COLLEGE-READY
STANDARDS AND PRACTICES

College-Ready Standards and Practices

All Texas students deserve a quality education that prepares them to handle the opportunities and challenges that will soon come their way. To help make that happen, Educate Texas and our partners continue to support rigorous, college-ready standards for all Texas students. Now extending the scope of our efforts, we work closely with districts, community colleges, technical schools and regional universities to ensure that our goals are fully aligned with the state’s established postsecondary access and success goals.

Educate Texas applies its public-private teamwork philosophy by supporting the creation of Texas Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (T-STEM) Academies and Early College High Schools (ECHS) within the state. We also promote the district-wide adoption of key instructional strategies used in these highly successful, specialized schools to provide more Texas students with the advantages of their targeted approach.

Early College High Schools

T-STEM

T-STEM Centers

Next Generation Learning
POSTSECONDARY
ACCESS AND SUCCESS

Postsecondary Access and Success

Texas students should graduate with the tools they need to begin pursuing their dreams for the future. At Educate Texas, we know that postsecondary education will jumpstart their progress. That’s why we work closely with our partners to ensure that all Texas high school students — regardless of income, geographic location or family background— have the opportunities and resources necessary to apply to, enter and succeed in college. Educate Texas also promotes the proven practices that will increase the number of students who complete a technical, two-year or four-year degree at any Texas college or university.

To generate long-term, positive impact for Texas students, Educate Texas proudly connects a diverse group of organizations dedicated to quality education and links them in a powerful and unprecedented way. Working together, we champion the policies and programs that will help students succeed in their postsecondary endeavors, in their career goals, and throughout their lives.

TxCAN

Regional Action Plan

Completion by Design
HUMAN CAPITAL
STRATEGIES

Human Capital Strategies

Our teachers, principals and superintendents are priceless resources in the quest to elevate the quality of Texas schools. For enhanced policies and standards to be optimally effective, they must be implemented and embraced by those who work most closely with Texas students.

Educate Texas and its partners use innovative human capital strategies designed to put the finest educators and administrators on the "front lines" for Texas schools. Emphasizing the values of strong leadership, Educate Texas promotes the recruitment, support and retention of highly qualified professionals who share our strong vision for educational excellence.

Effective Teaching

Education Leadership

Texas Teaching Commission
PERFORMANCE
MANAGEMENT

Performance Management

To make the smartest decisions for Texas schools, we need the right information: unbiased and complete, yet concise. Educate Texas uses its unique collaborative position to facilitate the sharing of data that can make a real difference for students across the state. As objective intermediaries, we are committed to creating a data-driven environment that equips policymakers, superintendents, principals and teachers with the relevant facts they need to advance the learning and success of Texas students.

Educate Texas supports the effective use of data, transparency of evaluation results, and shared access to research and best practices.

Research and Reports

Texas Public School Data

Higher Education Almanac

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W. Charles Akins High School

City	District	Campus	Model	Partners	Opening	Website
Austin	Austin ISD	Akins High School	T-STEM	Texas A&M University	Fall 2010	Visit Website

School Mission

One of the primary goals of the Academy at Akins High School is to empower students to be independent, creative, and self-motivated while gaining a college-ready knowledge base.

Curriculum Overview

All classes are taught using Project Based Learning techniques. Teachers assign projects that meet the state standards required for each class by challenging students to address problems faced by real people in real situations. Students must use a variety of skills to complete research and present their ideas. Included in the scope of each project are assignments that enable students to develop the knowledge and skills addressed in the school-wide learning outcomes.

W. Charles Akins High School

Central Texas

East Texas

El Paso

Houston/Gulf Coast

Metroplex

South Texas

West Texas/Panhandle

School Mission

Curriculum Overview