Million Dollar States
Improving College Access in Texas
- $1 Million for Access in Texas
- $1 Million for Access in Texas video
- Improving College Access in Texas
- A Conversation with Dr. Lupita Garcia of the Houston Independent School District (HISD)
- Did You Know: Texas by the Numbers
Texas is the state with the second-highest number of K-12 low-income and minority students. The overall high-school graduation rate is roughly 75%, yet for the growing minority population, graduation rates are one to two times lower. Analysts predict that if college participation and graduation trends continue to decline at the current rate in the decades to come, it would lead to a projected annual loss in household income of more than $80 billion by the year 2040 for Texas.
To address the education and economic challenges facing Texas, state and local government, business leaders, educators, and others joined together in 2000 to develop a statewide plan called “Closing the Gaps by 2015” (PDF, 460KB) . Since then, steady progress has been made in achieving the plan's goals, including increasing enrollment in Texas higher education (both public and independent institutions) by 200,970 students — more than 21%. At the same time, much work remains to be done.
On March 23, at a press conference held at Cesar E. Chavez High School in Houston, The Sallie Mae Fund unveiled its $1 Million Access Campaign for Texas. The effort marks an unprecedented partnership with the state of Texas and will bring $1 million over three years for efforts to narrow the higher education achievement gap for low-income and minority families in the Lone Star State.
“We are pleased to bring our resources to Texas, where state and local governments, school districts, colleges and universities and community organizations are already so deeply committed to the pipeline challenge keeping deserving students from enrolling in and graduating from college,” said Kathleen deLaski, President of The Sallie Mae Fund. “The fact is, information shapes a family’s decision about college, and far too many families are not receiving the message that federal aid, state aid and scholarships are available to them. The Fund has pledged $1 million in an effort to support important programs in Texas that will help bridge that information gap.”
The Sallie Mae Fund's $1 million Texas initiative unites representatives from state and local government, school districts, colleges and universities, and local communities to focus on the college access gap in the state. The Fund will partner with numerous organizations on this effort, including the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the Houston Independent School District (HISD), various colleges and universities, the San Antonio Education Partnership, Communities Organized for Public Service (COPS), and the San Antonio Metro Alliance.
On the day of the announcement of The Fund’s $1 million Texas initiative at Chavez High School, a $1,000 scholarship drawing was held. The recipient was Reina Vera, 18. On learning she had won the drawing, she said:
“My sister was the first person in my family to graduate from high school, and she was an inspiration to me. My brother went on to graduate, too, and then he went on to enroll at the University of Houston. After seeing their success, I knew it was possible for me to go to college also. This scholarship from The Sallie Mae Fund will help a lot.”
Since 2001, The Sallie Mae Fund has awarded more than $672,000 in grants to charitable organizations in Texas. In that same period, students attending Texas colleges and universities received more than $808,000 in scholarships through Sallie Mae Fund programs. In addition, Sallie Mae’s employees led efforts to bring an additional $466,000 to the state through the company’s Matching Gifts and Dollars for Doers programs.
