Seven-year award: $6,328,505; Number of Students Served: 1,214 The Heart of Texas Partnership Project will provide comprehensive support services to 1,214 7th grade students to help them prepare for and succeed in post-secondary education. Partner school districts include Bryan ISD and Hearne ISD. Texas A&M partners include: College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) Youth Adventure Program, CEHD Education Leadership Research Center, CEHD Center on Disability and Development, CEHD Counseling and Assessment Clinic, and the Office of Admissions – Recruitment division. Community and business partners include Brazos Valley Center for Independent Living, Project Unity, Growing Healthy Little Ones, KWKT Fox 44 TV, Workforce Solutions, and Texas Instruments.
Objective 1: Increase student academic performance and high school graduation rates. Counseling, mentoring, and advising services will be provided to cohort students. Community and university volunteers and HTGU will partner together to provide case management for families. Partner districts will provide homeless and migrant services.
Objective 2: Increase student preparation for and success in postsecondary education. College readiness activities, summer enrichment and remediation opportunities, Strategic Tutoring (Absolute Priority 2a), mentoring, and SAT/ACT preparation activities will be provided to cohort students. Case management will be provided to improve college fit and to decrease the need for academic remediation once in college. Financial knowledge will be provided in terms of workshops, financial literacy trainings (Absolute Priority 4), and information dissemination.
Objective 3: Increase career knowledge and career decision-making skills among students and families. Career activities such as career days, career fairs, etc. will be made available to families and students. Cohort students will participate in work-based learning opportunities such as job shadowing and internships (Absolute Priority 1b).
Objective 4: Increase awareness of and knowledge regarding college matriculation among students and families. College information activities will be provided through various workshops and outreach activities. Students and families will gain knowledge about academic preparation, postsecondary options, and financing. Parental outreach efforts in the form of personal visits will assure cohort parents are provided with college information.
Objective 5: Increase sustainability of project efforts. An advisory board will be established with one new community or business partner added each year. Newsletters, social media, and websites will be used to disseminate project information. Annual survey data will be collected and analyzed. Results will be distributed to partners, presented at national conferences, and submitted for publications in professional journals. Staff members will share promising practices at NCCEP and other educational conferences.
