn’t kept pace with the state’s goals for student success:
- 80% of teachers lack guaranteed planning time,
- 50% feel unequipped to build workforce partnerships, and
- 66% use AI without state guidance.
In San Antonio, where districts are expanding career-technical programs and dual-credit offerings while managing tight budgets and working to keep teachers, these findings are especially relevant. At the summit, attendees will spend the morning shaping the report’s findings into state policy proposals that reflect San Antonio needs. The summit will close with a fireside chat featuring State Rep. Diego Bernal, who will share his outlook for public education in the coming session and respond to the proposals participants develop.
Attendees will focus on the following priorities:
- Embedding career-connected instruction as a core competency in educator preparation programs to align teacher prep with the state’s college, career, and military readiness goals.
- Opening Career and Technical Education allotment funds to industry externships and leadership development, so teachers can guide students into workforce pathways.
- Expanding access to dual credit, industry credentials, and strong advising, backed by dedicated coaching for implementation.
- Protecting teacher planning time and giving districts flexibility to design staffing models that fit their communities.
- Establishing statewide AI guardrails for K–12 classrooms through a model AI-use policy framework.
- Making healthcare affordable for educators by lowering out-of-pocket costs and increasing state investment in employee coverage.
Perspectives from Leadership and Educators:
“Over the past three summits, we’ve listened carefully to what educators and communities across Texas need. Here in San Antonio, where schools are building innovative career pathways and pushing for sustainable classroom supports, we’re taking real data from teachers and turning it into policy solutions for the January session.” —Natalie Brown, Teach Plus Texas Interim Executive Director
“I hope the Student Success Summit builds stronger partnerships among K–12 educators, higher education, and community leaders so every student has a path to college and career success. After the summit, I want us to turn these conversations into action: expanding dual credit, strengthening teacher leadership, and helping more students graduate with a head start.”—Kalua Lauber, 11th Grade Advanced Placement language and composition and 10th grade advanced English teacher at Taft High School in San Antonio, as well as 2025-2027 Teach Plus Texas Policy Fellow
“I’m looking forward to hearing from Teach Plus Policy Fellows and practitioners at the Student Success Summit. Conversations like these give me real hope for the future of education in Texas.”—Natalie Arias, Teach Plus Texas Policy Fellowship alumna
The event is free and open to the public. Advance registration is required: https://sites.google.com/
About Teach Plus Texas
The mission of Teach Plus is to empower excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect their students’ success. In pursuing our mission, Teach Plus is guided by our Student Opportunity Mandate: To act boldly and create the conditions where every student can imagine their future—and experience an education that delivers the opportunity to realize it. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to exercise their leadership in shaping education policy and improving teaching and learning for students. Learn more here.
