Contact: Monty Jones, (512) 499-4363

Date: August 8, 2002

RESOLUTION: Reach Out & Read

WHEREAS:

The economic and social health of any society depends on a well-educated citizenry, and this educational imperative is even more critical in the present knowledge-based and global economy;

Texas lags behind other large states and the national average in many key measurements of economic and social vitality, such as the educational level of the workforce, high school graduation rates, university attendance rates, the percentage of adults with a college degree, and per capita income;

Given the reality of demographic change in Texas, and the fact that the fastest growing groups have had the lowest educational achievement rates, the State will fall even further behind in the early 21st Century unless current trends are reversed;

Population growth and demographic change represent a great opportunity for Texas to develop one of the world's most dynamic economies and most vibrant societies, so long as pressing educational challenges are addressed successfully;

Texas higher education, through an initiative administered by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, is committed to a comprehensive program of "Closing the Gaps" in educational participation and achievement at all levels;

The University of Houston System and The University of Texas System are major participants in the Closing the Gaps initiative and related efforts to assist the State's elementary and secondary schools in fulfilling their educational missions;

Both of these university systems have established records of excellence in educational research; development and implementation of research-based instructional programs; innovative teacher education and professional development programs; addressing the educational needs of disadvantaged students and underrepresented segments of the population; and fostering collaboration with the public schools on many fronts;

Together, the UH and UT Systems have a presence in all of the State's major urban areas, where the key educational challenges facing Texas are exhibited in their fullest and most complex forms;

The Board of Regents of both the UH and UT Systems affirm that one of the central responsibilities of public higher education institutions is to focus their resources on advancing a state's economic strength and diversification as well as its social vitality and coherence, and that these worthy goals are often best pursued through collaborative efforts involving partnerships among diverse institutions and organizations; and

By combining their efforts in dealing with many aspects of the serious educational issues facing Texas, the UH and UT systems are well-positioned to create synergies that offer the likelihood of far greater progress than either system could achieve working alone.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT:

The Boards of Regents of The University of Houston System and The University of Texas System are committed to an expanded series of collaborative efforts between the two systems in order to better address the need for Texas to "Close the Gaps" in all levels of educational participation and achievement;

To further these new collaborations, the two Boards of Regents establish the UH/UT Alliance for Educational Progress, a partnership that will build on the diverse strengths of institutions in each university system to encourage a broad range of collaborations among faculty and administrators, with goals that include:

• enhancing teacher training for the public schools;
• improving professional development of current teachers;
• expanding Advanced Placement offerings in the public schools;
• introducing new curricula and instructional methods to the classroom, consistent with research-based best practices;
• strengthening programs of outreach to educationally, economically or socially disadvantaged students;
• creating and promoting innovative approaches to delivering first-class educational services in a pluralistic urban setting; and
• fostering the concept and practice of education as a seamless continuum that extends, in a formal sense, from pre-kindergarten through advanced university studies, but is, in the truest sense, a lifelong challenge and adventure that is the birthright of all members of a democratic society.

Approved by the Board of Regents of The University of Houston System on May xx, 2002.
(Signed)

Approved by the Board of Regents of The University of Texas System on May xx, 2002.
(Signed)