A+ Federal Credit Union is a longstanding champion of Austin Partners in Education, and we’re honored that they have sponsored our 2024 Austin Marathon campaign at the Sprinter Level for $5,000. For the past several years, more than 15 A+FCU staff members have joined us at our Marathon aid station to keep the runners hydrated and cheer them on during the race. In addition, they have been long time funders of Salute, Austin ISD’s annual celebration of the district’s outstanding team members, which APIE co-hosts. A+FCU’s President/CEO Eric R. Kase joined the APIE Board of Directors in 2021. In t ..read more

Odera Anyasinti, GEAR UP Program Specialist, talked with us about the great work University of Texas Terry Scholars do to support students at Crockett Early College High School. Through APIE Mentoring, tutoring, and workshops, they are inspiring students as they plan for their next steps after high school. Read on to learn from Odera about the program and its impact!     Q: How did the partnership with UT Terry Scholars come about? A: I came into the GEAR UP program when the students were in eighth grade at Bedichek Middle School. I was going around meeting the students, and the ..read more

Dear APIE Friends and Supporters, Fall is finally upon us and cooler weather is starting to prevail. As we settle into this 2023-24 school year, I have an important question for you: do you have time to give one hour a week to students in your community? Volunteering in APIE’s math and mentoring programs can have a significant positive impact on students’ lives and their overall development. Not only do we have staff tutoring hundreds of students at AISD’s seven Early College High Schools to ensure they are well-prepared for post-secondary opportunities, but we offer volunteer-le ..read more

We’ve been busy… Reviewing survey feedback from students & volunteers Tweaking our programs Meeting with principals & teachers Hiring new staff Recruiting volunteers …and we are ready for an incredible start to an exciting 2023-2024 school year! We couldn’t do this work without our dedicated staff, our amazing volunteers, and generous donors; so I hope you are ready to engage us to support Austin ISD students in their learning journey this year. We know that caring adults who show up consistently for students make a big difference in how students feel about their sch ..read more

2023 APIE Champions Recognized We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 APIE Champion awards. These individuals and groups have gone above and beyond to support Austin ISD students. APIE High School Champions: LBJ ECHS and Crockett ECHS APIE Business Champion: Mission Squared APIE Donor Champion: 3M APIE Community Partner Champion: Mission Capital APIE Math Classroom Coaching Champion: Covington Middle School APIE Mentor Champion: UT’s Refugee Student Mentor Program APIE Hall of Fame: UT’s Neighborhood Longhorns Program and Amy Jones Elementary Campus Coordinator: Angie Vega, Bal ..read more

Each year, Americans celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15 to recognize the contributions and influence of Hispanic and Latine Americans to the history, achievements, and culture of the United States. It is a time to amplify and learn from the diverse voices.  As we end Hispanic Heritage Month, we wanted to provide our community and fellow educators with resources to continue learning throughout the year. Resources Compiled by: Tiffani Borcherding, P-TECH Program Specialist, Austin Partners in Education The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History The Sto ..read more

Greetings APIE Community –  Reflecting back over this past school year, I continue to be in awe of the incredible resilience of our students, staff, and volunteers along with the progress we’ve made together in these oh-so-challenging and unprecedented times. We appreciate the support of our many stakeholders and campus staff for helping us continue to show up for students through our mentoring and tutoring programs — which allow us to make 1:1 connections and build a meaningful relationship with each student. It is these relationships that “fill our buckets” and keep us engaged and pre ..read more

Keivan Khaleghi is a PhD student at the University of Texas who mentors through the UT Refugee Student Mentor Program. APIE helps to connect mentors in the program with middle and high schools campuses. In this Q&A, Khaleghi shares his experiences mentoring two refugee students from Afghanistan.    Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself. A: I’m in the PhD program in the Petroleum Engineering department at the University of Texas. I have an interesting background which kind of links in with how I came to be a mentor. I was originally born in Iran, and I did my undergrad prog ..read more

Dear APIE Community, Welcome back to the ’21-’22 school year, where APIE programs are in full swing!  We are so excited to be back on campuses and working with students in person.  We want to keep this in-person support trending, so we highly encourage all of our volunteers to be fully vaccinated and to wear a mask when on campus. If you haven’t signed up yet to volunteer, there’s still time!  We need more mentors and Math Classroom Coaches to help meet the demand for our programs.  If you enjoy working with adolescent youth, this once-a-week commitment can quickly become ..read more

It’s been an exciting start to the school year and we are looking forward to a great 2022-23!  We have ten new staff members, a new Vice Chair for our Board, a pilot for our Math Classroom Coaching Program, and a new strategic plan that’s almost ready to unveil!  Our 19 Advocates began working with their Early College High School students on Day 1 of school, while our volunteer-based programs have been ramping up these past several weeks.  I’m proud to report that our volunteer numbers are already higher than the 2021-22 school year. It’s inspiring to see the Austin communit ..read more