DETCCA DEEP EAST TEXAS COLLEGE & CAREER ALLIANCE

WHAT IS DETCCA?

The Deep East Texas College & Career Alliance (DETCCA) is a collaboration of public-school districts and institutions of higher education in the deep East Texas region. These districts and institutions include:

• Burkeville ISD

• Jasper ISD

• Kirbyville CISD

• Newton ISD

• Spurger ISD

• Woodville ISD

• Lamar Institute of Technology

• Stephen F. Austin State University

• Lamar State College Port Arthur

The leaders of the alliance have created this collaboration, serving over 7,000 students in deep East Texas to meaningfully increase college and career educational opportunities. The high school students can earn college credits and stackable certifications that provide college-level career and technical education and general education college courses.

Our Goal

The goal of DETCCA is to increase the number of students that graduate from high school with a post-secondary market-valued credential by the end of 12th grade.

Our Partners School Districts

Local Colleges

SMALL SCHOOLS—BIG IDEAS

Texas is home to more than 1,240 school districts with almost 665 (54 percent) of those districts serving fewer than 1,000 students each. In East Texas, that percentage rises to 82 percent of the 120 school districts in the T.L.L. Temple Foundation service area. Additionally, many school districts in East Texas are distant from the nearest higher education institution. These remote areas also lack adequate broadband services. A recent study by the Deep East Texas Council of Government found that at least 26 percent of the residents interviewed in the region did not have access to broadband.

These factors pose challenges for rural school districts to implement dual credit career pathways for students. Difficulties include long commutes to higher education institutions, small class sizes that deter colleges from providing dual credit options to remote schools, and students who lack the broadband access necessary to attend online classes. In addition, some career pathways, like healthcare, require in-person instruction and specialized equipment for college-level instruction. The operating costs of these courses can exceed the budgets of small districts.

School Districts

1,874

Combined High School Students

Source: 2020-2021Texas Academic Performance Report

To find creative solutions to the challenge of providing early college options, six visionary small school districts in East Texas came together. Known as the Deep East Texas College and Career Alliance (DETCCA), these districts are creating postsecondary pathways closely aligned to workforce opportunities and tied to economic drivers in the Southeast Texas region. Using the Rural East Texas Economic Opportunity Analysis commissioned by the T.L.L. Temple Foundation, school leaders are working to strategically select and develop student pathways tailored to high-demand, high-wage jobs in the region. The DETCCA districts work together to attract higher education partners, coordinate resources, and support students to complete postsecondary credentials by the end of grade 12.