This is a problem that must be fixed...Hats off to Texans working on it!

The three Rs (reassess, react and recommit) have caused educational entities - from public schools to university-level institutions - to reassess the needs of today's students and how education is delivered, react with changes to curriculum to meet the needs of students and recommit to ensuring that students have the tools to succeed whether they go to college or into the workforce.

Texas education experts and members of the private sector are working together on a number of innovative programs and initiatives to address the evolving educational needs of today's students. A quick look at some of the statewide initiatives is reassuring.

Texas State Technical College (TSTC) in Waco and Temple College are working jointly with Belton ISD on a dual-credit program for high school students. Participants can choose to study automotive or Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) courses while in high school. Students who pass the automotive training course, taught by a TSTC instructor in Belton, earn six or seven college credits and skip two basic courses if they decide to attend TSTC after graduation.

The EMT class is offered through Temple College, which provides both the instruction and materials. High school students who pass the course earn an EMT certification when they turn 18. The first phase of the course is the basic curriculum, but during the second and clinical phase, students actually ride with EMTs in ambulances and observe activity in local hospital emergency rooms.

Dallas ISD's Career Counseling Center helps students identify a career path. Then the center counsels students as they choose high school courses that prepare them for a college offering the next level of study and training. The center also has an online service for the students to access (Career Cruising) to learn more about prospective careers and colleges. The site also helps students learn more about résumé writing and job interviews.

Some Texas schools are preparing students for international careers. The Eisenhower High School in Houston participates in what is called the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. This is a college prep program with an internationally recognized curriculum. Designed for high achievers, the program provides students a year of college credit for successful completion. During this unique program, students perform community service, learn at least two languages and become part of not just a local, but a global community.

Insufficient pre-college training has led to thousands of high school graduates being forced to take remedial courses upon entering college. To help overcome this problem, a Commission for a College Ready Texas was recently appointed. This group has been asked to determine what the state can do to remedy the problem. The commission will make recommendations to the State Board of Education regarding curriculum improvement with the objective of aligning courses taught in high school to college and university standards. Recommendations are expected to result in the State Board adopting college readiness standards for Texas, which is important as high school students prepare both for college and a career.

The private sector, too, is searching for ways to ensure an adequately trained workforce. Just this month, the Texas Workforce Commission awarded more than $3.7 million in job-training grant funds, the largest being a $2 million grant for a partnership between Blinn College and two private sector firms. Blinn College will coordinate training responsibilities with four other colleges for 1,000 electricians, millwrights, ironworkers and pipe fitters. The students will be trained and then hired to help build a new power plant. The end result is that students receive training that leads to high-paying jobs and the employers get skilled workers.

The education crisis throughout the country is real and Texas has a number of critical problems that simply must be fixed now. Without innovative programs, partnerships and focused efforts, Texas could slip behind other states and other countries. If that ever happens, the economic prosperity of every Texas family and/or individual will be jeopardized.

The entire team at Strategic Partnerships, Inc. and the staff of Texas Government Insider offer big salutes to all Texans working in this area.