Arlington School & Family
As part of their commitment to foster a college-going culture, Tarrant County College Southeast Campus and Arlington Independent School District joined together to open TCC’s new $13 million Tarrant County College Southeast/Arlington ISD Collegiate High School. TCC and AISD officials were joined by community leaders to officially open the 30,000-square-foot building with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in August 2014. The Early College High School (ECHS) includes nine classrooms, two science laboratories with a preparatory room between them and one computer laboratory. It also includes a learning resource center, a 400-seat cafeteria/ auditorium, administrative offices and 250-parking spaces. As part of the partnership, Texas Trust Credit Union donated $35,000 to help launch the new school and will provide financial education resources and workshops throughout the school year for students, parents and faculty. The ECHS has the designation of an early college high school by the Texas Education Agency. This designation is for innovative high schools located on or near a college campus that will allow students who are at risk of dropping out of school and likely would not otherwise consider attending college an opportunity to earn a high school diploma and up to 60 college credit hours. Students have access to Tarrant County College facilities, resources and services, including the faculty, libraries, labs, artistic and cultural activities and extracurricular activities, as appropriate. There is no cost to the student to attend the school. The Arlington ISD will pay for tuition, fees and required textbooks to the extent those charges are not waived by Tarrant County College. “A clear objective in our strategic plan is for our students to have leading-edge learning experiences, and opening an early college high school certainly helps us to fulfill that goal,” Arlington ISD Superintendent Marcelo Cavazos said. “A collaboration such as this with our community partner Tarrant County College is vital to our students’ success and will make a tremendous positive impact on their future.”
As part of their commitment to foster
a college-going culture, Tarrant
County College Southeast Campus and
Arlington Independent School District
joined together to open TCC’s new
$13 million Tarrant County College
Southeast/Arlington ISD Collegiate
High School.
TCC and AISD officials were joined
by community leaders to officially open
the 30,000-square-foot building with
a ribbon-cutting ceremony in August
2014. The Early College High School
(ECHS) includes nine classrooms, two
science laboratories with a preparatory
room between them and one computer
laboratory. It also includes a learning
resource center, a 400-seat cafeteria/
auditorium, administrative offices and
250-parking spaces.
As part of the partnership, Texas Trust
Credit Union donated $35,000 to help
launch the new school and will provide
financial education resources and
workshops throughout the school year
for students, parents and faculty.
The ECHS has the designation of an
early college high school by the Texas
Education Agency. This designation is
for innovative high schools located on
or near a college campus that will allow
students who are at risk of dropping out
of school and likely would not otherwise
consider attending college an opportunity
to earn a high school diploma and up to
60 college credit hours.
Students have access to Tarrant County
College facilities, resources and services,
including the faculty, libraries, labs,
artistic and cultural activities and
extracurricular activities, as appropriate.
There is no cost to the student to attend
the school. The Arlington ISD will pay
for tuition, fees and required textbooks
to the extent those charges are not
waived by Tarrant County College.
“A clear objective in our strategic plan
is for our students to have leading-edge
learning experiences, and opening an
early college high school certainly helps
us to fulfill that goal,” Arlington ISD
Superintendent Marcelo Cavazos said.
“A collaboration such as this with our
community partner Tarrant County
College is vital to our students’ success
and will make a tremendous positive
impact on their future.”
