Brookhaven College President Dr. Thom Chesney explained at the “Collegiate Academies Industry Partner Reveal” that early college high school students have a greater chance of success than peers in traditional educational settings.
Contact: Ann Hatch
214-378-1819;
ahatch@dcccd.edu
For immediate release — Sept. 23, 2016
(DALLAS) — Pathways, partners and student success — these three elements go hand in hand. That’s what the Dallas Independent School District and the Dallas County Community College District knew when they joined forces and resources to open eight new collegiate academies this fall.
But partnerships don’t stop there. As the workforce changes and technology moves the world forward, the careers and skills that students need to succeed are changing as well. And who can better guide schools, colleges and students than industry partners who will hire them?
That’s the idea behind corporate partners for each of the new collegiate academies. Dallas ISD and DCCCD announced those new corporate partners earlier this fall to emphasize the critical need to involve education and business as they help students build their own careers. The corporate partners will provide mentors, internships and employment opportunities that lead to jobs which pay a living wage.
Dr. Joe May, with the support of the DCCCD board of trustees, has been a driving force behind the partnership, along with Dr. Thom Chesney, president of Brookhaven College; Dr. Michael Hinojosa, Dallas ISD’s superintendent; and Israel Cordero, deputy chief of school leadership for Dallas ISD.
During the “Collegiate Academies Industry Partner Reveal,” officials from Dallas ISD and DCCCD shared information about 913 reasons why the new partnerships will support students — 913 students were chosen from more than 2,000 applications for the eight new schools. “The early college high schools are over-enrolled,” reported Hinojosa. “These schools — they are game changers — add aspiration and enthusiasm; help students earn a living wage; fill the skills gap; and fill the opportunity gap for employers.”
He added, “The vision or dream for these schools is that our students will graduate with an associate degree or take a job with a living wage with our industry partners who are engaged in this effort.”
Chesney, who served as DCCCD’s representative at the event, said, “Early college high school students are far more likely to graduate and then transfer to a university — or to directly enter the workforce. Those students who are not invited to the table of K-12 and higher education are far less likely to be successful.”
He said, “Approximately 60 to 65 percent of the jobs in this area need some type of post-secondary education. These new collegiate academies will provide employers with the educated employees they need.”
One of the eight collegiate academies is the first P-Tech (Pathways to Technology) early college high school in Texas: Seagoville P-Tech, which is affiliated with Eastfield College and whose corporate partner is AT&T.
Students who enroll in the new collegiate academies can earn up to 60 college credit hours through DCCCD’s dual credit program; some students will be able to graduate with both an associate degree and a high school diploma. That achievement puts those students two years ahead as they transfer to a four-year college or university, or it provides them with credentials to enter the workforce and qualify for a job that pays well — a living wage.
The fall 2016 expansion included these schools, DCCCD colleges and industry partners:
-
David W. Carter Collegiate Academy — Cedar Valley College; city of Dallas Police Department and Wells Fargo Bank
-
Dr. Emmett J. Conrad Global Collegiate Academy — Richland College; STEMuli Education, Southern Methodist University Guildhall and JPMorgan Chase
-
James Madison Collegiate Academy — El Centro College; city of Dallas IT Department
-
Pinkston Preparatory Collegiate Academy — El Centro College; Univision, Parkland Hospital, Plains Capital Bank and SMU Simmons School of Education
-
Franklin D. Roosevelt Academy of Collegiate Studies — El Centro College; University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Bank of America
-
Seagoville P-Tech Early College High School — Eastfield College; AT&T and Accenture
-
South Oak Cliff Collegiate Academy — Mountain View College; Microsoft and Eon Reality
-
Thomas Jefferson Collegiate Academy — Brookhaven College; Telemundo, NBC 5 and Pinnacle Group
Corporate partner American Airlines already has asked to work with W.H. Adamson Collegiate Academy next year, and Wilmer Hutchins Collegiate Academy has two industry partners that have volunteered for 2017-2018 as well — TEXO The Construction Association and Fluor.
Students of the eight new Collegiate Academies are excited about the opportunities corporate partners will provide.
Micheal Peterson, regional vice president for AT&T, said, “We’re excited about our collaborative effort with Dallas ISD and DCCCD and to be able to help train local talent in the pipeline. We need new employees who have the education and training to hit the ground running. AT&T will be mentoring participating students and taking a more active role in student success and career readiness.”
Industry partner Microsoft was represented by the company’s citizenship director, Raamel Mitchell, who said, “Microsoft is committed to help empower individuals around the world. This partnership aligns with a number of our educational, entrepreneurship, economic development and pipeline initiatives. Our partnership with South Oak Cliff Collegiate Academy will help meet the needs of the market today and the needs of the world as we move forward.”
Before the industry partners’ names were unveiled, two students stole the show with their commitment to education and to their collegiate academies: Elsa Ibarra from Seagoville P-Tech and Brianna Key from Carter Collegiate Academy.
Ibarra, who shared that she will be the first person in her family to graduate with a degree, said, “I want to be a positive role model for my family. I want to work with innovative companies and go to a four-year university to earn a degree. I want to go to Harvard, and I am excited about the chance to study business, technology and other areas.”
Key said, “Our industry partners will give us early nurturing, help us with competitive college applications and offer greater learning and growth.” She added, “True learning comes from the community experience. Our partners will enable us to have that academics-to-real-world experience, build skills, develop portfolios and offer employment opportunities.” She thanked the partners for the opportunities they were providing all of the collegiate academy students.
For more information, contact Ann Hatch in the DCCCD office of public and governmental affairs at (214) 378-1819 or at
ahatch@dcccd.edu; or Libby Daniels in the Dallas ISD office of communication services at
libdaniels@dallasisd.org or at (972) 925-3923.
# # #