Texas Wesleyan is collaborating with Fort Worth ISD’s Office of Innovation and Transformation; the partnership will help sustain the increase in academic achievements by the District’s five Leadership Academies.

The collaboration was approved by the Fort Worth ISD board on Feb. 12, according to a press release by Fort Worth ISD. Texas Wesleyan is going to play a role in helping struggling campuses reach levels of sustained student academic achievement.

The partnership is described as a Leadership Academy Network, according to Alexis Patterson, a representative of The S&G Group, an Arlington public relations firm. This means that Texas Wesleyan will be operating and managing five District schools within Fort Worth ISD. The overall goal of this collaboration is to ensure that students can succeed if given a proper learning environment.

Priscila Dilley, the executive director of Innovation and Transformation for Fort Worth ISD, wrote in an email that Texas Wesleyan will begin management of the campuses in the 2019-2020 school year. Dilley wrote that Texas Wesleyan’s partnership is key in improving college readiness.

“It’s also important to emphasize that the partnership between Texas Wesleyan and Fort Worth ISD builds a stronger alignment between the PK-12 sector and higher education,” Dilley wrote, “which is key to improving college and career readiness as well as postsecondary completion rates, wherever students ultimately attend.”

Dr. Carlos Martinez, dean of the School of Education for Texas Wesleyan, wrote in an email that he hopes that several undergraduate students and faculty will be involved in the program. Martinez wrote that it is at the determination of the principals to decide if the student teachers are qualified to be teachers in their schools.

“This program provides an opportunity for our students to complete their student teaching experience in an urban school with highly qualified teachers,” he wrote.

Alanna James, a student teacher, wrote in an email that student teaching has been a great experience and has helped her grow as a student. James was placed at the Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Middle School but was recently placed at Polytechnic High School.

“It has helped me grow as a student by letting me see and face the real world of education,” James wrote. “The world of teaching is one for those who are committed to the education of the next generations. FWISD has shown me that in many ways, and I am grateful for this experience.”