UWCA and E3 Alliance Work Together To Improve Educational Systems

To create better opportunities for Central Texas’ youth to learn, grow and engage the community, UWCA has teamed up with the E3 Alliance, a collaboration involving Austin Community College, Austin Area Research Organization and the University of Texas.

“E3 is a great catalyst for quality education in Central Texas,” says Sue Carpenter, UWCA Senior Director of Education. “Our education goals deliberately align because we both recognize the importance of having children start school prepared to succeed and, once they get there, find an outstanding educational environment.”

Shared leadership binds UWCA and E3 together and, as a result, they each take advantage of what the other has to offer. For example, UWCA education experts are on E3’s Goal 1 Championship team, which develops school readiness action plans, and E3 team members can be found on UWCA’s Success By 6 Leadership Council, which strives to make sure that every child is happy, healthy and prepared to succeed in school when they enter kindergarten.


This partnership produced the Central Texas Guide to School Readiness, the first student standard in the history of Texas. Meant for all 4-year-olds completing pre-kindergarten and entering kindergarten, its purpose is to assess their progress during the year and to offer teachers strategies to help them develop. It also helps Central Texas gauge how many of our children enter kindergarten prepared to succeed. It served over 3,600 students in its first year and is currently receiving excellent feedback from teachers and parents alike.

“We take the best lessons and learn from each others’ experiences to put forth the best programs we can,” says Susan Dawson, President of E3. “We follow a strong collaboration model, which is exemplified by our work with United Way Capital Area. It’s a great partnership that has proven to be very powerful.”