Education Summit focusing on blueprint to help students succeed
February 21, 2017 | by Claire Ricke

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AUSTIN (KXAN) — On Wednesday, experts will gather to look over education milestones. It is a summit called the Annual Blueprint for Educational Change.

Manor Superintendent Dr. Royce Avery and Concordia President Dr. Don Christian joined us in the KXAN studio to discuss the E3 Alliance event.

“We in the region are very fortunate to have a strategic plan for education to ensure that all students succeed,” said Dr. Christian. “This year’s Summit we are gathering the most passionate and committed leaders from across the region from business, K through 12, higher education and community to look at some of the most pressing issues around education.”

Dr. Christian and Dr. Royce will try to help the audience gain better insight into the data through an immersive experience. Attendees will go outside of their comfort zone and experience what students face in the region.

“We have issues in the region around chronic absenteeism – where students miss 10 percent or more of the school year both excused and un-excused,” said Dr. Avery. “We have students who have mobility issues, lack of resources in their schools and not access to high quality summer learning opportunities. And you know what, the data is clear – summer is around the corner and summer learning loss is real.”

By 5th grade, summer learning loss can leave low-income students 2.5 to 3 years behind their peers in school, according to E3 Alliance data.

“Start early and prepare,” said Dr. Christian. “We should be preparing our students to pursue a career pathway starting in high school, they should be encouraged to take the most advance math possible in high school (four years of math in four years of high school), and when they get to college to enroll full-time with at least 12 hours each semester to ensure that they can complete a college degree.”

The summit is a partnership with the KXAN Education initiative and E3 Alliance.