El Paso Regional Overview

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El Paso Regional Overview

Prepared for:

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Executive Summary – El Paso

• El Paso is a geographically isolated, self-contained region. El Paso residents have a lower income than the Texas average and are mainly Hispanic (82%). The student population will grow by 18% in the next 20 years, fueled mainly by Hispanic student growth

• El Paso has been successful in raising the persistence and success rates of its Hispanic population above Texas average. However, graduation rates are still woefully low for all ethnicities (13%)

• Despite significant progress in education attainment, El Paso still faces serious challenge in college readiness. Half of students who enroll in its four-year university require developmental coursework – a very high number. Among its community college students, almost two-thirds require developmental coursework, but their completion is only slightly lower than those who enter college-ready, indicating that additional challenges beyond academic readiness need to be addressed if the region is to improve its postsecondary outcomes

• Recent large-scale immigration from troubled Juarez, just across the border, will also stretch El Paso’s capacities

• El Paso is aware of the challenges facing the region and the urgent need for reform. The region has a more than twenty-year long tradition of innovation and collaboration around student success which it can leverage to continue to improve student outcomes. The region’s key assets include:

o A tightly-knit community with a strong sense of urgency about improving education

opportunities

o A group of committed leaders with a long-established willingness and ability to collaborate

among its single two and four year IHEs, large high school districts and municipal government

o Its ability to attract significant philanthropic resources through its commitment to education

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El Paso Is a Geographically Isolated, Self-Contained Region With a

Population That Is Over 80% Hispanic

Regional Context

The nearest Texas IHE outside of El Paso is located more than 213 miles away, which

highlights the isolation of the area

Total Population = .8 M (~ 3% of Texas population)

4 Year University 2 Year College

El Paso

County

New Mexico Texas Mexico El Paso Juarez 213_m iles

New Mexico – Texas Border

U.S . B ord_er 47% 13% 82% 3% Texas 37% 24.3 M 4% 11% El Paso 2% 0.8 M

At 82%, the Hispanic population in El Paso is more than double the Texas average

Note: Left Graph: Projected Distribution in Number of Total Texas and El Paso Residents, 2010 (in millions) Source: Texas Data Center, 2008 Population Projections, Migration Scenario 0.5; FSG analysis

Hispanic White Other African- American Populati on by Ethnicity 2010 (i n thousands)

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Hispanic Students Make Up 85% of El Paso’s Student Population and Will

Account for Almost 100% of Student Growth in the Next 20 Years

10%

2030

0.1 M

2% 3%

2010

89%

0.1 M

2% 4%

85%

6%

777 -199

-2,338

19,221

Regional Context

Note: Left Graph: Projected Distribution in Number of Total Texas and El Paso Residents, 2010 (in millions) Source: Texas Data Center, 2008 Population Projections, Migration Scenario 0.5; FSG analysis

Student Popul ati on, Ages 18-24, by Ethnicity African-American Hispanic White Other

The El Paso student population has the same makeup as the total population

96% of total positive student growth in the next 20 years will come from Hispanics

Growth i n Num b e r of El Paso Resi dents Ages 18-24, 2010-30

White Hispanic African American

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Both the White and Hispanic Population in El Paso Earn Less Than the

Texas Average for Their Demographic Group

Notes: (1) Federal poverty level for a 3 person household was $17,600 for 2008, (2) Median Household Income by Ethnicity calculated using the median household income per county and weighting by 2008 county population

Source: Left chart, Texas Data Center, 2008 Population Projections, Migration Scenario 0.5; Right chart, 2008 American Community Survey, Texas Data Center; FSG analysis

Regional Context

“The median income 25

years ago was highest in

the state because El Paso

was a manufacturing hub

and that created a huge

middle class.

Now all those jobs have

gone across the border,

causing income to drop,

and as more immigrants

come in, racial poverty

increases”

– Regional Education

Service Center

Median Household Income by Ethnicity (in thousands) 20081,2

El Paso’s income ($35,637) is the lowest income among all major Texas regions

18 $31

Texas Avg

$45

$35

$37

$61

$70

$60

$50

$40

$30

$56

$10

$0

$20

El Paso

Hispanic

White

African-American

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El Paso Has Experienced Steady Job Growth With the Highest

Growth Industries Requiring a Postsecondary Degree

Upper Rio Grande Region Industrial Employment Indices, 2002-2012

Note: The Industry Employment Indices Graph includes all counties in the Upper Rio Grande region not just El Paso Source: Window on State Government http://www.window.state.tx.us/specialrpt/tif/urgrande/ecodevo.php

Note: Data after September 2009 are projected.

