The single most effective step a person can take toward a better life is getting a great education, and Texas has made a concerted effort toward creating better, more accountable schools to make a great education easier to achieve during a time of increasingly global competition.

While a quality education provides a strong foundation for everyone, quality education for all collectively provides a strong foundation for the state's entire economy. In Texas, our fertile business climate continues to attract employers from around the nation and around the world, largely due to our versatile, talented and hard-working workforce that can fill any position employers need.

By investing in resources and leveraging technology to prepare today's students for the challenges of the new workplace, Texas can maintain its edge in cultivating and attracting the employers of the 21st century.

Under Gov. Perry's leadership, Texas has become the first state in the nation to make the college preparatory curriculum the standard for all students, and has won nationwide acclaim for its high academic standards and efforts to battle the school dropout problem.

Action Items

»  Gov. Perry recently proposed expanding the Virtual School Network by creating the Texas Virtual High School that will provide students who have dropped out of traditional high schools an opportunity to earn a high school diploma without returning to a bricks and mortar school. Additionally, this expanded network will give students additional access to classes their schools may not offer, dual credit opportunities, and flexibility to help keep students in school.
»  This year, signed HB 2910 creating the T-STEM Challenge Schorlarship that will provide competetive awards to regional partnerships between community and technical colleges and local employers to help attract, retain and graduate  STEM students.  The bill establishes a 50 percent matching requirements with local business and industry partners.  Gov. Perry originally announced his proposal to create this scholarship in October of 2009.
»  The T-STEM Challenge Schorlarship builds on the Texas High School Project (THSP), a multi-million dollar public-private partnership designed to improve outcomes for economically disadvantaged and at risk students through innovative programs such as High School Redesign, Early College High Schools and T-STEM Academies. To date, THSP has served 83,000 students in 172 schools across the state. These efforts combined with new proposals, will provide multiple avenues for Texans to earn their diploma.
»  In 2007, Gov. Perry supported the creation of Texas' Dropout Recovery Program. Nationally recognized, the program recruits students who have already made the decision to drop out and offers them an avenue to complete their degree and enroll in college. The program provides maximum flexibility and is highly individualized based on students' needs. Most promising, the program has been equally successful across all demographic groups.
»  Providing parents and students the opportunity to attend the school that best fits their needs is paramount to providing students a superior educational experience. Whether a student chooses to attend one of the state's more than 400 charter schools, one of our state's public schools or are educated at home or in a private school, Gov. Perry believes that having these option is a critical component of creating a robust education system. According to US Charters, Texas has the second highest number of students in charter schools.

News & Announcements

• Thursday, May 17, 2012 • Killeen, Texas • Press Release
  Gov. Perry: College Credit for Heroes Helps Get our Best and Brightest Back into the Workforce
  
  Gov. Rick Perry touted Texas' efforts to help veterans enter the workforce more quickly, highlighting Central Texas College and other community college districts around the state that have implemented the College Credit for Heroes program. The governor first called for the creation of the program in June 2010, when he established a comprehensive veterans' initiative in advance of the legislative session.
  + Watch Interview of Andres Alcantar, Chairman, Texas Workforce Commission
  + Watch Interview of Dr. MacGregor Stephenson, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
• Tuesday, May 15, 2012 • San Antonio, Texas • Press Release
  Gov. Perry: Higher Education Must Be Affordable, Accountable, Accessible
  
  Gov. Rick Perry today underscored the importance of higher education to the future prosperity of Texas, and reiterated his commitment to making it more affordable, accountable and accessible for Texans. He also directed the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to follow up with Texas institutions of higher education on the progress they have made in implementing cost efficiency measures called for in September 2009 through executive order RP 73.
  + Watch Interview of Dr. Maria Hernandez Ferrier, President of Texas A&M University-San Antonio
• Wednesday, May 02, 2012 • Austin, Texas • Press Release
  Statement by Gov. Perry on UT Permian Basin’s Proposal to Add a $10,000 Undergraduate Degree Program
  Higher education, particularly relating to math and the sciences, will play a critical role in Texas' prosperity in the years and decades to come. I congratulate the UT System and UT Permian Basin for this important step toward making a degree more available and affordable for students seeking an education in these critically-needed fields, Gov. Perry said.
• Tuesday, May 01, 2012 • Austin, Texas • Press Release
  Statement by Gov. Perry on Resignation of Texas Education Commissioner
  Robert Scott has served this state and its school children tremendously during his tenure, always remaining committed to the principle that all children should graduate, and do so college and career ready. Robert has been an integral part of raising the bar for scholastic achievement in Texas, successfully implementing the state's new accountability system and working with the State Board of Education to revamp Texas' curriculum standards, Gov. Perry said.
• Monday, April 02, 2012 • Austin, Texas • Press Release
  Texas Science Fair Winners Awarded Scholarships to 2012 Governor’s Science and Technology Champions Academy
  Gov. Rick Perry has announced more than $111,000 in scholarships for winners of the 2012 ExxonMobil Texas Science and Engineering Fair, which was held last week in San Antonio. The scholarships will allow students to attend the fifth annual Governor's Science and Technology Champions Academy this summer at the University of Houston.
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