IDRA and Region One ESC Launch New College Pathways Initiative
(Edinburg, Texas • November 18, 2025) A new investment from Greater Texas Foundation will open doors to college for students in the Rio Grande Valley through the new Kickstart College-Ready program. The initiative is a collaboration between IDRA and Region One Education Service Center (ESC) to help school districts ensure all students have access to dual credit, career certificates and associate degree pathways.
Texas schools fail to graduate more than one of every five high school students, and less than half of high school graduates enroll in college. Usually, early college high school programs, which help make college more affordable, are only available to a subset of students. Kickstart College-Ready will integrate college-access strategies into all aspects of a campus, including advising, instruction, scheduling and college partnerships, while honoring local needs and vision.
“We believe that any student can succeed with high expectations and robust support,” said IDRA President & CEO Celina Moreno, J.D. “Every student deserves an education that prepares them for the real world and sets them up for success in college.”
Kickstart College-Ready will use proven early-college models that keep students in school to not only earn high school diplomas but also to graduate college-ready, receive dual credit and even graduate high school with an associate degree.
The initiative will also extend successful early college high school (ECHS) and Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) strategies into a schoolwide model where every student is part of a college-going culture.
IDRA and ESC Region One will provide on-site technical assistance, coaching and staff training to three Cameron County school districts: Los Fresnos CISD, San Benito CISD, and La Feria ISD, in partnership with Texas Southmost College and Texas State Technical College. In the process, IDRA will document the project to develop a framework that other schools can replicate nationwide.
“We know that when students have structured access to post-secondary opportunities, they thrive,” said Dr. Daniel King, Region One ESC Executive Director. “This program represents the very best of what our region can do when we work together to provide all students with the opportunity to earn college credentials.”
IDRA is an independent, non-profit organization led by Celina Moreno, J.D. Our mission is to achieve equal educational opportunity for every child through strong public schools that prepare all students to access and succeed in college.
The Region One Education Service Center (ESC), based in Edinburg, Texas, is one of the 20 regional service centers established by the Texas Legislature in 1967 to provide a variety of school-related services to designated school districts.
Greater Texas Foundation is a private foundation based in Bryan, Texas, that supports efforts to ensure all Texas students are prepared for, have access to, persist in, and complete a postsecondary education. Since its 2001 inception, the foundation has approved more than $150 million in grants to support Texas students. For more information, visit www.greatertexasfoundation.org.
Media Contacts
- Thomas Marshall III, M.Ed., IDRA: thomas.marshall@idra.org
- Arianna Hernandez, Region One ESC: arihernandez@esc1.net
