Good Reason Houston

09/02/2026

Strong public schools aren’t just an education priority—they’re essential to Houston’s economic future. Good Reason Houston CEO Courtney Isaak Pichon joined a Greater Houston Partnership panel to discuss how public education prepares students for good-paying jobs, strengthens our workforce, and supports a thriving regional economy.

09/01/2026

Our CEO, Courtney Isaak Pichon, sat down with the news this week to talk through what Houston’s 2025-26 A-F ratings really mean for students and families. 📺
 
Here’s what she shared:
There’s real progress worth celebrating. 71% of Houston-region students now attend an A- or B-rated school, up from 44% in 2023. That’s 176,000 more students in highly rated schools.
 
But a letter grade is a checkpoint, not the whole story. It tells you where a school stands today. It can’t tell you everything about what a student is learning or where they’re headed after graduation.
 
That’s why we look underneath it. A path to a living wage doesn’t start senior year. It starts on a student’s very first day of school.
 
Understanding what the numbers mean is how Houston turns today’s progress into lasting opportunity for every child, in every neighborhood.
 
What’s one question you still have about your school’s rating? 👇
 

08/25/2026

When educators and employers understand each other, students win. That’s why Good Reason Houston kicked off a new school year .

Teachers, district leaders, and a few of Houston’s most passionate community champions walked into an Astros game together — and what happened next was pretty great.

No agenda. No slides. Just real people getting to know each other’s worlds. These are the folks who shape what’s possible for Houston students every day.

Nights like this are reminders of the passion and purpose across our region. We’re grateful for Alief ISD, Pasadena ISD and our friends at Citgo, H-E-B, CenterPoint Energy, and PNC for the work they lead behind the scenes.

08/24/2026

Every August, a single letter lands on Houston schools. It can raise a lot of questions and rarely tells the full story.

Our A-F accountability webinar recording is now up on YouTube. We walk through what Houston's 2025-26 ratings actually mean and what the numbers reveal about progress across the region.

If you want to understand the story behind your school's grade, this is a good place to start.

Watch here: https://youtu.be/Ixn3ErrI6Ro

What questions do you still have about the ratings?

Every year, a single letter lands on your child's school. But that ...

08/21/2026

Congratulations to our CEO, Courtney Isaak Pichon, named one of Houston's Top 30 Women! 🎉

Courtney shows up every day for one belief: every child, in every neighborhood, deserves a real path to a living-wage career.

For more than 15 years, she has brought people together to make that possible. Schools, colleges, employers, families, and community partners. She listens first, then helps Houston act on what actually works for students.

As a founding member of Good Reason Houston, Courtney helped build the vision we still chase today. Her leadership keeps students at the center of every decision.

This honor is well earned. And it points to what still lies ahead: more students prepared to thrive in school, in their careers, and in life.

Congratulations, Courtney. Houston's future is brighter because of the way you lead.

Join us in celebrating her, and follow to meet the rest of this year's honorees.

08/21/2026

We are so thankful to the Deloitte volunteers for making an impact that matters on .

08/19/2026

This year, every student at Greenwood Forest Elementary packed up and left their building behind.

A full year of renovations turned the Klein ISD campus into a "flex" school. Kids who used to walk from their neighborhood now board a bus and ride 35 minutes each way, twice a day. That kind of change tends to unravel a school. Attendance slips. Families drift. Routines break down.

Greenwood Forest held together.

Heading into the end of the year, the school is maintaining 93% attendance. Under Principal Dr. Shukella Price, students kept showing up, and families stayed connected through a season that would have tested any community.

Here's what made the difference:
Family engagement rooted in trust and steady, proactive communication
Celebration systems that recognize how far students have grown, not just where they land
Instructional systems that give teachers clarity and take weight off their plates
Distributed leadership through embedded coaching Learning Technology Advisory Committee (LTACs), so more people can lead the work
A culture of joy that the team builds on purpose and protects with care

The lesson for all of us: what makes a great school was never the walls. It's the people inside them and the culture they choose to build every day.

Congratulations to Dr. Price and the entire Greenwood Forest team, a 2026 Houston School That Inspires.

School and district leaders: which of these practices would strengthen your campus most? I'd love to hear what culture looks like in your building.

08/19/2026

Take away the building. What’s left?
 
At Greenwood Forest Elementary in Klein ISD, the answer is everything that matters. 💛
 
This year, the whole school became a “flex campus.” Their building went under renovation, so every student packed up and moved. Kids who once walked from their neighborhood now ride a bus 35 minutes each way.
 
That kind of disruption usually breaks a school’s rhythm. Attendance drops. Families drift. Routines fall apart.
 
That’s not what happened here.
 
Under Principal Dr. Shukella Price, Greenwood Forest is holding steady at 93% attendance heading into the end of the year.
 
The secret was never the walls. It’s the culture Dr. Price and her team built and protect every day:
📌 Real relationships with families, rooted in trust
📌 Celebrations that honor growth, not just test scores
📌 Clear instruction that lifts weight off teachers
📌 Shared leadership through embedded coaching
📌 A culture of joy, built on purpose
 
Congratulations to Greenwood Forest Elementary, a 2026 Houston School That Inspires.
 
Know a school moving mountains for its kids? Tell us in the comments. 👇
 

08/19/2026

Public education is Houston’s most powerful engine of opportunity. And right now, that engine is picking up speed. 🚀

Catch our Chief Advancement Officer on KPRC 2’s Houston Life talking through the 2026 A-F accountability results and the academic gains happening across our region.

Here’s what has us excited:
📈 More students are attending A- and B-rated schools than ever before.
🌎 This progress is regional, showing up in districts across Houston, not just one.
🎓 Every gain in a classroom today is a step toward a living-wage career tomorrow.

The story behind these ratings is real students, real teachers, and real families showing up and doing the work. Progress like this happens when a whole region rows in the same direction.

We’re proud to help Houston understand what these results mean and what it takes to keep the momentum going.

Which win are you most excited about? Drop it in the comments. 👇

08/17/2026

📊 New A-F accountability ratings are out. 71% of Houston-region students now attend an A- or B-rated school.

We're breaking it down this week. Register for our free webinar Aug 20 👉 https://us02web.zoom.us/launch/chat?src=direct_chat_link&email=__EMAIL__0