Valley educators leave summit on mission to create unified, regional college-going culture

South Texas College’s fifth annual summit on college readiness was the stage for more than 250 educators from across the Rio Grande Valley of Texas to decide that they would be the ones to set the national standard for college readiness. How are they going to accomplish it? By creating a unified, college-going culture.

“We gather to show the data and how we are doing in preparing students for the challenges of college; it’s not about pointing fingers, rather collaborating on how we can do things better,” said STC President Shirley A. Reed. “A strong college-going culture throughout a child’s school experience is the strongest predictor of going to college. We, as a region, have hit a plateau with only 60 percent of our students going to college. We need to build a culture where college-going is an expectation for all, not just an opportunity for a few.”

Reed’s sentiments were echoed by Robert Nelson, new president of The University of Texas-Pan American.

“Success by design is what we must achieve, meeting the needs of our children and the Valley,” expressed Nelson. “Together we will shine as the best in the world. This summit is the most important thing happening in Texas today. Together we can make a difference.”

The pair opened the summit, laying the foundation for a day of enlightening facts and new approaches to viewing students and the world in which they live. Educators heard from national speakers from the Community College Policy Center and The Education Trust. Both highlighting ideas that even low-income, disadvantaged schools can be some of the top performers in the entire nation.

“We research schools that are the outliers, not the norm and what they are accomplishing is by design; it’s a thoughtful approach,” said Anna Rowan, K to 12 policy analyst for The Education Trust, discussing high-performing schools from across the nation with high levels of disadvantaged students. “Discipline and school environment issues are addressed by stressing collegial relationships, responsibility and instruction.”

She provided a variety of tools and thought-provoking ideas for implementation at schools across the Valley meant to elevate performance expectations and outcomes for students.

Perhaps the most poignant moments during the summit was a panel discussion of faculty doing their part to create a college-going climate in the region.

“Our job as teachers is to make sure that there is no need for remediation once a student goes on to college; that they are ready for success,” said Michael Hernandez, lead teacher and internal coach for the Mercedes Early College High School, where students are expected to earn an associate’s degree upon graduation from high school. “Within the first three months of opening our school, our students started calling themselves a family. That would never have happened before.

“These students self-selected the program and they are not all ‘high performers’ academically speaking. But they now have a common goal,” he added. “They hold themselves accountable and its motivating for them and us.”

“I would like to see more opportunities like dual enrollment and early college high schools given to all students,” said Melissa King, an English teacher for PSJA’s T-STEM Early College High School. “I had a lot of dual enrollment credits, which lead to a two and a half year college career and getting into the workforce very early. Many of my classmates were never given the chance to take dual enrollment. And with early college high schools, all students can make the decision to try it, whether high risk or high performing. They have the chance to take the stepping stones and rise to a higher expectation.

“Providing information on college opportunities and advising students early empowers them to make the decision to get out of their tunnel vision and think about the future, beyond next Friday, about going to college and having a profession. I have students telling me as freshmen in high school that they are going to engineers,” she added.

Attendees also heard from students about the impact dual enrollment and college-going made in their lives and were given state-wide data about student performance from kindergarten through college graduation.

“I believe attendees walked away reinvigorated and focused on making our Valley-wide college-going culture a reality,” said Luzelma Canales, who coordinates the annual STC event. “Some of what we heard was a wakeup call for us all that while we are doing really well, as opposed to national and state standards, there is still much work to be done. I am confident that by this time next year, all students will be hearing that college isn’t just an option, its’ the only option.”

For more information about South Texas College’s annual summit on college access and success contact Luzelma Canales at 956-872-6760.