Texas Think Tank Accuses Houston Parent Coalition of ‘Socialist’ Push

A conservative Texas think tank is accusing a Houston education advocacy coalition of using tactics aligned with socialism to promote what it describes as radical policies in public schools.

In a report issued by the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), researchers argue that Community Voices for Public Education (CVPE) presents itself as a grassroots alliance of parents, teachers and community members while functioning as a vehicle for teachers’ unions and far-left organizations seeking to maintain the status quo.

“There are several policies that they’re advocating for which are questionable at best, but very harmful,” Kate Bierly, campaign director for TPPF’s Next Generation Texas Campaign, told News Media.

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CVPE has strongly opposed the state’s 2023 takeover of the Houston Independent School District (HISD), the largest school district in Texas. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) intervened after years of academic underperformance at several campuses, prompting critics to accuse the state of political overreach.

State data, however, indicates academic improvement since the intervention. Reading and math scores for students in grades 3 through 8 rose over the past three school years, while the number of HISD campuses receiving A or B ratings increased from 93 to 197.

“F-rated campuses went from 56 to five, and the whole district moved from a C rating to a B rating,” Bierly said. “The results were amazing. But from this, several critics emerged … suggesting destructive replacement policies. One of the main groups behind these proposals is CVPE.”

Bierly said the Houston group employs organizing methods similar to those used by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which has expanded its influence in recent years after several DSA-endorsed candidates won elections at different levels of government.

In addition to opposing the state takeover, CVPE campaigns against mandatory STAAR testing and encourages parents to boycott the exams. The group also supports divesting from campus police, ending student arrests except in serious cases such as murder, and taking part in walkouts and political demonstrations.

TPPF says CVPE provides parents with guidance on organizing student demonstrations outside schools. CVPE, meanwhile, argues that peaceful activism is necessary to improve school environments and curricula.

“Some of the things they are advocating for is that parents should boycott the STAAR exam because the test allegedly supports racism and inequality,” Bierly said. “Scrapping this testing removes a key pathway for low-income kids to access advanced academic tracks.”

CVPE stands by its platform, arguing that restorative justice and expanded mental health services create safer schools than punitive approaches. The group says “HISD students should be heard and not herded.”

Ruth Kravetz, a CVPE co-founder, rejected the TPPF report and disputed the state’s account of HISD’s academic progress. In an interview with News Media, she dismissed comparisons between CVPE’s organizing and DSA tactics, saying the coalition includes people from across the political spectrum.

“Some of those parents are Republicans. Some are Democrats, some are socialists, and some are unaffiliated,” Kravetz said.

Kravetz also criticized high-stakes standardized testing, arguing that it does not improve student outcomes.

“It undermines educational quality,” Kravetz said. “It narrows instruction and reduces deeper, more meaningful learning … I don’t think any parent ever said, ‘I hope my kid grows up to be able to fill in a multiple-choice test well.’”

Kravetz previously disputed the “Texas Miracle” promoted by HISD Superintendent Mike Miles and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, claiming that the district’s recent testing gains had been artificially engineered.

“The truth is that HISD’s Mike Miles didn’t allow qualified students to even take Algebra I,” Kravetz said. “This skewed the STAAR results and played a shell game with scores. Most importantly, they denied opportunities to countless kids just to make the numbers look better.”

HISD did not immediately respond to News Media’s request for comment.