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District Programs<br />
UT <strong>Arlington</strong>, <strong>Arlington</strong><br />
ISD collaborate for STEM<br />
Academy<br />
A new partnership between The<br />
University of Texas at <strong>Arlington</strong> and<br />
the <strong>Arlington</strong> Independent <strong>School</strong><br />
District will offer high school students<br />
classroom and enrichment experiences<br />
that put them on a path to success<br />
in the fields of science, technology,<br />
engineering and math.<br />
The new STEM Academy will open<br />
in August 2015 at Martin High <strong>School</strong>,<br />
with students from across the district<br />
selected the previous spring. When<br />
the program is fully implemented, 100<br />
students each from grades 9 through 12<br />
will have the opportunity to choose one<br />
of four pathways: engineering, biology/<br />
biomedical science, computer science<br />
and math/science.<br />
UT <strong>Arlington</strong> College of Science<br />
and College of Engineering faculty<br />
and staff will work with instructors<br />
at the high school level to align and<br />
enhance curriculum in the STEM<br />
academy. Junior and seniors in the<br />
program will also have opportunities<br />
to take dual credit classes that help<br />
them meet STEM college requirements<br />
before high school graduation and take<br />
advantage of off-campus opportunities<br />
for innovative learning.<br />
“The STEM Academy is one more<br />
step toward an increasingly strong<br />
partnership between UT <strong>Arlington</strong> and<br />
one of the state’s largest school districts<br />
to create opportunity and to ensure that<br />
students are well prepared to succeed<br />
in college,” UT <strong>Arlington</strong> President<br />
Vistasp Karbhari said. “Together, we<br />
will ignite students’ interest in the<br />
world of inquiry, expand their horizons<br />
and show them how they can achieve<br />
their dreams in the fields of science,<br />
engineering and math.”<br />
STEM Academy students also will be<br />
able to advance their STEM education<br />
outside the classroom with opportunities<br />
that include: internships, mentorships,<br />
job shadowing, community service,<br />
enrichment programs and a summer<br />
academy.<br />
“The new STEM Academy will deliver<br />
on our commitment to science and<br />
Devin Doyel interned in a UT <strong>Arlington</strong> lab<br />
as a high school student. Others like him will<br />
get enrichment and support through the new<br />
STEM Academy. -<br />
technology instruction and our focus<br />
on preparing our students to excel in<br />
higher education or the career of their<br />
choice,” <strong>Arlington</strong> ISD Superintendent<br />
Marcelo Cavazos said. “There is a<br />
need for more STEM graduates in our<br />
country, and we feel strongly about<br />
helping students in our district lay the<br />
groundwork for a future in the highdemand<br />
fields of science, technology,<br />
engineering and math.”<br />
UT <strong>Arlington</strong> and the <strong>Arlington</strong> school<br />
district already collaborate on a number<br />
of innovative programs. In 2013,<br />
district and campus leaders announced<br />
Bound for Success, an early admissions<br />
initiative aimed at increasing the<br />
number of high-achieving high school<br />
students who earn a college degree. UT<br />
<strong>Arlington</strong> also operates GO Centers<br />
at <strong>Arlington</strong> campuses through which<br />
University students help high school<br />
students, especially those who are the<br />
first in their family to attend college,<br />
prepare to apply for college admission,<br />
scholarships and financial aid.<br />
In recent years, the College of Science<br />
also has teamed with <strong>Arlington</strong> schools<br />
in the National Science Foundationfunded<br />
GK-12 STEM fellows initiative.<br />
That program puts doctoral level math<br />
students inside district classrooms to<br />
bolster instruction and introduce math<br />
research.<br />
Ashley Purgason, assistant dean in the<br />
UT <strong>Arlington</strong> College of Science, said<br />
the STEM Academy is an exciting<br />
addition to the university’s relationship<br />
with area schools. Nationally, less<br />
than half of students who enter public<br />
universities as STEM majors graduate<br />
with a STEM degree. Offering support<br />
and encouragement early on could<br />
change that, administrators believe.<br />
“Creating better prepared and more<br />
engaged high school students in the<br />
STEM fields will undoubtedly lead<br />
to more successful college students<br />
and, ultimately, graduates who will<br />
influence North Texas and beyond,”<br />
Purgason said. “This partnership gives<br />
the UT <strong>Arlington</strong> College of Science<br />
and College of Engineering faculty and<br />
administrators the opportunity to take<br />
an active role in guiding promising<br />
students before they even graduate high<br />
school.” †<br />
10 <strong>Arlington</strong> <strong>School</strong> & <strong>Family</strong> - January 2015
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