HOUSTON LOVES TEACHERS! Beyond being a statement of fact, that phrase now doubles as the name of a new multi-year campaign announced by the College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation this morning in collaboration with Good Reason Houston and the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority’s CFP National Championship Host Committee.
Houston will play host to the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday, January 8, 2024, continuing the city’s impressive run of hosting championship-level sporting events. The CFP Foundation is the official 501(c)(3) nonprofit arm of the College Football Playoff and its primary platform, Extra Yard for Teachers, elevates the teaching profession by inspiring and empowering teachers.
The CFP Foundation partnered with Good Reason Houston, a Houston-based education nonprofit whose mission is to increase the number of students learning in great public schools and to collaborate on tackling the teacher shortage throughout the Houston area. An effective teacher is one of the single-most impactful components of a student’s education, and this community-wide effort aims to rewrite the playbook on recruitment and retention of public school teachers. Organizations throughout the city are invited to get involved through partnership and sponsorship opportunities to bolster this collective impact initiative.
“We are grateful for the collaboration with the host committee and thrilled to partner with Good Reason Houston to bring this collective impact campaign to life,” said CFP Foundation Executive Director Britton Banowsky. “This bilingual marketing campaign, which aims to recruit educators, and the retention programs that support thousands of teachers already in the profession are sure to leave a lasting legacy.”
The centerpiece of the campaign is a website – HoustonLovesTeachers.org - which will serve as a hub of information and resources for current and prospective teachers including career resources, job postings from multiple Greater Houston area public school districts, professional development opportunities and much more. As mission-aligned organizations team up with the current campaign, more events and resources will be made available to recruit, recognize and reward Houston educators.
Together, the CFP Foundation and Houston Host Committee have provided Good Reason Houston with a grant enabling the organization to continue the Houston Loves Teachers campaign through May of 2024, with the intent of building it into a sustainable and perpetual platform to serve educators in our community.
“Houston students deserve nothing but the best teachers in our schools, and we’re excited to join this collective impact initiative to launch a large-scale teacher campaign to attract and retain game-changing educators to Houston,” said Cary Wright, CEO of Good Reason Houston. “Our organization is well-positioned to manage this effort, and we know that as we continue to work with school systems and the community to fill teacher vacancies and ensure teachers have access to key resources and development – we can transform Houston's public education for many years to come.”
The Eisenhower Ninth Grade School in Aldine ISD, or “Ike 9,” as the site of today’s news conference is known, also announced a partnership with the University of Houston-Downtown in which UHD will place its students who are pursuing teaching careers at the campus to complete their training and attain their certification.
“A significant part of our mission as a host committee for major events like the College Football Playoff National Championship is to ensure that the impact of the event is felt far beyond and long after the day of the game,” said Houston 2024 Host Committee President and Harris County-Houston Sports Authority Vice President Chris Massey. “We’re honored to work with the CFP Foundation and Good Reason Houston to help put the best teachers in our public schools, and we look forward to working with our friends throughout the Houston business community and public sector to help leave a truly long-lasting and impactful legacy.”
After kicking off Teacher Appreciation Week with today’s announcement, the CFP Foundation and the Houston Host Committee will make a series of surprise visits to public school campuses around Greater Houston this week. Houston Loves Teachers’ Teacher Appreciation Week will culminate Friday with a teacher appreciation party at Saint Arnold Brewery. As part of the festivities, the CFP Foundation and its partner, Eckrich, will distribute more than $100,000 in Donors Choose gift cards to the hundreds of teachers expected to attend.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Zac Emmons – Houston Host Committee
281-799-3325; zemmons@houstonsports.org
About the Houston College Football Playoff Houston Host Committee
Operating under the leadership of the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, the Houston College Football Playoff National Championship Host Committee has the mission of delivering an unmatched experience for the College Football Playoff National Championship andestablishing socioeconomic and philanthropic legacies that deliver long-term community benefits. The host committee, led by Harris County-Houston Sports Authority CEO Janis Burke, serves as the liaison between the College Football Playoff and the City of Houston. The committee aims to identify and execute opportunities to create community engagement surrounding the 2024 CFP National Championship. NRG Stadium, home of the NFL’s Houston Texans, will host the national championship game on Monday, January 8, 2024.
About Harris County - Houston Sports Authority
Harris County - Houston Sports Authority (HCHSA) maintains the facilities and services the debt of the world-class, professional sports venues it was created to build. To support this primary mission, HCHSA is a leading proponent in attracting sporting events to Houston and promoting the city as a home for sports-related activities. This ultimately results in enhancing Houston's economic development, improving the quality of life for its residents, and maintaining the city and county as a premier destination for marquee events.
HCHSA also operates annual programs to honor and recognize excellence in athletics, support the local community through programming and donations, and showcase the spirit and culture of the city. These events include the Houston Sports Awards, Houston Sports Hall of Fame, Brothers In Arms Celebrity Golf Tournament, Abilities In Motion, and the National Battle of the Bands.
About the College Football Playoff Foundation
The College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation is the 501(c)3 non-profit organization serving as the community engagement arm of the College Football Playoff and works in partnership with institutions of higher education, sports organizations, corporations and non-profits to support educators and improve student outcomes. The purpose of the CFP Foundation lies in supporting PK-12 education by elevating the teaching profession. The CFP Foundation inspires and empowers educators by focusing its work in four areas: recognition, resources, recruitment and retention, and professional development. To learn more, visit cfp-foundation.org and follow Extra Yard for Teachers (@CFPExtraYard) on social media.
About Good Reason Houston
Good Reason Houston is a nonprofit that works to reshape the Houston education landscape by inspiring hope, possibility, and action. The organization believes that all Houston students deserve an excellent and equitable education and is on a mission to grow the number of students learning in great public schools. Good Reason Houston’s work focuses on increasing the supply of and demand for high-quality education. Both of these strategies serve to realize their vision where one day every child in every neighborhood has access to a world-class public school and thrives in the Houston of tomorrow. To learn more, visit goodreasonhouston.org.
About Houston Loves Teachers
Houston Loves Teachers is a collective impact campaign to recruit and retain excellent teachers in the Houston area. The College Football Playoff National Championship is coming to Houston in January! In advance of the game, Houston Loves Teachers was developed by the College Football Playoff Foundation, Good Reason Houston and the 2024 CFP National Championship Host City Committee to bolster the PK-12 education workforce in Houston through a community-wide initiative. Elements of the initiative include a thoughtful media campaign and developing a high profile teacher community brought together both online and in person through a new digital platform and within a series of community recognition and professional development activities.
Resources to support the Houston Loves Teachers initiative are provided by campaign sponsors, media partners and ambassadors.