Education
BY DUSTIN BUTLER
Q&A: Education Service Center Region 10 offers training for local schools With the 2024-25 school year beginning, Educa- tion Service Centers across Texas continue to work to provide services for school districts. ESC Region 10 serves more than 130 school districts, including Richardson, Frisco, McKinney, Celina and Prosper ISDs. Rachel Frost is the chief communications officer of ESC Region 10. Frost recently answered questions from Community Impact , explaining the history of and services provided by Education Service Centers in Texas. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. What is an Education Service Center? The Texas State Legislature established 20 regional Education Service Centers in 1967 to support schools and create innovative solutions. Per state statute, ESCs are focused on improving student achievement, helping school districts operate more efficiently and economically, and implementing statewide initiatives. Where does the funding for an ESC come from? ESCs do not possess tax levying or bonding authority, and are funded through grants and contracts for services with school districts. How often does Region 10 offer professional development opportunities? Region 10 offers professional development opportunities nearly all day, every day. If you visit either of our buildings, you will find rooms filled
ESC Region 10 service area 80
Public school districts 35 Charter schools 112 Private schools Nearly 900,000 students
Grayson
Fannin
Collin
Hunt
Dallas
Rockwall
COURTESY EDUCATION SERVICE CENTER REGION 10
Kaufman Van Zandt
with educators actively engaged and learning. We also offer professional development at school districts, online through virtual learning as well as hybrid learning opportunities. Last year, we offered more than 7,000 professional development courses to more than 500,000 attendees for a total of nearly 850,000 total hours of professional development. In the past five years, have you noticed any trends of what school districts are needing? The COVID-19 pandemic, starting in March 2020, dramatically altered the needs of public schools to serve their students. Initially, Region 10 pivoted to support teachers and administrators in transitioning to virtual settings. As we’ve moved beyond the immediate crisis, we’ve seen a trend toward integrating the lessons learned from virtual instruction into traditional teaching models. This hybrid approach has become increasingly prevalent in professional development for educators. Beyond pandemic-related changes, we’ve noticed several other prominent trends in school district needs: • Budget management training for district leader- ship: We’ve seen a rising need for administrators to develop stronger financial skills to navigate
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Henderson
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complex funding scenarios and optimize resource allocation.
• School safety and security: In light of ongoing concerns surrounding school safety, districts are prioritizing comprehensive safety measures and crisis response training. • Teacher recruitment and retention: This has become a critical focus area, with districts looking for innovative ways to attract and keep qualified educators in an increasingly competi- tive job market. These trends reflect the evolving challenges facing our school districts. Region 10 continues to adapt our support and resources to meet these changing needs.
To see the full story and learn more about ESC Region 10, visit communityimpact.com .
Children ages 3-12 Speech Therapy and Language Enrichment Programs Founded by two former Frisco ISD educators, a teacher and a Speech Language Pathologist www.thesparkcenter.net
469-663-7112
291 S Preston Rd #610, Prosper, TX 75078
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COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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