Publication
Education
K-12 EDUCATION
Developing policy that creates opportunity and advances accountability for America’s K-12 students.
“Quality education for everyone, of every background, remains one of the most urgent civil rights issues of our time.”
–President George W. Bush
The Bush Institute aims to ensure that all young Americans can access a quality education and a path to use their creativity, knowledge, and leadership. We do so by helping leaders to value high standards, quality assessments, and meaningful consequences.
Wide achievement gaps exist in the United States — low income and minority students in particular lag behind their peers. On a global scale, students in the U.S. consistently rank below children in other countries in the core subjects of reading, math, and science.
Public sentiment and policymakers have retreated on accountability. Annual assessment data on student academic performance informs parents, educators, and the public about how our schools are performing, and helps identify where research-based interventions are necessary.
Publications
Publication
The State of Readiness
Are Texas students prepared for life after high school?
Publication
Education and Workforce Pipeline
<p><span>Are your state’s young people on track for prosperous, self-determined lives? </span><span>How do you know?</span></p>
Publication
The Texas Story
Texas is booming. It is the fastest growing state in the Union per the 2020 Census. People of color account for 95% of that population growth. Looking forward, will all young Texans be offered a quality education that puts them on the path to opportunity? Will the state benefit from their collective ingenuity, knowledge, and leadership?
Publication
Require K–12, Higher Ed, and the Workforce to Share Data
The latest
Video · Jul 14, 2026
Tips for Kids to Enjoy Summer Reading
Video · May 1, 2026
Texas students win when policy, data, and incentives create real support in schools
Video · Feb 12, 2026
Texas Parents – Here's what you need to know about the new Education Freedom Accounts enrollment
Oct 6, 2025
Statement for the Record by the Bush Institute’s Robin Berkley, the Ann Kimball Johnson director of education to the acting Texas Comptroller regarding Education Savings Accounts
Jul 23, 2025
Bush Institute's Anne Wicks testifies on literacy before the Subcommittee on Education and the American Family Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP)
Anne Wicks, the Don Evans Family Managing Director of Opportunity and Democracy at the Bush Institute, testified on literacy before the Subcommittee on Education and the American Family Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) on July 23, 2025.
Mar 1, 2024
Mrs. Laura Bush visits J.N. Ervin Elementary School in Dallas
Mrs. Bush joined more than 1,200 community volunteers in encouraging early literacy on United Way Reading Day.