Houston A+ Challenge is an independent nonprofit that has actively supported public school transformation efforts in the Greater Houston area since 1997. We provide teachers, principals and administrators with resources, support and coaching to improve classroom and district practices.

Our initiatives aim to help educators create and sustain great schools based on strong relationships and rigorous instruction that is relevant to students and their post-secondary aspirations. We advocate for personalization of classrooms and workspaces, collaboration among teachers and across districts, and a relentless focus on quality teaching and learning. We share schools best practices, and we challenge businesses, parents, students and community members to actively engage in Houstons public schools.

Houston A+ Challenge (formerly The Houston Annenberg Challenge) is an independent, public-private organization that has supported public school improvement in the Houston area since 1997. Our mission is to promote an academically rich and purposeful education for more of our children, and to demonstrate how such an education could become possible for all our children.

We do this by investing in people, through initiatives that coach teachers and school leaders to acquire the skills they need to help students of diverse backgrounds succeed academically, professionally and socially.

Houston A+ Challenge initiatives are guided by three imperatives:

* We promote personalization of classrooms and working communities.
* We facilitate networks and relationships, so that parents, educators, communities and the business sector can work in collaboration to improve schools.
* We focus on teaching and learning, by training educators to assess diverse learning styles and select effective teaching strategies to reach each student.

Since 1997, Houston A+ Challenge has raised nearly $90 million to invest in schools across Houston-area school districts including Aldine, Alief, Cypress-Fairbanks, Goose Creek, Houston, Humble and Spring Branch. Our major donors include: The Annenberg Foundation, The Brown Foundation, Houston Endowment, the Carnegie Corporation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

While the last ten years have shown great progress, much remains to be done.