BROADCASTS.com

b'

BROWNSVILLE, RGV - Traci Wickett, president and CEO of United Way of Southern Cameron County, is promoting the latest educational attainment report card from All In Brownsville.

All In was established in 2011 with a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation with the goal of doubling the number of individuals in Brownsville who achieve post-secondary credentials with labor market value by 2025.

The new report measures Pre-K enrollment, kindergarten readiness, how 3rd graders are reading, 8th grade math, and high school graduation rates.\\xa0

\\u201cWe strongly believe in using data to make decisions, to use it as a flashlight to help us figure out where to go, rather than as a weapon to punish people with,\\u201d Wickett told the Rio Grande Guardian.

The new report shows the value of pre-K education. All In studied the performance of students who come from disadvantaged families. It found huge gains in the educational attainment of such students in kindergarten if those same students first received pre-K instruction.

\\u201cThere is a strong argument in here for pre-K expansion and indeed universal pre-K. When kids start school ready, the evidence is they will finish on time and have more successful lives,\\u201d Wickett said.

Looking ahead, Wickett and All In team hopes to add Los Fresnos and Port Isabel as All In communities.

Editor's Note: The above story is the 21st episode in our second season of podcasts.\\xa0

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.