Ford Foundation Partners with Other Funders to Increase Educational Attainment in the Rio Grande Valley
RGV FOCUS leaders recently unveiled the organization’s 2017 Annual Report showing that Rio Grande Valley students now match or outperform their Texas peers in nine out of 11 key indicators – from high school graduation rates, to FAFSA financial aid and AP/Dual-Credit completion (see detailed stats below). The report, which spotlights successes along with areas needing improvement, reflects a growing shift in educational attainment for area students.
Educate Texas, an educational arm of Dallas-based Communities Foundation of Texas, partnered with Valley-based leaders to establish the collective impact initiative RGV FOCUS in 2012. The initiative’s goal is to transform college readiness, access and success throughout the four-county Rio Grande Valley region through cross-sector collaboration of key stakeholders representing education, business, workforce, community-based organizations and philanthropies. To do this, RGV FOCUS works to measurably improve educational outcomes across the region by aligning resources that create a cradle-to-career educational pathway enabling all Rio Grande Valley learners to achieve a degree or credential that leads to a meaningful career....