Oct. 4 – Empower Schools and the Education Partnership of the Permian Basin will showcase their preschool for career innovation in the region on Oct. 9 and 10.
As part of the event, the Education Partnership of the Permian Basin will host two days of site visits. They will visit the YMCA Learning Center on Oct. 9 and the Permian Basin Innovation Zone locations on Oct. 10, among others.
Every day there are opportunities to visit locations and listen to and learn from students, teachers and leaders. Attendees will visit the Pre-K Academy at Midland College with the YMCA.
The second day, participants will go to Grandfalls-Royalty High School, McCamey and Crane ISDs. Panel discussions will also take place on both days.
“Holistically, the two days are intended to highlight the work we do, from pre-K to career placement,” said PBIZ Director Sara Saleem. “We really try to live from cradle to career and build bridges to support the community.”
Adrian Vega, executive director of the Education Partnership of the Permian Basin, said a variety of people will attend. The first day will feature districts or partners from across the state and philanthropists interested in learning more about early childhood.
Likewise, philanthropists and other districts will learn more about the Rural Pathway Excellence Partnership Program on the second day, said Vega, who has been named vice president of institutional advancement at Midland College.
House Bill 2209 created an allocation and outcome bonus under the Foundation School Program to support the program, according to the bill’s summary.
As for the PBIZ, Saleem said the Texas Education Agency, other kindergarten through 12th grade schools and lawmakers have been invited, among others.
This is the second year that PBIZ has existed. Saleem said they had an internal version of this where they took high school students on a tour of all the career and technical education pathways.
“When this was proposed this year, I felt like we were in a place to tackle something bigger. We had the hosting experience,” Saleem said.
The goal is to highlight the work the Permian Basin is doing.
“Often the Permian Basin goes unnoticed because of the innovative things we do. It covers a large portion of the Dallas and Houston area,” Saleem said.
This is a way to provide support to other entities and communities interested in offering similar programs.
“Trying to reach others who are probably struggling with the same issues as us and showing them here a solution we’ve implemented. Here’s the progress on it and here’s the supports if it’s something you and your community would like to implement too, because most rural districts are facing what the districts in PBIZ are facing,” Saleem said.
Funding is available through the Rural Pathway Excellence Partnership and rural partnerships.
PBIZ experienced overall enrollment growth of 98 percent, but the welding academy grew by 109 percent.
“We need to expand our welding facilities. Unfortunately, we did not qualify for the JET (Jobs and Education for Texans) grant, so we are looking to the community industry to help support that as our program is built to be a perfect fit to their workforce needs; so that our 18-year-old graduates are immediately employable,” said Saleem.
She added that they look forward to showcasing the work being done in the Permian Basin and all the work PBIZ has done over the past year with the Education Partnership. It’s also exciting to show the students’ growth, Saleem said.
“I think it’s a very different experience when people come and see and talk to our students and teachers. I think that has a lot more impact on the effect that the work that we do has,” she added.
The YMCA has a partnership with Ector County ISD through Senate Bill of 1882. The Odessa YMCA Learning Center teaches the Frog Street curriculum in which children learn to listen, read and write. They also learn how to solve problems and be creative through arts and crafts, according to the website.
Permian Basin Innovation Zone takes a research-based, forward-thinking approach to how rural areas can collectively leverage resources to provide students with excellent career and technical education, resulting in high-wage, high-demand jobs, according to its website.
Empower Schools works with government agencies, policymakers, school districts and in partnership with communities across the United States to serve millions of students, according to its website.
Hannah Foley, executive director of Empower Schools, said it is a nonprofit with deep roots in Texas.
“And we have had the privilege of working with regional districts and nonprofits in recent years. We believe there are innovations that are scaling in the Permian and providing lessons and inspiration to others across the state. We are especially pleased that other district leaders are coming from across Texas to learn about SB 1882 Pre-K partnerships and R-PEP partnerships as ways to expand opportunities for students, and we hope the showcase will expose them to new ideas, best practices and thought partners that we can work with in the years to come,” Foley said in an email.
