2024 marked a milestone year in CREEED’s journey to increase educational attainment for all students in El Paso County as we celebrated our 10th anniversary! During this first decade, we have made inroads in preparing students for college and career success:
- The number of students graduating from high school with at least 9 hours of completed dual credit courses has more than doubled since 2015, and the number of students graduating with enough credits to earn an associate’s degree has tripled.
- El Paso has developed an innovative model for teacher preparation, mentorship, and retention thanks to our work with the UTEP College of Education, El Paso Community Foundation, and local school districts.
- There is a growing group of engaged and empowered parents who understand how our local school systems work and are actively advocating for better outcomes and opportunities for all students.
This year, CREEED also received a new $10M grant commitment from the Woody and Hunt Family Foundation to sustain our work and grow our impact in the region.
As we look ahead at our next chapter, we’re excited to build on this success and launch new initiatives that ensure all students have access to a high-quality education, all classrooms have strong teachers, and more parents are engaged in their children’s education.
Below is a look at more of what we accomplished in 2024!
Inaugural Education Matters Summit
In October, CREEED brought almost 150 education and community leaders together at the inaugural El Paso Matters Summit, in partnership with the El Paso Chamber. This new annual event will bring together the El Paso community to identify successful programs that are promoting student academic performance in the region and spur ideas on how to support all students in El Paso to succeed in higher education and the workforce.
We also announced the Richard Castro Excellence in Education award which will be awarded annually to a current education leader who has gone above and beyond in supporting high quality education in El Paso County.
Learn more here.
El Paso School Finder
This Fall, CREEED launched ElPasoSchoolFinder.com, a free tool designed to help parents learn more about the free public schools available in El Paso County, compare them based on Texas Education Agency standards, and select the best one for their child.
Check out the website to find the best school for your child!
Introducing a new focus area of CREEED
Much of CREEED’s first decade focused on primary and secondary education, ensuring that students are ready for college by the time they graduate high school. As we enter our second decade, we are expanding our work to focus on helping students become better prepared for 21st Century jobs. Thus, in April 2024, we launched a new area of focus: College Completion and Career Readiness!
More from CREEED in 2024
Historic $3.4 million grant from Gates Foundation to improve math outcomes
CREEED, the El Paso Community Foundation (EPCF), and Clint ISD announced a $3.4 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation aimed at improving math outcomes in our region by providing teachers and students with High Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM). The grant also supports research done on high quality math instructional materials at UTEP.
Scholarships for Future Educators and College-Bound El Pasoans
This year, CREEED launched the annual Excelencia Scholarship for Future Educators, awarding five graduating seniors in El Paso $2,500 scholarships to support them on their journeys to becoming teachers. Learn more about these aspiring educators here.
Additionally, in June, CREEED awarded the seventh Sylvia Hopp San Elizario College Scholarship to a graduating senior from San Elizario High School. Learn more about our 2024 awardee here.
Connecting the Classroom to In-Demand Careers
In June, CREEED launched the second year of our Educator Externship program, where 15 local educators (more than twice as many as last year!) spent one week embedded at a local business to learn how their classroom content connects with workforce expectations—and how to make lessons even more relevant. Teachers had the chance to tour facilities, shadow employees, and make connections to current and future skills that they will implement into their classrooms.
Teacher Incentive Allotment
The statewide Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) allows school districts to identify and designate outstanding teachers and provide them with financial incentives based on student academic performance and growth. Teachers who receive one of the three TIA designations (Recognized, Exemplary, and Master) can receive anywhere between $3,000 to $32,000 in additional annual compensation for five years– and at no cost to local schools or school districts!
CREEED was thrilled to be part of a team who helped secure $1,674,000 in direct payments to teachers in El Paso County!
Learn more about the local impact of TIA.
AIM High Initiative
In October, CREEED hosted our second AIM High Initiative (Algebra In Middle School). AIM High has a simple goal: to increase the number of middle school students taking and passing Algebra I at the MEETS (meeting state standards) level, thus setting them up for success in high school and beyond. As part of the initiative, CREEED provided Visa gift cards to all the faculty and staff at the five highest performing middle schools in Algebra I. This year, all five top schools were once again in Socorro ISD.
Learn more here.
Engaging & Empowering Parents
Throughout the year, as part of our Parent and Community Engagement efforts, CREEED facilitated 22 parent workshops, welcoming parents from the Borderplex region to discuss topics that help them understand the ins and outs of El Paso’s public education system. Additionally, this year CREEED launched our first ever Fellowship 2.0, designed for parents who have participated in one of CREEED’s Parent Engagement Fellowships. Fellowship 2.0 provides higher level skills building and advocacy efforts for participating parents in pursuing high quality education options within the traditional public school system.
Learn how you can join one of our parent engagement events here.
Thank you for being part of CREEED’s transformative first decade. We are excited for all we will accomplish together in 2025!