KINGSVILLE (May 10, 2023) — The U.S. Department of Education today announced Texas A&M University-Kingsville as one of 26 institutions in the nation to be selected as an early adopter of the National Partnership for Student Success initiative. The program aims to address learning loss and mental health challenges in K-12 populations as a result of the pandemic through proven high-impact practices such as tutoring, summer learning programs and success coaching.
Colleges, universities and school districts are encouraged to collaborate on innovative approaches to these challenges by utilizing Federal Work Study (FWS) funds to bolster the number of college students serving K-12 students in various support capacities. Texas A&M-Kingsville and Texas A&M University-Central Texas are the only two Texas institutions participating in the NPSS early adopter cohort.
“The Texas A&M University System is constantly seeking new ways to serve our students and communities,” said Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp. “I am proud of A&M-Kingsville’s commitment to using Federal Work Study to meet the tutoring and mentorship needs of their local school districts as part of the National Partnership for Student Success.”
Dr. Robert Vela Jr., President of Texas A&M University-Kingsville, said the university, with its near-century-long legacy of preparing South Texas educators, is honored to be an early adopter of the NPSS program.
“This program aligns with our university’s role in supporting education in our back yard while offering our students highly-relevant, experiential learning through our Work Study Program,” Vela said. “In leveraging evidence-based strategies to address learning loss and educational inequities in our communities, we will ensure our education students are well-prepared to teach and lead in their own classrooms after graduation.”
Participating institutions are asked to commit a minimum of 15 percent of their FWS funds in support of the program. Texas A&M-Kingsville is committing 22 percent of FWS funding to create the NPSS Student Fellow program, sponsoring 20 Texas A&M-Kingsville students who will serve as tutors, mentors and success coaches with the Kingsville and Santa Gertrudis Independent School Districts beginning Fall 2023.
“The Kingsville Independent School District (KISD) is very excited and honored to be a partner with TAMUK in this exceptional endeavor,” said Dr. Cissy Reynolds-Perez, KISD Superintendent. “The future of the field of education looks bright because, ultimately, the education of students and the entire community will prosper.”
“Santa Gertrudis ISD (SGISD) is excited for the opportunity to collaborate with Texas A&M University-Kingsville as we continue to find ways to address learning loss and increase student success,” said Veronica Alfaro, SGISD Superintendent.
“We welcome the NPSS fellows to our district and we are confident they will impact our students learning progress.”
About the National Partnership for Student Success
The NPSS is a research-based, locally-driven public-private partnership between the Department, AmeriCorps, and the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University that helps schools, districts, nonprofits, and State and local governments create, expand, and improve evidence-based programs that support the academic recovery, mental health, and overall well-being of students. It specifically supports increasing the number of tutors, mentors, student success coaches, postsecondary transition coaches, and wraparound/integrated student support coordinators providing research-based supports to students that promote their academic recovery and overall well-being.