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At STEAMX’s 10th anniversary event on Friday, the Council on Regional Economic Expansion and Educational Development (CREEED) presented the Success Through Technology Education (STTE) Foundation with a $100,000 grant.

“We are thrilled to accept this generous contribution from CREEED, which will help thousands of students in El Paso prepare for advanced learning opportunities in STEAM subjects,” said Joseph Sapien, Executive Director of STTE.  “CREEED is directly aligned with our foundation’s core mission. Together, we can increase the percentage of students entering STEAM fields in college and in their careers.”

The donation will support events and programming for students in the El Paso region pursuing higher education opportunities in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM).

The STTE Foundation is committed to a 20-year plan to enhance the regional economy through educational programs and meaningful partnerships.

Last year, the STTE Foundation reached 2,601 youth from the region, and it hopes to double that number in 2019. The $100,000 contribution from CREEED will support the foundation’s capital campaign and help fund various programs in the community, including STEAMX – a two day event that provides middle and high school students the opportunity to participate in real-world STEAM-based competitions.

“Student attainment in El Paso and across the border region is a top priority at CREEED.  We are committed to increasing opportunities for our students not only to be prepared for college, but also to expand their awareness of STEAM subjects and careers,” said Eddie Rodriguez, Executive Director of CREEED.

“Our partnership with STTE will allow us to prepare more students for continued education and STEAM careers, strengthen community support, and encourage parental involvement through programs, events and scholarship opportunities.”

Along with community events, this contribution will also support summer camps with the University of Texas at El Paso, Texas Tech University and New Mexico State University, as well as after-school programs run by K.I.C.K (Kids, Innovation, Computer Science, Know-How), an organization that inspires careers in  technology and advances STTE’s goal of 100% digital literacy for youth by 2030.

A complete list of events, workshops and winners from  the STEAMX 2019 competition event can be found via this link.

On Thursday, Canutillo Independent School District announced a new partnership with GameSalad for Education and the Council on Regional Economic Expansion and Educational Development (CREEED) to expand computer science education to its middle school students over the next five years.

Canutillo Middle School currently uses the GameSalad curriculum to introduce its 6th grade students to STEM and computer science concepts and education.

After completing the GameSalad course, last year’s 6th grade cohort showed a 3% increase in combined Meets and Masters scores on the STAAR Math exam.

Canutillo ISD secured a grant of $42,646 from CREEED, a not-for-profit education policy and advocacy group focused on creating measurable outcomes and dedicated to closing the achievement gap for El Paso County students, which will allow them to expand this program to all its 7th and 8th grade students by the 2020-2021 school year.

GameSalad for Education is a STEM education partner dedicated to engaging all students in computer science by empowering them to design, program, and create their own professional grade mobile games.

“GameSalad encourages students to develop their computational and critical thinking skills which align with the district’s STEM initiatives,” said Dr. Pedro Galaviz, Canutillo ISD Superintendent. “CREEED’s generous grant jump starts the expansion of this program and supports Canutillo’s ongoing commitment to provide STEM opportunities for our students.”

Exponential growth of jobs in the technology sector relative to the number of qualified candidates has created a need for rapid advances in STEM education in the United States.

Studies project that by 2020 there will be 1 million more jobs in computer science than U.S. computer science students. Innovation is outpacing the skills & knowledge we are transferring to our nation’s students.

“We are excited to be bringing world class computer science instruction to the students of Canutillo and offer them the capability to be strong participants in the 21st century economy,” said Brent Dusing, GameSalad CEO. “We are honored to be working with CREEED, who are fantastic visionaries for the transformation of El Paso.”

Though many districts are aware of the importance of STEM and computer science, they face barriers to implementing appropriate programs for their students. Underfunding, lack of teachers, and lack of student interest all play a role in preventing successful implementation of computer science education programs.

“CREEED made a commitment to increase educational attainment throughout the El Paso region on a scalable basis by investing in school district initiatives that move the needle on student outcomes and prepares them for the future of work,” said Eddie Rodriguez, CREEED Executive Director.

