[July 22, 2011] PSJA schools chief to lend voice to state education body Tweet PHARR, Jul 22, 2011 (The Monitor - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Superintendent Daniel King looked energized Thursday despite back-to-back meetings and a rushed trip home from Austin after settling into his new seat on a state education council. At the invitation of Texas Commissioner of Higher Education Raymund Paredes, King now serves as the public education representative on the State P-16 Council, so named for its goal of advancing a continuous transition between pre-kindergarten and college education. "When I was a principal ... I told students they need to pursue any postsecondary education to completion," King said Thursday. "You need a piece of paper that says you're an expert in some field. "That's the kind of world we're hurtling toward." King also is the sole Rio Grande Valley voice on the council, which is filled with some of the state's top philanthropic and business leaders. Hoping to harness their connections, he said it was imperative to work together to turn around dismal educational attainment levels in Hispanic and impoverished communities like the Valley. "I think the state leadership has woken up to, in many ways, that if the achievement gaps in those groups are not directly targeted and closed, then in the future you're talking about a less-educated Texas, an economically poor state," King said. The council's goal is to increase communication between workforce commissions and educators -- sharing relevant data for job preparation -- and also to ensure colleges and public schools understand each other. Paredes reportedly selected King particularly for the latter goal, considering his success with a dropout recovery campus and early college high school programs. "Most importantly, the commissioner was impressed with the dramatic increase in the number of high school graduates and the college-going rate among (King's) students during his tenure," said Dominic Chavez, spokesman for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. And at the council's first meeting Wednesday, King did stress the need to bring college counselors to high school campuses -- and vice versa -- to deepen comprehension of expectations in college. "He is a Valley treasure," said South Texas College President Shirley Reed. "We have faced many challenges in getting programs started and he would always remind me, 'Let's start with the ready, willing and able.' "He was telling me we can't wait for everyone to be ready to move forward. He will be a great asset to the P-16 Council." But King noted he did not think the council was the only beneficiary of his agreement to join its ranks. As he shares the Valley's success stories and challenges, he also expects to bring new ideas home. "I see it as a complete win-win," King said. "Because hopefully (council members) can bring issues and ideas to the table but also bring down great solutions to the Valley. "The sooner we can see how our students are doing in college, the sooner we can adjust and start impacting the next class's success." -- Neal Morton covers education and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4472. To see more of The Monitor, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.themonitor.com. Copyright (c) 2011, The Monitor, McAllen, Texas Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]