Education Service Center 20 Offers Comprehensive College Readiness Resource

September 2013 | Houston, Texas
BY: Amy Williams

Education Service Center 20, located in San Antonio, Texas, houses Learn 4 21, an advanced platform that assists K - 12 teachers, administrators and personnel in training proven effective for success. Learn 4 21 is an Education Service Center 20 initiative that is designed around 21^st century skills, which has caused it to flourish into a comprehensive resource for a large audience.

"Learn421 was born to promote and model 21^st-century skills in education," explained Susanna Garza, Learn 4 21's instructional technology and media coordinator. "It is an extension of the work ESC-20 does in support of technology integration and the integration of digital resources."  

Another avenue supported by Learn 4 21 is college and career readiness (CCR). Ravae Shaeffer, TEKS professional development educational specialist, heads the College and Career Readiness portion of Learn 4 21.
 
"The state of Texas has focused on college and career readiness in big ways with the passage of HB5 — causing all stakeholders to be reflective about the work we are doing to support a college-going, career-ready culture on campuses across the state (and nation)," said Shaeffer. "Our goal with the Learn 4 21 CCR site is to provide resources to build that very culture."  

The Learn 4 21 team achieves this in many ways by sponsoring college and career-aimed professional development and community discussions, providing TEKS- aligned lesson plans and readiness tools, and engaging faculty and personnel in the growing college and career readiness network partners, such as the profile-planning guide team.
 
"ESC-20 holds quarterly forums to encourage college and career readiness conversations about the myriad topics that impact the college and career readiness of students in the region," explained Shaeffer.  

Copies of past CCR conversations can be found on their site, in addition to upcoming College and Career Readiness Forums, beginning October 20, 2013.  View more events and look around at the different resources Learn 4 21 has to offer!