In conjunction with the public release of the first Texas early childhood education needs ssessment in 40 years, the Ray Marshall Center (RMC) hosted a one-day conference, entitled “Texas Early Childhood Education Needs Assessment: Findings, Policy Implications and Promising Service Models,” on Monday, October 31, 2012, at the LBJ School of Public Affairs on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. The conference agenda is available here.

The conference featured findings and information from he Center’s recently-completed research project, “A Statewide Early Childhood Education Needs Assessment for Texas.” The 16-month-long  project, funded by the Texas Early Learning Council (TELC) at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHSC), consisted of a team of researchers including Deanna Schexnayder, assistant dean for finance and administration at the LBJ School and senior research scientist at RMC, who served as principal investigator; and Professor Steve Murdock of the Department of Sociology at Rice University in Houston and director of the Hobby Center for the Study of Texas, also based at Rice, who was co-principal investigator.

The afternoon breakout sessions presented new ideas for delivering services to young Texas children and their families and for improving the overall quality of existing services. Two concurrent sessions followed lunch: one on the Texas Family Child Care Home Project, chaired by Susan Landry, director of CLI, with Dr. Brandon as discussant; and one considering perspectives from other states, a panel moderated by Ms. Schexnayder and including Dr. Kreader, Roberta Weber of Oregon State University and the Oregon Early Learning Council, and Reggie Bicha of the Colorado Department of Human Services.

The final afternoon sessions included a discussion on fostering two-generation strategies in the United States, chaired by Dr. King, and one on Texas home visiting programs, chaired by Associate Professor Cynthia Osborne of the LBJ School. Associate Professor Elizabeth Gershoff of the School of Human Ecology at the University of Texas at Austin served as discussant for both of these topics.

Additionally, Helen DuPlessis, senior advisor of the University of California at Los Angeles Center for Healthier Children, Families, and Communities chaired a session on using new research data to transform Texas communities, with Don Titcombe, manager of TELC as discussant.

Ms. Schexnayder’s team of researchers are publishing several reports related to the project on the RMC web site on October 30, 2012.

On October 17, 2012, Center Director Chris King presented key findings and recommended actions for fostering increased direct-to-college enrollments to a meeting of Central Texas high school principals convened by the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce at the offices of Southwest Education and Development Laboratories in Austin, as part of the Center’s Central Texas Student Futures Project.

Center Director Chris King attended the third meeting of the Ascend Fellows at the Aspen Meadows Resort in Aspen, CO on October 7-8, 2012 and then participated in and presented to the Ascend ThinkXChange Conference in Aspen on October 8-10, 2012.  More information will be provided in the next Center newsletter.

On October 4, 2012, Center Director Chris King, Research Scientist Bob Glover, Research Associate Dan O’Shea and Graduate Research Assistant Laura Stelling presented their findings and recommendations from the Workforce Potential Project to the Social Equity Committee of the Austin Area Research Organization.  AARO will be deciding how it plans to implement the Workforce Potential Project in Central Texas in the near future.

Center Director Chris King spoke about contributions made by the Central Texas Student Futures Project in a presentation to civic, business and education leaders from Kansas City, MO on a trip organized by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce on Septmber 24, 2012.

Chris King and ASCEND, a policy program of the Aspen Institute, were mentioned in the Austin American Statesman on Two-Generation Approaches, “In February, University of Texas at Austin professor Christopher King was named to the institute’s inaugural class of Ascend fellows, joining a select group of 20 antipoverty leaders and researchers from around the country…” Read the full article.

October 16, 2012 – Chris King was issued a grant for his work on the Two-Generation Anthology with the The Ascend Institute. King attended the Aspen ThinkXChange and Fellows Forum last week, which focused on the potential of two-generation approaches.

The Aspen Institute Two-Generation Anthology
Ascend Fellows: Dr. Chris King, Dr. P. Lindsay Chase-Lansdale, and Dr. Mario Small
Ascend strategy: Building a Network and Elevating Solutions

Projected outcome for the field: This project will produce a single volume by leading experts (both researchers and practitioners) that can be widely read, cited, and used by other researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. By documenting various applications of the two-generation approach piloted by Ascend Fellows and relevant measures of success, the anthology will support a wider understanding of and credibility for two-generation strategies as a solution to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty.

Grant amount: $38,000

At the invitation of the Greater Austin Chambers of Commerce, Associate Director, Heath Prince delivered a leadership presentation to representatives from the Gwinnett County Chamber of Commerce, as well as to representatives from several postsecondary institutions and K-12 school districts in and around Gwinnett County, GA. Prince spoke of the current research surrounding the Student Futures Project, and the panel topics included a broader effort by the Chamber and Central Texas ISDs to increase enrollment into postsecondary education, and the importance of these efforts to the local economy.

Robert W. (Bob) Glover,  the first employee of the Ray Marshall Center when its namesake founded it in June 1970, retired on September 30, 2012. Dr. Glover is a research scientist and a former director of the Center from 1976-1983.

Dr. Glover’s distinguished career includes authoring countless books, articles and reports.  Over the years, he has had an indelible and lasting impact on Austin’s approach to investing in its residents, working with a long list of mayors, county judges, business and civic leaders.  He is one of the world’s leading experts on apprenticeship and headed the Federal Committee on Apprenticeship during the Carter Administration in the 1970s.

At the LBJ School of Public Affairs, Dr. Glover taught almost a dozen policy research projects since the late 1970s. He worked closely with the late Walt and Elspeth Rostow, professors at the LBJ School and community leaders, to establish The Austin Project, which acts as a catalyst to improve the lives of children, youth and families. Additionally, he has mentored numerous students and continues to shape their careers to this day.

In honor of Dr. Glover and his work, the Center hosted a retirement party at the LBJ School on October 4, 2012.

On September 24th, Greg Cumpton, researcher at the Ray Marshall Center, gave a presentation to the Greater Austin Chamber’s College Readiness and Enrollment Support Team (CREST). For more information, click here.