Sources: Economic Modeling Specialists Inc. and Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.

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FSG.ORG

The El Paso Economy Will Require An Increase in Workers With Post

Secondary Degrees

The demand for degrees, combined with lagging educational outcomes, presents both

a challenge and an incentive for El Paso to continue to innovate in educational reform

Regional Context 1.7 Kindergarten & Elementary Teachers 6.1 1.5 7.8 Computer Software Engineers 1.2 0.8 0.4 Construction Mgrs 1.9 7.9 2.3 Registered Nurses 6.5 1.4 6.0 1.4 0.5 Middle & Secondary Teachers 1.8 Business Operations Specialists, All Other 0.5 4.5 2006 Existing Jobs

2016 Additional Jobs created

Source: Texas Workforce Commission as reported in the THECB’s 2010 Regional Plan for Texas Higher Education

Occupations Adding the Most New Jobs or Growing the Fastest, 2006-2016,

El Paso (in thousands)

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FSG.ORG

El Paso Is Geographically Isolated, Making It A Self-Contained

Community and Education Environment

88% of all El Paso high school graduates remain in El Paso when enrolling in

higher education, the highest proportion in the state

Educational Landscape

280 miles UTEP, EPCC

Source: THECB High School to College Linkage Data: High School Graduates by County and High School District; Google Maps

213

mile_s

El Paso IHE

Out of Region IHE

El Paso has 11 ISDs,

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The Large Proportion of Hispanic Students in El Paso Has Helped to Create

an Environment Where They Can Succeed Above Texas's Averages

Educational Landscape 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 13% 53% 66% 6% 46% 55% 18% 57% 64% 80% 70% 50% 60% HE Graduate Enrolled in HE TX Average HS Graduate White (n=1,654) African-American (n=316) Hispanic (n=10,078)

El Paso lags Texas in high school and postsecondary graduation rates but

outperforms in enrollment

When looked at by ethnicity, educational outcomes vary, with Hispanics in El Paso outperforming the Texas Hispanic averages

FY 1998 7th Grade C o hort Tracked through FY 2009 Hi gher Educati o n

Note: nindicates the size of the 7th grade cohort for each ethnicity, Data above is for the Upper Rio Grande Region, of which El Paso county makes up 97% of total population. Source: Texas Higher Education Data, Regional Data for Seventh Grade Cohort and High School to College

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El Paso Has Only Two Post Secondary Institutions, Both of Which

Graduate Fewer Than 35% of Their Students

Educational Landscape

% Hispanic Fall ‘09 Total UG Enroll. 28%

80% 17,202

34%

86% 26,068

Although graduation rates at both institutions are lower than Texas averages, El

Paso overall has been able to increase graduation rates by 5% in the past 6 years

Note: Data from THECB for Fall enrollment – credit students Source: THECB, FSG analysis

UT El Paso Texas Average

35%

50%

El Paso Community College

30% Texas Average

25% Four-year Institutions

(6-year Graduation Rates)

Two-year Institutions

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Two-Year Enrollment Has Grown at a Slightly Faster Pace than Four-Year

Enrollment

Source: THECB and Institutional Data

0K 5 10 15 20 25K 2009 26 1 22 1 2 2000 18 1 15 0 2 Thousands of Students 0K 5 2009 23 2 17 1 3 2000 17 2 11 0 3 Thousands of Students 25K 20 15 10 Educational Landscape Other Hispanic African American White

Growth in both institutions has been fueled primarily by Hispanic enrollment

Two-Year College

Enrollment by Ethnicity

1

Four-Year College

Enrollment by Ethnicity

1 CAGR 1% 5% 4% 4% 4% CAGR -1% 4% 7% 1% 3%

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Almost Half of El Paso Students Do Not Enroll in PSE Immediately After

High School, And Only 1% of These Students Ever Complete a Degree

Challenges

Students enrolling in postsecondary immediately after graduating high school are

21 times more likely to complete a degree than those who did not

High school graduates in this box include both those that attended and never attended a postsecondary institution

