Continuing and Innovative Education, The University of Texas at Austin

Contact: Kevin Wier, Continuing and Innovative Education, The University of Texas at Austin, 512-471-2731 or kwier@austin.utexas.edu

Date: September 23, 2009

Baytown student speaks at FCC forum at The University of Texas at Austin

On Monday, September 21, 2009, Erick Sanchez, a college student from Baytown, Texas, spoke at a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) press conference on the importance of broadband Internet technology for distance learning. Sanchez addressed the forum, held at The University of Texas at Austin, specifically to talk about his involvement with the university’s Migrant Student Graduation Enhancement Program. Through the Migrant Student Program, offered by the university’s Continuing and Innovative Education (CIE) division, Sanchez was able to borrow a laptop computer and access online opportunities from the university to earn his high school diploma.

As a member of a migrant family, Sanchez became accustomed to infrequent formal schooling and limited access to the Internet. While migrating with his family to harvest crops, Sanchez shared that he and his family “worked about 12 hours a day, morning till night, and by the time I got home it would be late and the only place we could go get Internet access was the library. At the library they only let you use it for 30 minutes at a time.” Through opportunities provided to him by CIE and personal perseverance, Sanchez graduated from high school last year and is now enrolled at St. Edwards University in Austin. Sanchez concluded his presentation by saying: “I’d like to thank UT for giving me a lot of help. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here.”

The Migrant Student Graduation Enhancement Program helps Texas migrant students graduate from high school by providing them with opportunities to earn school credit through distance learning courses, services, and computer equipment loans. The program offers all courses needed to graduate high school in Texas through distance learning courses. The mission of the program is to increase the high school graduation rate of migrant students by providing alternative, nontraditional methods for earning high school credits.

The university’s Continuing and Innovative Education (CIE) division hosted the FCC field hearing, the “first stop” on a nationwide tour by the FCC to promote broadband use in education. The focus of the event was on high school students preparing for graduation and higher education. Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker of the FCC was on hand to review online offerings of the university that cater to high school students. These programs included The University of Texas at Austin Online High School, the Migrant Student Graduation Enhancement Program, and LUCHA .

“I’m so thrilled that UT Distance Learning is being showcased as part of our first National Broadband Plan meeting…UT’s Distance Learning program is the perfect example of the benefits that broadband Internet can bring to the American people,” commented Commissioner Baker. “Through distance learning programs like the ones here at UT, students in rural areas and anywhere in the country will be able to receive quality instruction providing them with the necessary skills to succeed, compete, and prosper in today’s global economy.”

The FCC will hold field hearings across the nation to help develop a National Broadband Plan. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 directed the FCC to submit a plan to Congress by February 17, 2010 that addresses broadband technical/deployment issues and how broadband is used to advance solutions to national priorities such as education, health care, and energy.

The press conference included Dean Judy Ashcroft, Ph.D, of Continuing and Innovative Education; Amy Pro, Ph.D., principal of The University of Texas at Austin Online High School; and three high school students, including Erick Sanchez, who have benefited from using broadband Internet to further their high school studies.

One of the students, Sheila De La Rosa Alvarado of Donna, Texas, joined the conference via a broadband Internet video connection. Through the help of LUCHA, De La Rosa, a recent immigrant to the United States, enrolled in Donna High School as a freshman even though she had completed several years of high school in Mexico. As a result of the LUCHA services, she was awarded credit for her coursework in Mexico and was able to fulfill her science requirements online. De La Rosa stated that her goal is to become a teacher and to help students with language barriers earn their U.S. high school diplomas. 

Colleen Wells, a junior with the The University of Texas at Austin Online High School, stated that her online studies have enabled her to take a full-time job that will help her achieve her ultimate career goals. She also said that the online curriculum from The University of Texas at Austin Online High School is challenging and has forced her to become more conscious of time management.

Additional information:
• Press Release: FCC Commissioner Baker to Discuss Broadband Use in Education During Forum at The University of Texas at Austin