(ARLINGTON, Texas) – The Arlington ISD and Tarrant County College District will make their partnership for a new early college high school official with a memorandum of understanding signing event at 10 a.m. Monday in the North Ballroom at the TCC Southeast Campus, 2100 Southeast Pkwy., Arlington.
As part of the partnership, Texas Trust Credit Union is donating $35,000 to help launch the new school and will provide financial education resources and workshops throughout the school year for students, parents and faculty. Texas Trust will also provide graduating seniors from the Arlington Collegiate High School at TCC Southeast Campus class of 2018 who meet certain criteria, including completing an associates degree, a $1,000 scholarship.
The Arlington Collegiate High School at Tarrant County College Southeast Campus, which will open in the fall of 2014, has the designation of an early college high school by the Texas Education Agency. This designation is for innovative high schools located on or near a college campus that will allow students who are at risk of dropping out of school and likely would not otherwise consider attending college an opportunity to earn a high school diploma and up to 60 college credit hours.
“A clear objective in our strategic plan is for our students to have leading-edge learning experiences, and opening an early college high school certainly helps us to fulfill that goal, “Arlington ISD Superintendent Dr. Marcelo Cavazos said. “A collaboration such as this with our community partner AISD and TCC sign MOU for new Arlington Collegiate High School at Tarrant County College Southeast Campus Tarrant County College is vital to our students’ success and will make a tremendous positive impact on their future.”
This initiative also fulfills part of Tarrant County College’s Vision 2015 Strategic Plan dedicated to supporting student learning and success.
“Starting this early college high school is important to us at Tarrant County College because it aligns with our commitment to develop strategies that improve access to affordable education for all students,” said TCC Chancellor Erma Johnson Hadley. “We have a strong working relationship with the Arlington ISD, so it makes sense that we would launch a partnership to give their students the opportunity to earn college credit while still in high school.”
“This also is critical because research shows that the earlier students are exposed to the rigorous challenges that higher education provides, the better they will perform,” Hadley said.
When the Arlington Collegiate High School at TCC Southeast Campus opens in fall 2014, it will consist of approximately 100 freshmen students with approximately 100 students added each year to the incoming freshman class. Students will have access to Tarrant County College facilities, resources and services, including the faculty, libraries, labs, artistic and cultural activities, and extracurricular activities, as appropriate. There is no cost to the student to attend the school. The Arlington ISD will pay for tuition, fees and required textbooks to the extent those charges are not waived by Tarrant County College.
“By partnering with AISD’s early college high school, we will be able to equip students with the knowledge and skills to make sound financial decisions throughout their lives,” said Jim Minge, president and CEO of Texas Trust. “Our goal is to provide the school with the resources and tools to help students and their families build brighter financial futures.”
After the MOU signing, media will be able to view the construction site of the new ArlingtonCollegiate High School at TCC Southeast Campus.
