Empower Schools and the Education Partnership of the Permian Basin are set to showcase its prekindergarten to career innovation around the region Oct. 9 and 10.
As part of the event, Education Partnership of the Permian Basin will host two days of site visits. They will visit the YMCA Learning Center, among other sites, Oct. 9 and Permian Basin Innovation Zone sites Oct. 10.
Each day will include opportunities to visit sites and hear and learn from students, teachers, and leaders. Along with the YMCA, attendees will visit the Pre-K Academy at Midland College.
The second day, participants will go to Grandfalls-Royalty High School, McCamey and Crane ISDs. There will also be panel discussions on both days.
“Holistically, the two days are meant to highlight the work that we are doing all the way through from pre-K to career placement,” PBIZ Director Sara Saleem said. “We’re truly trying to live out cradle to career, building those bridges to support the community.”
Adrian Vega, executive director of the Education Partnership of the Permian Basin, said there will be a variety of folks in attendance. The first day districts or partners throughout the state and philanthropists interested in learning more about early childhood will be on hand.
Similarly for the second day, philanthropists and other districts will be learning more about Rural Pathway Excellence Partnership Program, said Vega, who has been named vice president of institutional advancement at Midland College.
House Bill 2209 created an allotment and outcomes bonus under the Foundation School Program to support the program, the bill summary said.
On the PBIZ end, Saleem said the Texas Education Agency, other kindergarten through 12th grade systems and legislators are among those invited.
This is the second year PBIZ has been in existence. Saleem said they had an internal version of this where they took middle 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 a little bit larger. We had the hosting experience,” Saleem said.
The goal is to highlight the work the Permian Basin is doing.
“Oftentimes the Permian Basin doesn’t get noticed for the innovative things we’re doing. It’s a lot of the Dallas area, the Houston area,” Saleem said.
This is a way to offer support to other entities and communities interested in offering similar programs.
“Trying to get others who are probably struggling with the same problems we were and showing them here’s a solution that we’ve implemented. Here’s the progress on it and here are the supports if it’s something you and your community would also like to implement because most rural districts face what the districts in PBIZ face,” Saleem said.
There is funding available through the Rural Pathway Excellence Partnership and rural collaboratives.
PBIZ experienced 98 percent overall enrollment growth, but its welding academy grew 109 percent.
“We are having to expand our welding facilities. Unfortunately, we did not qualify for the JET (Jobs and Education for Texans) grant so we are looking at community industry to help support that since our program is built so that it perfectly aligns with their workforce needs; so our 18-year-old graduates will be instantly hireable,” Saleem said.
She added that they are looking forward to showing the work being done in the Permian Basin and all the work PBIZ has done with the Education Partnership over the past year. It’s also exciting to show the growth of the students, Saleem said.
“I think it’s a whole different experience when people come see and get to talk to our students and our teachers. I think that is much more impactful of the effect the work we do has,” she added.
The YMCA has a partnership with Ector County ISD through Senate Bill 1882. The Odessa YMCA Learning Center teaches Frog Street curriculum where children are taught how to listen, read and write. They also learn how to problem solve and be creative through arts and crafts, the website said.
Permian Basin Innovation Zone takes a research-based, progressive approach to how rural regions can cooperatively use resources to provide an outstanding Career and Technical Education to students resulting in high-wage, high-demand jobs, its website said.
Empower Schools works with state agencies, policymakers, school districts, and in partnership with communities across the United States in service of millions of students, its website said.
