West Texas A&M University’s Educator’s Excellence Initiative (EEI) serves primary and secondary educators in the Texas Panhandle. We believe our state’s future largely rests on the quality of educational opportunities available to all students. Anything WT can do to help teachers and improve secondary education benefits West Texas A&M University, the Texas Panhandle and the larger region of West Texas we serve.
Back in July of this year, we extended the opportunity for all educators in the Region 16 Education Service Center—teachers, principals, assistant principals, nurses, librarians and paraprofessionals or teacher’s aids—for half price on tuition and fees for any degree program at West Texas A&M University. To date, 400 students from schools across Region 16 have enrolled in various baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral degree programs at WT. The same offer is available to private school educators and homeschool parents who teach their children. The mix of public, private and homeschool educational opportunities is a great strength in Texas.
In 1910, the Texas Legislature authorized the creation of the West Texas State Normal College to meet the need for trained teachers in the Panhandle and surrounding regions. We are proud to have served West Texas and now serve the region as a regional research university. WT is committed to renewing our commitment to our history and tradition in training teachers, while paying attention to where the future is leading.
Reviving and reaffirming WTAMU’s enduring responsibility to the communities it serves is not nostalgic but strategic. Nearly 40% of teachers engaged in teaching daily are on temporary or specialized credentials, reports the Texas Education Agency. While some may be gifted teachers, love students beyond measure and work diligently to serve the children and their parents, additional educational experiences could lead to even better results.
Our commitment to help solve the region and state’s secondary educational challenges is to offer 50% off all tuition and fees for teachers to provide opportunities to study and advance their credentials through degree-granting programs at WT. I have heard interesting stories and praises of thanksgiving as I’ve discussed this project with superintendents, principals and board members working daily to provide first-rate opportunities. One superintendent expressed his appreciation for including paraprofessionals and teacher’s aids by sharing his opinion that these are folks from the towns, who know the families and students and are committed to coming to work every day and doing a good job. He pointed out that many lack the formal training necessary for teacher certification, and his experience suggests paraprofessionals who go back to school typically make the very best classroom teachers. His testimony and similar circumstances present what we believe to be an excellent opportunity for a regional university to serve.
Texas is divided into 20 educational service centers. The 26 counties of the Texas Panhandle are in Region 16. WT is expanding the EEI initiative to educators in Regions 17 and 18, providing coverage from the Panhandle to the Rio Grande as a distinctive service to Texas teachers. Building on WT’s commitment to serving smaller communities of our great state, the communities that produce the food, fuel and fiber that feed, power and clothe our state and our nation, we are including in the EEI program all 1A and 2A school districts across the state. Small schools are inherently crucial to our state’s economy.
WT degree programs will be offered to Texas educators online and on campus. Many will choose to study asynchronously online to fit schedules already crowded with work, family, faith and community, which is the reality of 21st-century rural Texas life. WT is not hiring a special group of faculty to teach the EEI teachers. WT seasoned professionals who have undergone rigorous preparation will provide their expertise and commitment to yield excellent dividends for Texas school districts.
We started the EEI program locally in Region 16, but our goal is to improve primary and secondary education in West Texas and in smaller school districts across the state. WT remains true to its original purpose.
Walter V. Wendler is the President of West Texas A&M University. His weekly columns, with hyperlinks, are available at https://walterwendler.com/.
