www.e3alliance.org

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Susan Dawson, P. E. October, 2006
www.e3alliance.org
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E3 Alliance

• What are we doing?
• Building an research-based regional blueprint
• to align our education systems
• to better fulfill the potential of every citizen
• and in turn, increase economic outcomes.
• Why are we doing this?
• Now tell me again what were doing?
• Who is driving this initiative?
• Can it work?
• How are we going to do it?

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Does the System Meet Our Needs?

• Barriers to education
• 44 of Central Texas students are economically
  disadvantaged 1
• The number of English Language Learners in AISD
  increased by 41 over the past 5 years 2
• We live in an Innovation Economy, but our schools
  were designed for an Industrial Economy and are
  scheduled around an Agrarian calendar
• Students fall through cracks in the system
• About 70 of students graduate high school, and
  the majority of those who drop out say they could
  have graduated
• Fewer than 50 of our high school graduates are
  college ready
• Some Texas colleges have 90 of new students in
  remediation courses
• Only 18 (?) of students in Central Texas attain
  a higher education degree
• And the cost is huge
• Our high school graduation rate is among the
  lowest in the nation
• The estimated cost of dropouts in Texas since
  1985 is over 500 billion
• In Central Texas, the projected cost of not
  Closing the Gap to college is 2.4B annually.

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What If the Degree Attainment Rate Doesnt Change?
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Too Few in Central Texas are College Bound
Source Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, 2006
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What Does it Mean to the Region?

• 72 of 120 Portfolio Austin companies reported
  problems recruiting the right talent1
• Mexico has 450,000 engineers currently enrolled
  in college, about 100,000 more than the U.S.2
• Austin has one of the largest technology
  workforces in the state, yet the number of
  students earning STEM degrees is decreasing
• By 2020, the region will need approximately 8,000
  more nurses the area only graduates about 125 a
  year3

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Changing Workforce Needs
Projected Percent of Population Ages 18 to 65 by
Educational Attainment
Skill Needs of Future Workforce
Population
Skill Level
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But What Do We Do?
Or it costs us almost 80,000,000,000?
600,000 more students In college?

• Major disconnects between providers
• Little/no incentive to work together
• Best practices arent really shared
• Resources arent applied most efficiently
• Private investment is not rationalized

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Apply a Regional Model

• Any given school/district/college does not scale
  
• to capacity
• And, the state will not fix things soon

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Blueprint for Action
Unified Community Vision
Objective Data Map

• Better aligned, more effective Educational
  System
• Close the Gaps to college success in all groups
• Fill high wage regional jobs with our own
  citizens

Increased Global Competitiveness
Lower Human Services Costs
Higher Quality of Life
Enhanced Tax Base
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Who Is Driving This Initiative?

• All seven university presidents in the region
• Target superintendents and K-12 leaders
• CEOs of major businesses in the region
• Non-profit and youth services Directors
• Parents of past, current and future students

E3 Alliance Steering Committee
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Can it Work?

• We have schools, businesses, non-profits and
  parents working together to drive change
• We have a plan that is NOT politically driven
• (but well have to change some policies!)
• We are driven by economic need and social need
• We will conduct objective research to identify
  the leverage points of greatest impact on
  students and society

In a Word, Yes.
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What Is the Timing of E3 Alliance Work?
Track One Data Evaluation Research
Track Three Alignment

2015 More Reach their Potential Higher Wage
Earners Stronger Economy
2008
Track Two Community Engagement
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Research Track
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Community Engagement Track
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How Can You Help?

• Need Facilitators
• Thought Leader Summit 11/8
• Town Hall Meetings
• Need graduate researchers
• A quant jock to run some of our analyses
• Some literature review researchers

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Bringing it Together
EDUCATION
Better fulfill the potential of every student,
socially and intellectually
EQUALS

• Drive higher quality (achievement, attainment)
  of
• our student population
• Scale the capacity of our workforce
• Increase ROI from our education investments

ECONOMICS
www.e3alliance.org