“Canutillo’s decision to bring in a new innovative model into its middle school classrooms has not only improved math outcomes for students, but is setting them up to enter a growing job market in the tech field. It is also preparing students effectively for post-secondary education, placing them in a position to graduate high school College Ready. We look forward to funding more innovative proven programs like this in El Paso.”

Since 2015, the Council on Regional Economic Expansion and Educational Development (CREEED) has not only helped local students, but regional educators as well.

CREEED has awarded $259,000 through its Accelerated Certification of Teachers (ACT El Paso) Scholarship Program to help area high school teachers attain dual credit certifications.

To date, the program has funded 75 high school teachers who have completed certification or are currently studying to teach dual credit or early college courses in our region’s high schools.

Dual credit courses give high school students the opportunity to become acclimated to college coursework and to enroll in courses that earn them college credit while still in high school. CREEED has earmarked a total of $1M for the scholarship program, which aims to increase higher education attainment for El Paso students.

“We know that college-readiness is a clear indicator of whether our students will pursue and successfully obtain a postsecondary degree or certificate. The goal of this scholarship program is to increase college-readiness across the region by exposing more students to the rigor and idea of a college education,” said Richard A. Castro, Chairman of CREEED.

“By investing in our teachers to deliver high-quality dual credit courses, we are not only providing professional development opportunities to our educators, but giving our students a head-start at college coursework and ensuring our region is able to see economic prosperity in the future.”

ACT El Paso scholarships have been awarded to a total of 75 teachers in five El Paso County school districts: Canutillo Independent School District, Clint Independent School District, El Paso Independent School District, Socorro Independent School District and Ysleta Independent School District.

The scholarship funds were used by teachers to help pay for their credentialing process, which requires them to complete 18 graduate semester credit hours in the content area they will teach and successfully obtain a master’s degree.

Thanks to the scholarship program, Clint ISD will have a dual-credit credentialed Spanish teacher at every high school in its district by the end of this year.

“The scholarships help us address our school’s need for more dual credit certified teachers,” Clint High School Principal, Garrett Ritchey. “Although the scholarships go to the teachers, the students are the true beneficiaries.”

Currently, only one in six El Paso students who starts 8th grade earns  a postsecondary credential within 11 years, which places El Paso as the second lowest performing of all Texas regions. Additionally, only 70 percent of students who enter The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and 34 percent who enter El Paso Community College (EPCC) are fully prepared for college-level work. CREEED is working to improve these numbers by investing in initiatives that increase college readiness in our region.

Since 2014, there has been a significant increase (53%) of students taking dual credit or early college courses throughout El Paso County. While only 4,750 students enrolled in these courses at the start of 2014, that number jumped to 7,250 in 2017.

“The Ysleta Independent School District is appreciative of the funding that CREEED has dedicated toward THE MASTERS program, which offers our teachers a convenient, affordable, and supportive path for pursuing their master’s degrees and advanced certifications,” said Dr. Xavier De La Torre, YISD Superintendent of Schools.

“As of this spring, we will have 20 YISD teachers successfully complete their master’s degrees and advanced certifications ­through the program in either math, science, social studies, or language arts,” Dr. De La Torre said. “We firmly believe this will help our teachers significantly enhance their classroom instructional practices while positively impacting student achievement.”

Research shows that students who successfully complete 18 hours of dual credit courses are four times more likely to complete a college credential or degree program on time. College credits earned through high school dual credit courses are at no cost to the student, thereby lowering the overall cost of college tuition.

“We are proud of EPCC’s Dual Credit & Early College High School partnerships with our local Independent School Districts,” said El Paso Community College President Dr. William Serrata. “CREEED’s scholarships for educators have increased the number of high school faculty teaching college courses, helping our students earn credit towards college degrees even before while they graduate high school.”

CREEED aims to place teachers certified to offer dual credit courses in every high school in El Paso County.

ACT El Paso is part of the non-profit group’s larger plan to improve educational parity, enhance the quality of instruction, and see more students complete post-high-school degree or certificate programs throughout the El Paso region.