With a $432,000 grant from Greater Texas Foundation (GTF), Roscoe Collegiate Independent School District (ISD) will sustain and share the educational innovations that have made the district a leader in college and career preparation.
Roscoe Collegiate ISD provides rich learning opportunities for students beginning in pre-kindergarten laying the groundwork for a successful postsecondary education. The district’s pre-K through college, or P-20, model integrates STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) project-based learning, dual credit courses, internships, and independent research culminating in postsecondary degrees and industry-recognized certificates. As a result, 96 percent of Roscoe’s class of 2017 earned associate degrees while receiving their high school diplomas.
The grant from GTF will help Roscoe to continue building its successful model. The district will also use GTF funds to establish a demonstration site, allowing educators from across the country to learn from Roscoe’s experience and implement strong P-20 models in their own districts.
“Roscoe students are excelling academically and developing practical skills because they have access to rigorous academics and real-world learning opportunities,” said Sue McMillin, Greater Texas Foundation President and CEO. “We are excited to support this work and hope to see these types of opportunities extend to more Texas students.”
“Our goal is to develop a P-20 system model for student success that can be replicated by schools from across Texas and the U.S.,” said Dr. Kim Alexander, Superintendent of Roscoe Collegiate ISD. “This model is a community accountability system for providing college degrees symbolic of college readiness, industry-recognized workforce certifications symbolic of workforce readiness, and student research symbolic of lifetime learning skills. The model is based on the premise that high student expectations lead to high student aspirations, which in turn lead to high student outcomes.”
Roscoe Collegiate ISD will host a record number of schools in 2019, with weekly visits on the calendar through May. The district will lead Harvard Rounds, a research-based approach to observing and improving instruction, on Tuesday, April 23 and Tuesday, October 29, 2019. Schools from across Texas are invited to attend.