Did Not Enroll Immediately (n=13,458)

27,438 49% Enrolled Immediately (n=13,980) 51%

1%

21%

Probability of Completing

Postsecondary Education in 6 Years

Status of Postsecondary Enrollment After

Graduating High School

1

Note: (1) ‘n’ refers to total number of students for that status of enrollment after graduating from high school

Source: THECB data on public high school graduates who earned a degree or certificate in a two-year or four-year institution within six years of high school graduation, for FY 2001, 2002, & 2003

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Once Enrolled, Over Half of the Students Are Not Academically

Prepared for PSE and Require Developmental Education

No Dev Ed With Dev Ed 4,990 37% 63% 25% 27% No Dev Ed With Dev Ed 2,421 51% 49% _30% 40%

At El Paso Community College, the small differential in graduation rates

between students requiring developmental education and those who don’t

point to additional challenges to student success beyond academic readiness

Source: THECB and Institutional Data, FSG analysis

Challenges

“If students need developmental education in reading, writing, and math, their chances of success is low.”- Two-Year Institution

Percent of Students Who Take Dev Ed

Fall 2003 Cohort

Two- Year Institutions

Percent of Students Who Take Dev Ed

Fall 2003 Cohort

Four- Year Institutions

Probability of achieving a postsecondary degree within 6 years Probability of achieving a postsecondary degree within 6 years

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Academic Readiness, Immigration Patterns and Limited Resources Are

Key Challenges that El Paso Needs to Address

Challenges Misalignment in College Readiness between K-12 and Postsecondary

• High percentage of EPCC students (63%) and UTEP students (49%) require developmental education. In particular, the UTEP rate is much higher than Texas average (22%)

• College readiness levels in Math are the lowest in the state, in particular at EPCC, where only 5% of students were deemed college ready in Math

• Few resources to fund collaboration on curriculum design

Challenges Description

Recent influx of English Language

Learners

• There is a large influx of recent immigrants from Juarez (40,000 families) out of which will come a large group of ESL learners

Limited systemic and financial resources to support student persistence and success

• 60% of EPCC students have Pell Grants. This funding does not suffice to cover UTEP tuition after transferring

• 42% of UTEP students have household income less than $20,000; almost all postsecondary dropouts cite financial burden as a cause of their leaving school • The low differential (2%) in graduation rates between dev ed and non dev ed

students points to challenges in student persistence overall

“Greater awareness of challenges young people face is important ,as I don’t think most people have a clue about how difficult it is to be poor in America today, and to have to get a higher education.” –

Four-Year Institution

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FSG.ORG

El Paso Has Many Assets That Can Be Built Upon to Address

the Challenges It Faces

Regional Assets and Opportunities

Community

Wide

Collaboration

• A close community of educators and administrators from K12 and PSE, community activists, and business leaders have worked together in a P16 Collaborative to improve education outcomes over the past 20 years

• El Paso Community College and UTEP believe themselves to not just be educational institutions but leaders responsible for engaging the community

Committed

Education

Leaders

• Committed leadership at the one community college system, one 4-year university along with high schools, has allowed alignment of pathways between high school, community college and university

Tight Knit

Community

• Efforts to improve the education of teachers at UTEP benefited local high schools as UTEP graduates remain in El Paso and become teachers

• Because El Paso is isolated there is a sense of community involvement and pride which fosters a sense of urgency for improving education outcomes

• Tracking data and seeing results of interventions is easier given the small size of the education system

Philanthropic

Involvement

• Strong national and state funder presence in El Paso

– Gates, Lumina, Texas High School Project, Greater Texas Foundation and the Texas Education Agency have funded College Readiness Initiatives, Early College High Schools, Dual Credit

• Results and learnings from both EPCC and ECHSs in El Paso have been highly publicized nationally, providing El Paso with a spotlight to help attract additional dollars

Source: FSG analysis and interviews

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FSG.ORG

In 1991, El Paso’s Self-Contained Environment Provided a Seeding

Ground for Collaboration and Alignment Through a P-16 Collaborative

The El Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence has been able to increase

high school student success and PSE enrollment over the past 15 years

Source: El Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence: History, http://www.epcae.org/about-history.htm

“The partnership has allowed us to turn the old notion of ‘El Paso is so poor, most families are earning so little, everyone is struggling, these kids aren’t interested in college, aren’t college material’ to one with a very drastically positive outlook” - El Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence

