Welcome to the UT System Institute for Public School Initiatives (IPSI), a new organization committed to improving the educational pipeline through innovation and collaboration. IPSI was created to fulfill a promise central to our state’s economic future: all students must have the benefit of a strong academic foundation, rigorous and relevant instruction to make them college and workforce ready, and pathways to affordable higher education.
Fulfilling this promise to Texas students requires a dramatically different approach to how we prepare Texas students for higher education. What sets IPSI apart is our ability to harness the research expertise and creativity found throughout the nine academic and six health institutions within UT System to develop new programs, practices, and policies that can significantly increase college participation and success rates.
IPSI, in conjunction with its partners, has developed initiatives across the P-16 continuum that draw on research and technological resources. Noteworthy initiatives include statewide implementation of Reading First, expanding the Teacher Advancement Program, furthering the agenda of teacher performance incentives, creating TRACK, expanding Texas College Money, and developing a volunteer force of over 225 UT faculty and staff to provide direct support to needy students and parents in going to college. IPSI has developed innovative software for national release that offers students an early estimate of their complete financial aid package.
By conservative estimates, IPSI initiatives positively impact about 19,000 teachers and over 800,000 students on an annual basis.
There is an urgent need for Texas state agencies, schools, and institutions of higher education to work together in innovative ways to increase participation and success in postsecondary education. IPSI is committed to building bridges between the public schools, Texas Education Agency, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the 15 UT institutions, and other organizations.
This website describes many of IPSI’s exciting initiatives. We invite you to join us on this historic journey to move Texas students from near the bottom to the top in higher education participation and success. Each student in Texas deserves the very best education to fulfill his or her potential.
Marina Walne
