Austin Aspires leaders eye big impact on area learning

Vision 2020 has created a new nonprofit to guide education in Austin into the future.

Austin Aspires — an outgrowth of the work of the Vision 2020 Education Leaders committee that began in May 2012 — has been formed to create a collective impact education project.

The five-member board of directors for Austin Aspires formed in November, and the process to formalize the legal status of the organization is underway, according to a Vision 2020 news release. The board of directors is now moving forward to hire a full-time executive director. A full job description with application instructions is posted at vision2020austin.com.

Austin Aspires is part of the national STRIVE network and will attempt to create a framework to improve education systems and deliver better outcomes for children, “cradle to career” in Austin. The organization will engage with all facets of education in the Austin community — including Austin Public Schools, Pacelli Catholic Schools, Riverland Community College, day care providers and education-related nonprofits. The process aims to identify educational goals and coordinate a community-wide effort to achieve those goals.

The Education Leaders committee is chaired by Randy Kramer and co-chaired by Jana Haynes. The Vision Statement for Education Leaders is to “develop a world class, unique city-wide learning campus linking together the arts, education, science and business communities. This environment will emphasize programs in science and technology, college readiness, alternative learning and real life application to prepare students for work-force and/or higher education.”