Community Wide Collaboration

• Low educational

attainment—24% of adult population had less than a 9th _{grade education,}_El Paso lagged behind the

state in all levels of educational attainment • Many unaligned and

unsystematic education “quick-fix” programs

• Lack of linkage and

alignment between P-12 and higher education

Challenges

• Teacher and Leadership Prep: camps for teachers and principals to succeed

• STEM: graduating more UTEP teachers to go back into El Paso high schools

• P16 Alignment: alignment of math curriculum between high schools and PSEs, Accuplacer testing in junior year

• College Access: Brought in business leaders to inspire high school students to attend college

Initiatives

• High School Graduation Rates increased from 70% to 78% from 1993 to 2005 • Enrollmentincreased by at

EPCC by 92%from 1990 to 2003, at UTEP it

increased by 30%

• Graduation Rates for first time students at EPCC

increased from 16% to 30% from 1990 to 2005; at

UTEP increased from 27% to 30%

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FSG.ORG

Committed Leadership at PSEs, High Schools, Government Agencies

Has Helped to Drive Reform And Innovation in El Paso

Source: El Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence: History, http://www.epcae.org/about-history.htm “Everything has to do with leadership. UTEP and EPCC presidents are extremely hands on” - Educational

Service Center “That kind of leadership with

a message is consistent and clear. We believe in every single student! It’s our job to make sure those students are successful!” - El Paso

Collaborative for Academic Excellence

“Our leaders, Dr.Natalicio, Dr. Rhodes are very important and have collaborated a lot. We have many good community leaders, which are constantly thinking about this. The city has been heavily involved with this.” –

Institutional Researchers

Committed Education Leaders

• Founder and Executive Director of El Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence

• UTEP President

• El Paso Community College President

• Superintendents of 3 largest El Paso ISDs: El Paso ISD, Ysleta ISD, and Socorro ISD

• Mayor

• County Judge

• Region Education Service Center

Key Actors in El Paso Collaboration

•Founded El Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence, which has brought improved educational outcomes

•EPCC president has brought national funder attention to its innovative college readiness programs, bringing in continued funding to the school

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FSG.ORG



El Paso Success Has Attracted National and State Funders Who Have

Supported Numerous Initiatives

Source: Pathways to Success, Richard M. Rhodes, El Paso Community College, March 2010 Regional Assets and Opportunities

“Since we are one of the first schools to get into Achieving the Dream, we are now a model school for new Achieving the Dream schools.” – Institutional Researcher

“We have increased the number of students in dual enrollment. It’s important to make sure you have a variety of ways through which students can gain access to college level courses” - El

Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence

Philanthropic Involvement • Lumina – Achieving the Dream • Gates – Developmental Education Initiative • Texas High School

Project • Greater Texas Foundation • Texas Education Agency

Philanthropic

Funders

• El Paso Early College High Schools have all earned exemplary rating by the TEA and have served as

models for other ECHs throughout the country

• Dual Credit enrollment increased by 119% from 2004 to 2009

Results

• Dual Credit Enrollment funding

• Five Early College High Schools were opened, currently serving over 1200 students in El Paso

• Developmental Education Initiative – a number of different strategies have been put into play which have led to increased college readiness level

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FSG.ORG

Lumina’s Achieving the Dream And Gates’ Developmental Education

Initiative Helped Fund the College Readiness Initiative at EPCC

• Require Accuplacer test in junior year • Score interpretation and re-testing • Require Algebra II proficiency testing

• Comprehensive student/parent orientation to need for college education

• Assistance in completing joint UTEP/EPCC application

• Allows students to see if they are college ready or not early on so they can address this • All High Schools become

Accuplacer testing sites

Outputs

Steps for Reform

Summer Bridge Program

• 5 week program after HS graduation • Students take pre & post Accuplacer tests • Mentors and in-class tutors are provided • Teach college success strategies

Dev Ed

• 69% of Students performing in Summer Bridge Program enrolled in EPCC next fall semester. Others passed on to P.R.E.P. program or chose not to enroll

• Helps student understand the Accuplacer test, develops personal preparation program and uses computer-assisted modules to refresh basic skills • Student take diagnostic test that pinpoints specific

problem area

• The Developmental Program is re-evaluated • The Teacher-Student Computer Lab Emporium is

pioneered, where students are able to move through developmental education at their own pace

• 50% of P.R.E.P. students placed one level higher in Dev. Ed.

