Texas Teachers Collaborative

Texas Teachers Collaborative goals

1. Build a statewide knowledge base by systematically gathering, evaluating, and disseminating best practices in National Board Certification support from exemplary Texas districts and national leaders, creating a shared resource for continuous improvement.
2. Design and implement a comprehensive professional learning model that builds teacher instructional capacity through National Board Certification, incorporating ongoing mentorship, content-specific support, and collaborative reflection protocols to advance teaching excellence.
3. Partner with rural districts to identify, recruit, and support teacher candidates through a structured cohort model that provides mentorship, professional learning, and resources necessary for National Board Certification success and long-term retention in high-need areas.

---

Participating school districts support their current Texas Teachers Collaborative cohorts while developing plans to sustain this teacher retention initiative. The school districts identify participants, maintain relationships, facilitate learning experiences, and ensure that teachers and mentors receive appropriate support within their local contexts.

Since the pandemic, Texas has faced historically high rates of teacher attrition. The Charles Butt Foundation 2025 teacher poll found that 66% of teachers had seriously considered leaving the profession. TEA data show that many teachers follow through, with almost 13% of teachers leaving the profession in 2024-2025. 

In 2024, The Charles Butt Foundation partnered with 8 rural school districts to support the retention of effective educators by developing cohorts of teachers dedicated to collaborating, reflecting and improving on their instructional practice, and achieving National Board Certification. Achieving this certification also makes teachers eligible for the Texas Teacher Incentive Allotment. 

The inaugural Texas Teachers Collaborative Cohort includes 60 teachers from a wide range of content areas and grade levels. Each teacher receives bi-weekly professional learning, coaching and mentoring, and structured opportunities to collaborate with cohort peers to learn, share, and grow.  

Success in the Texas Teachers Collaborative is built from a powerful synergy between the Charles Butt Foundation (CBF) and each participating district. CBF leads by building the infrastructure that makes excellence possible: supporting the recruitment of talented educators, establishing proven coaching models and mentoring, and providing grant funding to strengthen both district implementation and teacher professional growth. Partner districts bring this framework to life locally, translating systemic support into meaningful action through teacher identification, relationship cultivation, and district learning experiences. Together, they create an ecosystem where teachers flourish.