Greater Texas Foundation

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  Transfer, Transition, and Advising
As we map out a route for Greater Texas Foundation, we can’t help but think of the thousands of Texas students charting their own courses through higher education. The journey to a credential is long and complex; navigating it successfully requires accurate and timely information, along with abundant encouragement and guidance. And if viable pathways aren’t available to begin with, the chances students will reach their destination drop dramatically
Currently, too many Texas students find themselves diverted from their journey toward a postsecondary credential. We aim to change that through our focus on Transfer, Transition, and Advising. We will support research, policies, and practices that make the path through higher education clear, affordable, and efficient. If this work succeeds, more students will stay on track at key points along the way to a certificate or degree, including preparation in high school, the college application process, college enrollment, completion of key coursework, transfer across institutions, re-entry from the workforce, and more.

Dig Into the Data
With the help of Education First and other partners in the field, we explored current data on Texas students to develop our strategy. Below are some of the findings we found most compelling.

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Voices from the Field
The Education First team conducted interviews with stakeholders across the state to deepen and contextualize our understanding of Texas students' experiences. Here are some of their insights.

"Nationally the suggested ratio is 250 students per counselor to guide them through the [college and career planning] process, but in Texas, it's 470 on average per counselor. That right there is a lack of information resources. They don't have the information they need to be successful." (Practitioner)

“Young people who fall off track to graduation … need much more robust education programs than what they are getting in the vast majority of cases.” (Workforce Leader)

Partner Spotlight
High School Career Connect (HSCC) partners with middle and high schools throughout Denton County and beyond to provide career assessment, guidance, and resources to students, counselors, administrators, and families. Since its inception in 2017, HSCC has served more than 27,000 students, including 3,000 who received one-to-one peer mentoring. In 2019, HSCC added an assistant director of career planning and transition, providing career and academic guidance to HSCC alumni pursuing postsecondary education. HSCC is an initiative of University of North Texas and is led by director Cris Buxton and associate director Sam Williamson. Learn more in the video below.