AUSTIN, Texas – The University of Texas at Austin has joined public schools and corporate sponsors in forming Texas Longhorn PREP (Partners Responding to Educational Priorities), an educational partnership designed to support and enhance recently passed legislation, House Bill 588.
The bill guarantees automatic admissions for the top 10 percent of Texas high school graduates. It was signed into law by Gov. George W. Bush on May 10, 1997.A press briefing on Texas Longhorn PREP is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday (Jan. 15) in the Superintendent’s Conference Room of the Houston Independent School District Administration Building, 3830 Richmond Ave. The formal announcement will take place during a reception hosted by Bank of America, UT Austin and HISD at 6 p.m. in the HISD Administration Building. Ellis, the keynote speaker, will address the top 10 percent students from participating schools and their parents. UT Austin’s Office of the Vice President for Administration and Public Affairs and the College of Liberal Arts, the Houston Independent School District and Bank of America formed the educational partnership to further extend the concept of university/public school/corporate partnerships.
Texas Longhorn PREP will assist the top 10 percent students in participating Houston public high schools by providing them with pre-collegiate instruction designed to improve their specific, as well as general, academic skills in preparation for entry into a college or university in the fall of 1998.
Working with Texas Sen. Rodney Ellis of the 13th Senatorial District, which includes the target Houston public schools, the University has designed an innovative instructional program that will not only enrich the academic preparation of these students identified as top 10 percent May ’98 graduates, but also will enhance their academic environment. In addition, Texas Longhorn PREP will assist high school classroom teachers in the implementation of an academic program that will augment the high school curriculum. By working closely with district superintendents, principals and guidance counselors, Texas Longhorn PREP also will serve to motivate and guide students with regard to the importance of academic preparation, assessing their academic potential, and knowing college entrance requirements.
This innovative pre-collegiate endeavor, part of the University Scholars Program at UT Austin, provides a direct link between the University, corporations and public schools, and engages UT Austin faculty, public school counselors and administrators, high school teachers and corporations in addressing key educational issues relating to pre-collegiate preparation, academic excellence, teacher enhancement and equity for all public school students.
