Video: Everything Chris Coxon said at RGV Focus annual scorecard event

MCALLEN, Texas – Chris Coxon, managing director of Educate Texas, spoke at a news conference held by RGV Focus to announce their 2022 annual scorecard.

The conference was held at Texas A&M University in McAllen.

In his remarks, Coxon discussed educational attainment in the Rio Grande Valley over the last ten years. Looking at the scorecard highlights across the years 2012 to 2022, he provided these statistics:

3rd grade STAAR reading: Up 15 percentage points
AP/Dual Credit Completion: Up 21 percentage points
8th grade STAAR mathematics: Up 7 percentage points
2-year public Higher Education Graduation Rate: Up 10 percentage points

Educate Texas has been helping RGV Focus since its inception in 2012. A brochure produced by RGV Focus to coincide with the 2022 scorecard was titled “A Decade of Change, A Future of Progress.”

The brochure stated:

“In 2012, education, business, and community leaders from across the Rio Grande Valley had a clear vision for student success in the region. They knew it would take all facets of the community partnering together to ensure students received the education they needed to achieve meaningful careers and lives. The result was RGV Focus, and una década de cambio.

“Over the last decade, about half a million students in the Rio Grande Valley have been better prepared for post secondary programs and employment facilitated by RGV Focus, a collaboration with Educate Texas.”

Coxon has been helping RGV Focus from the beginning.

“Back in 2011, I was convinced that while there was great work happening in early college high schools in the Valley, that there was much more that could be done. That there was a way to lift the entire region and to support this work,” Coxon said.

“I am lucky enough that I was here on day one when we set up RGV Focus. I can attest to the incredible journey of this group of committed educators, business and community leaders that have undertaken to ensure that all students in the Valley are set up for success after high school.”

Coxon said great strides have been made.

“When we started back in early 2000s the Valley trailed the rest of the state in a number of different indicators. We committed to track those indicators on a yearly basis, not by campus, not by just one district, but as a region. We either all do it all together or we don’t do it all together. But this is a community-wide issue. Now, today, in nine of those 12 indicators, the Valley matches or outpaces the rest of the state. Quite an accomplishment.”

Coxon won applause when he said this.

Here are Coxon’s remarks in full:

Video

Editor’s Note: The above news story is the first in a two-part series on RGV Focus’ 2022 Annual Scorecard. Part Two, featuring the analysis of RGV Focus Director Rebeca Lopez, will appear in our next edition.

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