research
Bring Home the Mississippi Miracle: A Texas Triumph in Early Literacy
Texas lacks a coherent third-grade literacy standard and statewide implementation system. Restoring a mastery-based promotion gate and aligning coaching, screening, and funding can reverse stagnating reading outcomes. Key…
Forecasting the Future of the ERCOT Grid, Part 1: The Ongoing Winter Reliability Challenge
Written By: Michael Reed and Brent Bennett, Ph.D. Download the full research paper here. Key Points While the operational performance of the ERCOT grid has improved since Winter Storm Uri in 2021, the increasing reliance of…
An Economic Assessment of the 765-kV Strategic Transmission Expansion Plan
WRITTEN BY Brent Bennett, Ph.D. KEY POINTS • The need for the 765-kV STEP is driven by an overbuilding of wind and solar across Texas, particularly in West Texas and South Texas, and the plan does not address the need to…
(Not) Cheaper by the Dozen | Debunking 12 Common Myths About Higher Education
Myth 1: A’s and B’s Are Marks of Distinction in College, With C’s Signifying Average Performance. Reality: According to GradeInflation.com, as well as other later surveys, in the early 1960s, the percentage of A’s awarded in…
The Quantum Frontier: Leading the Next Generation of Computing
Executive Summary The next consequential technology conversation is already here, and this time, it is not about artificial intelligence. Quantum technology is a fundamentally different approach to conventional computing that…
Student-Athletes Are Not Employees – Texas Public Policy Foundation
College athletics is approaching a crossroads. After years of rapid, sweeping change in student-athlete compensation practices that have left a patchwork of state regulation in its wake, some in Congress now propose to …
Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying
FACT SHEET: Understanding Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying Taxpayer-funded lobbying (TFL) is a complex and unfortunate feature of state and local governance. While lobbying is typically associated with private interest groups…
Hijacked: How the Bond Process is Being Used Against Taxpayers
School bonds are one of the main instruments contributing to Texas’s local government debt, which is currently over half a trillion dollars. Key points: As of 2026, school bond debt in Texas is over $236 billion. In May of…
Ban Foreign Funding in Ballot Propositions
Despite federal laws prohibiting foreign funding of candidate elections, foreign individuals and entities are still able to fund campaigns related to state and local ballot initiatives in multiple jurisdictions, creating a…
Restoring Private Property Rights: Regulatory Takings
Municipal regulations like zoning ordinances can infringe on private property rights and distort the housing market. Key points: Private property rights are under threat from municipal zoning ordinances and design mandates.…
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