PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

FOR COUNSELORS

This Generation of Students Is the Future of Texas!

Today’s presentation team:◦ Patricia G. (Pat) Bubb, Executive Director, RGV LEAD◦ Martha Gutierrez, P-16 Council Coordinator, RGV LEAD◦ Georgeann Calzada, Success by Degrees Advisor / Interim

RGV Mentors Coordinator, RGV LEAD◦ Dora Olivarez, Director of Student Recruitment, TSTC

Harlingen Today’s session:

◦ Provide overview of the Lower Rio Grande P-16 Council◦ Share strategies for providing counselor professional

development for the GenTX marketing campaign◦ Share additional information about the transition-

counseling workshop for which a session has been included in the P-16 Institute on October 2

Overview

1992: Regional nonprofit corporation created 2004-2005: Corporation managed a

predecessor P-16 Council through TBEC 2006-Present: Corporation became manager

of Lower P-16 Council (agreement with TSTC)◦ Named a Recognized Council in 2009◦ TSTC and corporation are working together on

GenTX 2012: Corporation changed its name

P-16 Council History

P-16 Council Structure Private-Sector–Led Board

Academic Leadership

AllianceEducation & Career EXPO RGV Mentors

Rio Grande Valley Counselors’

Network

Career Center Projects with

EDCs

Harlingen

Success by Degrees

Brownsville

Mission

Lower Rio Grande P-16 Council

P-16 Regional Outreach & Counseling

TSTC works with corporation

through contracts

MEMBERSHIP: 32 ISDs, 9 public IHEs, individual employers, chambers of commerce, EDCs, workforce boards, family-serving organizations, and individual members

MISSION: Focus on communication and information-sharing to promote collaboration between/among leaders from school districts, colleges, universities, businesses, government, and community organizations

GOAL: Develop a seamless system of education for the four-county region

P-16 Council Membership/Mission

Corporation’s role in P-16 Council resembles that of “backbone organization” described in Collective Impact article, Stanford Social Innovation Review*:◦ Large-scale social change requires broad cross-sector

coordination.◦ Coordination takes time, and none of the participating

organizations has any to spare.◦ Backbone organization staff plan, manage, and support the

initiative through ongoing facilitation … handling the details needed for the initiative to function smoothly. *John Kania & Mark Kramer. Collective Impact, Stanford Social

Innovation Review, 48, Winter 2011 http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/collective_impact

Council Focuses on Communication, Collaboration, and Support

Co-branding, coordinating, collaborating, communicating across sectors and meeting needs to keep the system moving forward:◦ 2012 Annual Superintendents’ Meeting with GenTX

infused throughout event ◦ 2012-2013 P-16 Council meetings (joint with

Counselors’ Network) with GenTX messaging and materials infused in multiple ways

◦ Education & Career EXPO 2012 (10th annual) with GenTX figuring prominently in event

◦ Blending GenTX into ALA Educator Externships, RGV Mentors, and projects in communities with EDCs and others

GenTX Regional Strategies

Created in 1998 to help address counselors’ needs:

“The effectiveness of the developmental guidance and counseling program is directly related to the counselor-to-student ratio within the program.” (Texas Education Agency, School Guidance and Counseling – Recommended Ratios)

Regional operation (four counties)◦ Current Chairs: Larry Barroso, South Texas College, and

Valerie Paredes, Harlingen CISD◦ Immediate Past Chairs: Norma Salazar, Texas State

Technical College, and Sandra Rodriguez, Harlingen CISD Meets jointly with P-16 Council, with GenTX

blended into agendas

Counselors’ Network

September 19: 77 total participants, including:◦ 32 counselors/counseling administrators from ISDs◦ 2 Advise Texas Advisors from ISDs◦ 17 student services representatives from IHEs

Teamed with Upper Rio Grande P-16 Council to provide special presentation about GenTX Day 2012, GenTX Rock Your Future, GenTX Way to Pay, GenTX Day 2013, and GenTX website

Future meeting dates: ◦ November 14◦ February 13◦ May 8

Counselors’ Network

A•L•A created in 2003 by McAllen Economic Development Corporation, Region One Education Service Center, and Tech Prep of the Rio Grande Valley (now RGV LEAD), to strengthen the employer/ educator connection. ◦ Goal (Educator Perspective): Bring relevance into the classroom, creating

connections that help students prepare successfully for college and career opportunities

◦ Goal (Employer Perspective): Provide more productive and functional employees for businesses

Incorporated GenTX into inservice training for Educator Externs for ALA 2012:◦ Messages from the Learn More Earn More page of the GenTX website (Join

the Movement: http://gentx.org/) Don’t stop with high school. Learning more now equals earning more later. As little as two years of college or career training could be the difference between

earning minimum wage and earning $16, $22, or even $34 per hour. That’s up to $70,000!

A•L•A Educator Externships

RGV Mentors is a network of professionals created to help facilitate success of high school students in the Rio Grande Valley

School-Based Component operates in partnership with school districts, on high school campuses (campus contacts are often counselors)

Community-Based component operates in the community, separately from schools, to maximize success for all participants

Infused GenTX components into RGV Mentors sessions for students in Spring 2012

RGV Mentors: Building a Brighter Future, One Student at a Time

Counselors’ Update sessions, begun in 2008 and continuing annually thereafter

2012 Update at The University Center at TSTC in September 2012 (over 100 Counselors participating)

Sessions include presentations by college leaders from instruction and student services; topics such as Event Planning 101; TSTC Web 101; WebAdvisor training; and other topics of interest to counselors

Related Events at TSTC

Creating the RGV’s RegionalTransition-Counseling Workshop

Need for session identified during P-16 Council discussions 26 ISDs and 5 IHEs spent almost a year working

together in the Lower Rio Grande P-16 Early College High School Planning Consortium

Original plan for a brief presentation on one P-16 Council agenda led to a regional event held at UTPA in April 2012

Planning occurred through P-16 Regional Outreach & Counseling Leadership Team

Several planning meetings in which partners from the P-16 Regional Outreach & Counseling Leadership Team collaborated—plus:◦ Other IHE leaders recruited by P-16 Regional Outreach

partners (UTPA, STC, TSTC, UTB/TSC)◦ Partners from Region One Education Service Center◦ Partners from family-serving organizations◦ Staff from the P-16 Council and the corporation

Planned together in teams that ultimately became presentation teams

Outcome was a successful event at which all participants acquired new information that will help us help our students

Transition-Counseling (cont.)

Of the 184 participants, 105 were counselors

Evaluations were positive: this event met a need for our region

The group is planning now to incorporate transition-counseling strands into regional conference to be held at South Padre Island on December 5-6, 2012

Transition-Counseling (cont.)

Can anyone here say that if we can't do it, someone down the road can do it? And if no one does it, what happens to the country? ... I know it's a tremendous challenge, but ask yourselves: If not us, who? If not now, when?

Ronald Reagan, quoted by RGV LEAD Board Chair, Rene Capistran (President – South Texas Region, SpawGlass Contractors) at Annual Superintendents’ Meeting in September 2012

Questions? Comments? Patricia G. (Pat) Bubb, Executive Director, RGV LEAD

pat.bubb@harlingen.tstc.edu; 956.364.4512

In Conclusion