GENERATION TX

Generation TX is a statewide, grassroots movement focused on creating a culture of college and career education that leads to the most successful generation ever.

The main objectives of this project are

• To develop a commitment among stakeholders to create a college-going culture in Texas public schools that prepares all students for a post-secondary education
• To clarify the processes of applying for admission and student financial aid
• To increase awareness of and build support for the Texas College and Career Readiness Standards
• To reduce asymmetries in Texan society.

Generation TX is a project of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) with initial funding provided through a federal College Access Challenge Grant. Generation TX was launched in October 2010 in San Antonio and Fort Worth and will be expanding across all of Texas.

Key Goals:

• To develop a commitment among stakeholders to create a college-going culture in Texas public schools that prepares all students for a post-secondary education
• To clarify the processes of applying for admission and student financial aid
• To increase awareness of and build support for the Texas College and Career Readiness Standards

Texas Higher Education Board

Since 2000, Texas has opened the doors of college for 540,000 more students, to include doubling enrolments for Hispanics and African Americans. Annual postsecondary credentials have increased by 61%, with postsecondary attainment for Hispanics and African Americans at historic levels. And Texas universities were responsible for more than $3.75 billion in research and development expenditures in 2011. Few states can match these accomplishments. But our competitors are not standing still. Texas is getting better, but not fast enough to be a leader in the global economy.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's mission is to promote access, affordability, quality, success, and cost efficiency in the state's institutions of higher education, through Closing the Gaps and its successor plan, resulting in a globally competent workforce that positions Texas as an international leader in an increasingly complex world economy.

“While we remain committed to achieving parity with leading states such as California, New York, and Massachusetts, we are preparing to compete with international powers like China, Korea, and Germany.”

The initial budget was funded by a Federal Agency – the Federal College Access Challenge Grant Generation TX is a programme focussed on coaching:

• explaining to the students and to their families  about all the possibilities for young people to go further in their studies, advertising for grants and scholarships, and presenting different strategies to access the University;
• explaining also the administrative procedures;
• presenting cases of young people who got jobs (as the National Guard) for earning money to access later to the University, or who get jobs in their own universities.
• motivating families to support their children in the path to University;
• motivating local leaders and businessmen to contribute to a society which cares with High Education
• explaining salaries of different jobs and how they raise when people gets new diplomas (BA, MA and PhD)

“Generation TX is about passionate belief. It’s students, families, friends, and educators who believe that all Texas students belong on the path to education beyond high school. It’s about believing that the future depends on our success.”

The target group are the students of the public schools of the State of Texas, as a whole; therefore it includes all handicapped groups, due to its aim of promoting a better generation of Texans.

The Programme is also focused in the families, with special activities and conferences to parents.

This is an initiative comprising all society. It was conceived to achieve all the State of Texas, and it has already spread through over the State. There are TX communities in ten different areas of the state (High Plans, Northwest, Metroplex, Upper East, Southeast, Gulf Coast, Central Texas, South Texas, West Texas, Upper Rio Grande.

Two main ideas of this project:

“Education beyond highschool can lead us to the future we want”
“More education means more options, more choices, more power, more freedom”

The website shows a lot of different actions always guided to coaching.

The websites promotes many state agencies and associations.

There are local activities, such as conferences, always focused in mentoring families, local leaders, businessmen and young people for the benefits of a longer education.

This project started in San Antonio, and grew significantly across Texas, and keeps growing. Local communities sustain it. Events take place regularly in different communities.

In June 2014 took place the 1st State-wide Summit focused on igniting parental involvement, what is a significant benchmark demonstrating the spread and the consolidation of this programme.

Generation TX is a project of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) with initial funding provided through a federal College Access Challenge Grant. Generation TX launched in October 2010 in San Antonio and Fort Worth and will be expanding across all of Texas.

For the moment, the main result of the intervention is its dissemination through over the State. It means that local communities accepted the concept as an important tool for encouraging families to be more committed with the Educational path of their children.

San Antonio

Generation TX San Antonio (GenTX SA) shares a name and deep commitment to creating a college-going culture with the statewide Generation TX movement, which is dedicated to empowering students to pursue higher education and take hold of their future.

GenTX SA identified an opportunity to provide high-quality resources for instructors during the transition to the Texas College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) and State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exams. Out of this opportunity, the SA Ready project was born. In the fall of 2011, GenTX SA partnered with EPIC to organize a task force of curricula specialists and educators and challenged them to develop a bank of lesson plans, spanning elementary to high school, to help students prepare for college and careers.

SA Ready lessons undergo a thorough review process before they become available to the public. SA Ready lesson writers are trained using a college-and career-ready professional development model created by EPIC’s Dr. Conley, the nation’s leading voice on college and career readiness, and facilitator of the development of the Texas CCRS. When lessons are submitted, EPIC’s trained reviewers score each lesson on a rubric and provide comprehensive and individualized lesson feedback. Lessons are then refined by the original author and a professional content editor to ensure maximum lesson impact.

In the 2011-2012 school year, five local San Antonio school districts piloted this innovative lesson writing and professional development project and an additional four districts joined the program for the 2012-2013 school year. The upcoming 2013-2014 school year will bring on board the remaining six school districts in the area. In 2014, after all lessons have been written, tested, and refined, GenTX SA will have sponsored the development of more than 700 lesson plans for teachers’ use. These lessons, along with accompanying toolkits and videos, are available for use free of charge to all teachers on www.SA-Ready.org; ensuring high quality resources are available for teachers and students.