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Michael Barba

Michael Barba is the Policy Director of K-12 Education at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. His work is focused upon education because it provides our children with economic, civic, and moral benefits: a good education offers students a path to prosperous work, teaches students why and how they must care for their neighbor, and gives students practice in the virtues that allow them to attain lifelong freedom and happiness.

Previously, Michael served as a specialist on the System of Great Schools (SGS) team at the Texas Education Agency where he helped visionary school district leaders understand and deliver the schools that their families want, need, and deserve.

K-12 Education

Texas lawmakers passed laws to protect children, now we must implement them effectively.

Introduction: This spring, Rep. Patterson and Sen. Paxton authored and passed HB 900, the READER Act, which Gov. Abbott signed into law in June alongside HB 1605, another law that refocuses schools on core instruction while empowering parents. As detailed below, the READER Act empowers parents with transparency into library materials while removing explicit content...

December 11, 2023

K-12 Education

Breaking: A Closer Look at House Bill 1 ESA and Funding

Yesterday, House Education Chair state Rep. Brad Buckley filed House Bill 1 for the 88th Fourth Special Session. HB 1 continues Texas’ significant investments in education with a focus on: recruiting, retaining, and rewarding the best teachers in Texas; and empowering parents to determine the best education for their child. In addition to empowering Texas parents...

November 8, 2023

K-12 Education

Busting the “No Money” Myth

Public school officials in Texas won’t take “yes” for an answer. No matter how much money the state spends on education, districts everywhere are pleading poverty and falsely claiming that schools are “underfunded.” It’s a persistent myth routinely voiced in the media. But how does it square with reality? It would help if we all...

October 3, 2023

K-12 Education

STAAR Performance Labels: Is ‘Approaches’ On or Below Grade Level?

Introduction: STAAR performance labels offer helpful information to parents and policymakers because they indicate students’ success and are also an early-warning sign that students need more support. The STAAR performance labels are: Masters, Meets, Approaches, Does Not Meet. Each label offers an indication of how a child is performing in three categories: a child’s likelihood...

August 29, 2023

K-12 Education

SBOE June Update: Big Wins for Texas Parents!

Every parent deserves transparency, quality, respect, and choice in their child’s education. That’s our mission at TPPF’s Next Generation Campaign and we’re excited to report big wins this week! Transparency & Quality: As national scores continue to show us, there is a huge gap between the TEKS (what we expect Texas children to learn) and...

June 23, 2023

K-12 Education

In Spring Session, SBOE Takes Key Votes on TEKS, Charter, Library Issues

In its second meeting of the year, the State Board of Education (SBOE) took three critical votes which will: improve the TEKS drafting work groups, allow better communication during the charter school application process, and protect children from obscene library materials. Improving TEKS Drafting: The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) are the state standards...

May 1, 2023

K-12 Education

In lame-duck session, SBOE votes against options for parents

Outgoing members of the Texas State Board of Education met this week with the full board, and took a parting shot at parents—just weeks before a new, more conservative SBOE is sworn in. Rejecting the voters’ clear wishes on expanding parent empowerment and ensuring that families can make the educational decisions that work best for...

November 18, 2022

K-12 Education

It’s Worse Than We Thought: COVID-19 Closures and Learning Loss

Over the last two years, U.S. education was rocked by school closures and interrupted learning. As of spring 2022, 60% of our kids were not doing math on grade level and 50% are below grade level in reading. Parents are frustrated by their lack of ability to control what’s happening to their children. To listen...

October 26, 2022

K-12 Education

On Parent Empowerment, the Houston Chronicle Gets it Backward

A recent Houston Chronicle editorial claims that empowering parents to choose their own children’s education (yes, including low-income parents) would upset the First Amendment’s Establishment clause. Sure, some schools with a religious focus can provide kids with a solid education, the editorial board admits. “But when it comes to the constitutional separation of church and...

June 27, 2022

K-12 Education

State Board of Education Member Serves Unions, Not Moms on Waiting Lists

There’s something conspicuously absent from State Board of Education member Aicha Davis’s warmed-over critique of charter schools—the voices of the thousands of Texas families who are on waiting lists to get into them. Throughout this summer, families throughout the state will desperately await phone calls and emails informing them that a seat has opened up,...

June 16, 2022

K-12 Education

Texas Republican Ballot Proposition Shows Overwhelming Support for School Choice

What is school choice? School choice is about a fundamental right for parents to have access to the educational environment that serves their children best. Families should have a wide range of high-quality schools or educational options to choose from – be it traditional public schools, public charter schools, private schools, homeschool, or virtual learning....

March 7, 2022

K-12 Education

Parents have every right to know what their kids are being taught

When a Utah teachers’ union stared down parents who simply wanted to know what their kids were being taught, it was a state lawmaker who blinked. Recently, Utah Rep. Jordan Teuscher introduced a house bill to require curriculum transparency in public schools. The Utah Education Association responded with an online petition, and even the ACLU...

February 14, 2022