Austin Human Resource Management Association

Program approved for 1.0 STRATEGIC recertification credit hour 

E3 ALLIANCE: EDUCATION EQUALS ECONOMICS

“LOSING GROUND, LOSING OPPORTUNITY”:  The State of Education in Central Texas, How it Ties to Our Economic Future, and What AHRMA Can Do About It…

Business Entrepreneur turned Civic Entrepreneur Susan Dawson, President and Executive Director of the E3 Alliance: Education Equals Economics, is a much-recognized education and workforce leader in our region. Former Chair of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, she created the E3 Alliance to bring the lessons and strengths of business to systemic change in our educational systems.

 She will present:

 Overview of education in Central Texas – what’s working and what’s not.

 What the economic ramifications are for our region’s future.

 Each cohort year of high school dropouts costs Central Texas a minimum of $425 million in lost earnings. Jobs with the fastest growth rate in Central Texas require post-secondary degrees.

• The recent Silent Epidemic 11 study found that most dropouts don’t leave because of academic reasons, but because they feel economic and social pressures or because they don’t see classes as relevant to their future.
• Only about 43% of Central Texas graduates are shown to be “college ready” or able to take college entry courses without any developmental (remedial) work.
• About 50% of Central Texas high school graduates go to Texas colleges in the year following high school graduation.
• Only 43% of Central Texas students who attend Texas higher education get a degree or certificate within 6 years of starting college.
•  Demographic trends and how they impact educational needs and outcomes.

 There are 130,528 children under the age of 5 in Central Texas – a 20% increase from 2000. Texas has the fastest growing child population in the country and the Central Texas child population is growing at twice the state rate. The low income student population is growing at twice the rate of overall Central Texas student population.

• Areas with high concentration of low-income families lack accredited Early Childhood Education Centers (ECE Centers).
• About 40% of children entering Kindergarten have up to an 18 month delay in skills expected for their age.

 

• Why should business and community leaders care and what can we really do about it? 

Some studies have shown that over 50% of a student’s performance is driven by factors outside of schools.

• When communities work together in a supportive effort with their schools, rather than assuming that accountability is just for schools and teachers, students are much more successful.
• A key conclusion of the 2007 Central Texas community deliberations including over 600 people: Relationships between schools, parents and community entities are critical for success and need to be the center of any change effort, rather than on the margins. We also need more robust measures of parent and community involvement.

 

• The Blueprint for Educational Change – Central Texas’ strategic plan to build the strongest education pipeline in the country. 

Launch major regional education “movement” leveraging campaign messaging around the theme: Graduates Are Made. Not Born.

• This strategy is the immediate priority and other strategies act to support it.
• Provide outreach to recruit significantly higher numbers of community volunteers into schools as mentors, tutors, and coaches. 

CALL TO ACTION: 

• Substantive Internships
• Consensus of what a graduating senior should look like (HS & College)
• Write/build “professional skill set” based on employers (HR members of AHRMA) survey: wants/needs
• Integrate teaching and learning for students and teachers – experiential learning externship program – professional development
• Employers on HS sites during lunch hours – once a month
• Systematic and policy changes (HR to influence those stakeholders)
• Help create “career-based” schools
• Volunteer to be a coach and/or mentor
• Join the Speaker’s Bureau
• Join a school’s Career & Tech Ed Council
• Read the Blueprint for Educational Change at www.TheBlueprintforEducationalChange.org
• Visit E3 Alliance site at www.e3alliance.org

Susan Dawson, President and Executive Director of the E3 Alliance, is a Texas entrepreneur, business and civic leader.  She founded and leads the E³ Alliance (for Education Equals Economics), a regional collaborative to increase economic outcomes by aligning our education systems to better fulfill the potential of every citizen.  Founded in May, 2006, the E³ Alliance has produced ground-breaking research and analysis about education outcomes and trends, engaged the community in unprecedented ways, and created aligned pathways to help thousands of students reach higher educational goals. E³ Alliance has been recognized across the state and country for its ground-breaking work in building systemic change for education.

Ms. Dawson is former president and managing partner at Athens Group, an employee-owned consulting firm integrating technology strategy and software solutions.    Before co-founding Athens Group, Ms. Dawson was president of Sterling Information Group, an Austin-based software and management consulting firm, and was Computer Integrated Manufacturing Manager for Motorola’s Semiconductor Product Sector, where she managed the deployment of factory integration systems to facilities worldwide. Ms. Dawson served as the 2001 Chair of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce. Her many current and previous board and leadership positions include the Executive Board of the Austin Area Research Organization (AARO), Greater Austin Chamber Education and Talent Council, Officer of Children’s Optimal Health, United Way Education Leadership Council, Leadership Austin, Co-Chair of the AISD High School Redesign Task Force, Chair of the Chamber Education Progress Report Task Force, Central Texas Healthcare District, World Congress on Information Technology, Envision Central Texas, Austin Partners in Education, UT Evening MBA Program, Association of Women in Technology, the Central Texas CEO Summit, the Mayor’s Economic Development Task Force and the Austin Idea Network.

Ms. Dawson has long been active in the field of education.  She was a thirteen-year board member and former Board Chair of American YouthWorks, a highly successful drop-out recovery program that includes two Charter Schools as well as support services and job training opportunities for at-risk youth.  She is a formal and informal advisor to superintendents and board members in districts throughout the Central Texas region, and tutors both struggling and gifted elementary students in reading and math skills every week.  Her many awards related to her work in education and beyond include being named Austin Under 40 “Austinite of the Year”, the Austin Profiles in Power “Profile Leader” award, the Rostow Leadership Award from the Austin Project for leadership in education, the Greater Austin Chamber “Education Volunteer of the Year” and the UT McCombs School “Trailblazer Award” for the distinguished woman alumni trailblazer in business and community. In 2005 she was recognized as a Hero for Children by the State Board of Education for her outstanding volunteer service to the children of Texas. 

Ms. Dawson has a BS in Civil Engineering Cum Laude from Princeton University and an MBA with highest honors in Information Systems Management from The University of Texas McCombs School of Business. Ms. Dawson has been licensed as a Professional Engineer in Civil Engineering.  A native Texan, she is blessed with a wonderful husband, Dr. Ken Mannas, and two fabulous children: Clark, age eleven, and Adriene, nine, both of whom attend public schools in Central Texas.

Filed under: AHRMA Monthly Meetings, AHRMA Workforce Readiness Committee