Garland ISD receives inaugural Economic Mobility Award from The Commit Partnership

Garland, TX (February 15, 2024) – The Commit Partnership has introduced a new award program, The Dallas County Economic Mobility Awards. We proudly announce that Garland ISD has been recognized for its exceptional performance in 2023 and is one of three recipients of the inaugural award.

The program will award $25,000 to each public school district or public charter network recognized for exceptional performance among students experiencing economic disadvantage. Garland ISD will distribute the funds at the campus level.

“It’s wonderful to have a partner recognize the vision of the Garland ISD Board of Trustees in getting all students ready for college careers and life,” said Coleman Bruman, GISD Director of Career and Technical Education. “The work was not done in isolation; it was and continues to be a cross-divisional effort among the College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) teams. Last year, we were 93% CCMR-ready, so we are well on our way to getting every student ready for life after graduation.”

Garland ISD has become the regional leader in qualifying for state outcomes funding among traditional ISDs serving a majority lower-income population. The percentage of potential state CCMR outcomes funding Garland ISD earned is almost twice that of our Dallas County peers. The district has also become the county leader in the percentage of students receiving industry certifications, as the district offers the P-Tech program and CTE courses –at each of its comprehensive high schools. Finally, Garland ISD leads the county in the percentage of current seniors with 15 or more college credit hours (24%). Students who do so are three times more likely to complete postsecondary credentials than those graduating high school without college credit.

In making these awards, the Commit Partnership looked at both absolute performance and growth among economically disadvantaged students in several key areas, including:

• New policies and practices that introduce to their governing boards significant transparency and goal setting about the long-term college and career success of their students.
• Student college and career readiness per national and state assessments (SAT, ACT, TSIA).
• The percentage of students completing significant college credit within high school (including achievement of associate degrees).
• The percentage of students enrolling in post-secondary institutions or receiving industry certifications.
• State funding per student based on college, career and military readiness outcomes (made possible by the 2019 passage of HB3).
• The average salary of their young alumni (ages 25-30) currently working in Texas.

This achievement is a testament to the Garland ISD’s commitment to implementing bold public school innovation to substantially enhance students’ paths toward post-secondary education or industry certification necessary to earn family-sustaining living wages.

Submitted press release.

  dallas county, Garland ISD, The Commit Partnership