• P.R.E.P. awarded Star Award by THECB

• Math Dev. Ed. is reduced from four to three courses, saving students in developmental education one semester

High School

Source: Pathways to Success, Richard M. Rhodes, El Paso Community College, March 2010 Philanthropic

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FSG.ORG

Nationally Funded College Readiness Efforts at EPCC Have Resulted

In Students Moving Through Remedial Education More Quickly

EPCC has reduced the number of developmental education classes and modularized the dev ed curriculum to move students

to higher levels of dev ed and quicker through the entire process

43% 28% 72% 1,163 2009 30% 70% 2003 2,336 3,096 14% 2009 42% 2003 2,411 25% 18% 56% 2009 3,714 24% 23% 17% 36% 2003 3,617 48% 29% 4% 19% Reading Subject Placem

ent Levels for

Incoming Cohort Classes

Writing Math

Source: Pathways to Success, Richard M. Rhodes, El Paso Community College, March 2010

Level 1 Level 2

Level 3 Level 4

• Dev. Ed. math completion increased from 61% to 65% • Gateway course completion in math increased from 55% to 64%

“We’ve reduced the number of dev. ed.

courses. Who said it had to be 2 years of dev ed?” – P16 Collaborative

“We are doing everything to make these things into modules, giving support when needed, and moving them through it as quickly as they can.” – P16 Collaborative

Philanthropic Involvement

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FSG.ORG

El Paso’s Self-Contained and Engaged Community Has Fostered

Both a Sense of Urgency for Reform and an Effective Way to Train

and Retain Talent

“El Paso is an island out in the ocean. What it calls is to look internally, to do with what we have. A lot of the talent that is developed here, stays here.” -Educational Service Center

“El Paso really emphasizes on being a community and doing what the community needs and not working in isolation at all. There’s a feeling that everyone is a piece of the community, not just its own.” – Institutional Researcher

• Because El Paso is self contained, there is little migration of its residents

• A large percentage of UTEP education majors at UTEP

become teachers at El Paso high schools

Catalyst

• Master of Arts in teaching mathematics and science was created, enhanced and institutionalized. • The programs are

designed for working teachers and were

developed to improve the quality of math and science instruction in area schools

Action

• El Paso high school teachers have gone

through and seen the rigor required at the university and are able to expose high school students in their classrooms

• El Paso is able to train and retain its own talent in its education workforce

Results

Source: El Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence, FSG Analysis Tight Knit

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A Public Private Partnership Could Help El Paso Better Direct Its

Existing Assets to Address Its Critical Gaps

Scale Up and Sharing of Knowledge from Successful Programs Scale Up and Sharing of Knowledge from Successful Programs

Restructure Financial Support Restructure Financial Support Continue to Address College Readiness Continue to Address College Readiness

• Provide momentum funding for students and schools who are able to achieve “momentum points” such as developmental education and gatekeeper course completion, 15 and 30 hour completion, and graduation

• Offer work-study opportunities, especially to immigrant students from Juarez (international students) who are not able to work off-campus

• Focus on shortening the time spent in developmental education; scale up modular developmental education course systems to all subjects

• Alignment between K-12 and PSE

- Direct additional resources towards teacher, faculty and leadership release time to focus on curriculum design and alignment

• Provide additional funding to scale up “Catch-Up” programs to improve the college readiness levels of high school graduates before they start college

• Translate effective practices and learnings from Early College High Schools into the traditional high schools

Source: FSG analysis and interviews

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Appendix

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FSG Interviewed 6 Stakeholders in El Paso

Name Title Organization Category

Interviews with IHEs

Dr. Diana Natalicio President UT El Paso Four-Year Institution

Dr. Richard M. Rhodes President El Paso Community College Two-Year Institution

Interviews with Other Stakeholders

Dr. Carol Kay Director - Institutional Research El Paso Community College Institutional Research

Dr. Lorenzo García Superintendent El Paso ISD ISD

Dr. Susana Navarro Founder and Executive Director

El Paso Collaborative for

Academic Excellence P16 Council

James R. Vasquez Director

Regional Educational Service Center – Region 19 (El Paso)

Regional Education Service Center