Texas Border Business
PHARR – The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics announced the launch of the “Bright Spots in Hispanic Education National Online Catalog”, including Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD’s College3 initiative, which gives students the opportunity to graduate College Ready, College Connected and College Complete.
PSJA ISD was part of over 230 Bright Spots featured in the catalog. PSJA’s selection focused on K-12, College Access and Postsecondary Completion. The selected programs are helping improve the educational attainment for the country’s Hispanic community by investing in key education priorities for Hispanics. The announcement was made by Alejandra Ceja, Executive Director of the Initiative at the launch of Hispanic Heritage Month in honor of the Initiative’s 25th anniversary in Washington, DC.
PSJA ISD, a 98 percent Hispanic school district, has been a model for dropout prevention strategies and connecting all students to college. With a high school completion rate of almost 97 percent, the district is a regional, state and national leader in the percent of students graduating from high school.
To date, hundreds of students have graduated from PSJA ISD high schools with up to two years of college hours, a college certificate or even an Associate’s Degree from partner South Texas College. This early advancement is helping them complete a four-year degree faster, saving time and money.
“We thank the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for this honor,” Dr. Daniel King, PSJA Superintendent of Schools said. “Our goal is to provide the best educational opportunities for our students and by increasing their level of educational attainment they are more likely to have a prosperous and successful future.”
Through these Bright Spots, the White House seeks to encourage collaboration between stakeholders focused on similar issues in sharing data-driven approaches, promising practices, peer advice and effective partnerships. Ultimately, the main focus is to increase support for the educational attainment of Hispanics.
“There has been notable progress in Hispanic educational achievement, and it is due to the efforts of these Bright Spots in Hispanic Education, programs and organizations working throughout the country to help Hispanic students reach their full potential,” Ceja said during the announcement earlier today.
According to the Initiative, one in four students in our nation’s public schools is a Hispanic youth. In just the next few decades, Hispanics will represent nearly one in three American workers.
To learn more about the Bright Spots, visit the US Department of Education’s webpage: www.ed.gov/HispanicInitiative.
