The mission of the Texas Urban Council of Superintendents (TUC) is “to leverage the collective power of the state’s largest urban school districts to transform educational practices and improve student outcomes through collaborative innovation.” In the spirit of “collaborative innovation,” we’re pleased to formally recognize our newest member, Alief Independent School District (ISD).
Alief ISD serves over 40,000 students and employs over 3,000 educators. Half of Alief students are emergent bilingual, and over four out of five are experiencing economic disadvantage. Alief educators work together to achieve a vision of “empowering students through unlimited opportunities to change the world.” Alief is led by Superintendent Anthony Mays, who previously worked with TUC as Interim Superintendent of Austin ISD.
“We believe that education is a team sport, and by working together with other urban school districts in Texas, we can build a stronger, more equitable education system that serves all students,” Superintendent Mays said. “Joining the Texas Urban Council is an important step for our school district as we relentlessly work to improve education outcomes for all of our students.”
TUC will now have 11 participating districts: Aldine, Alief, Austin, Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Ysleta Independent School Districts. Together these districts educate more than 811,000 of Texas’ public school students.
To join TUC, a school district must serve at least 30,000 students with concentrations of disadvantaged, low-income and special needs students; or concentrations of minority students; or meet other eligibility requirements as determined by the officers. Membership may be extended to a district not presently a member of the TUC upon recommendation and approved by a majority of the member districts.
Facilitated by the Commit Partnership, TUC brings the districts together for regular convenings designed to encourage discussion and collaboration to improve academic outcomes.
“We are thrilled that Alief ISD is joining the Texas Urban Council. Dr. Mays is a deeply respected superintendent who will bring a valuable perspective to this group of outstanding school district leaders across Texas,” Commit Partnership Chief State Impact Officer Bridget Worley said. “We look forward to watching how these education leaders continue learning from one another, sharing best practices, and advocating for policies that support Texas students and their families.”
Photo Credit by Alief ISD
