The Employers for Education Excellence (EEE) Award was enacted in Senate Bill 1433 and authored by Senator Van de Putte of San Antonio in the 80th Legislative session (Texas Education Code, §1, Subchapter D, Chapter 7, §7.113. The State Board of Education was authorized to establish the Employers for Education Excellence Award designed to honor employers who implement a policy to encourage and support employees who actively participate in activities of schools.
This award provides a way for the State to recognize Texas employers whose efforts support public education in Texas and benefit public schoolchildren, their parents, and other individuals by providing opportunities for their employees to participate in schools, attend parent/teacher conferences, volunteer in school activities or mentor a student(s).
The award recognizes Texas employers whose efforts support public education in Texas and benefit public schoolchildren, their parents, and other individuals by providing opportunities for their employees to participate in schools, attend parent/teacher conferences, volunteer in school activities, and mentor students. The award honors employers who meet the criteria of one of the following three levels of recognition:
(1) Bronze for an employer that implements a policy to encourage and support employees who attend parent-teacher conferences;
(2) Silver for an employer that:
- (a) meets the requirements of bronze; and
- (b) implements a policy to encourage and support employees who volunteer in school activities; and
(3) Gold for an employer that:
- (a) meets the requirements of silver; and
- (b) implements a policy to encourage and support employees who participate in student mentoring programs in schools.
Eligibility
Any employer in the state of Texas to include private businesses or corporations, non-profit organizations, state and governmental agencies, and educational entities who have at least one employee and meet the criteria for any one of the following three levels of recognition awards may apply for an EEE Award.
Bronze Award
To be considered for the bronze award, the employer must meet the following criteria:
Have a written policy that allows employees to attend parent-teacher conferences during work time.
- Allow employees to attend parent-teacher conferences during work time without having to use vacation or sick leave.
- Maintain records that show evidence that employees attended parent-teacher conferences.
Silver Award
To be considered for the silver award, the employer must meet the following criteria:
- Have a written policy that allows employees to attend parent-teacher conferences or take part in school volunteer activities during work time.
- Allow employees to attend parent-teacher conferences or take part in volunteer activities during work time without having to use vacation or sick leave.
- Have a written policy that includes procedures for tracking volunteer hours.
- Maintain records that show evidence that employees attended parent-teacher conferences or took part in school volunteer activities.
- At least 1% of the employer’s workforce attends parent-teacher conferences or takes part in volunteer activities on an annual basis.
Gold Award
To be considered for the gold award, the employer must meet the following criteria:
- Have a written policy that allows employees to attend parent-teacher conferences, take part in school volunteer activities, or participate in student mentoring activities during work time.
- Allow employees to attend parent-teacher conferences, take part in school volunteer activities, or participate in student mentoring activities during work time without having to use vacation or sick leave.
- Establish a mentoring program in conjunction with a local school or district designed for employees to meet with and mentor students to promote academic and social success. Structured mentoring activities may include traditional one-to-one, group, team, or e-mentoring and should be built around regular, frequent contact.
- Have a designated employee who oversees internal coordination of the mentoring program.
- Have a written policy that includes procedures for tracking volunteer hours and mentoring activities.
- Maintain records that show evidence that employees attended parent-teacher conferences, took part in school volunteer activities, or participated in student mentoring activities.
- At least 1% of the employer’s workforce participates in mentoring activities for a minimum one year (or school year) commitment.
Employers for Education Excellence Award Application Review and Selection Process
The Texas Education Agency will accept applications for the Employers for Education Excellence Award from June 1 through July 31 of each year. The commissioner will review all applications submitted by employers and make recommendations to the State Board of Education (SBOE) regarding businesses that should receive an award and the level of recognition. The SBOE may approve or modify the commissioner’s recommendation. The SBOE will honor the recipient(s) of an Employers for Education Excellence Award by presenting the recipient with an award that includes the level of recognition and other appropriate information.
Awards will be valid for three years.
Attachments are not required; however, if an employer chooses to submit photos of students, full parental consent and disclosure must be obtained.
Download the Application
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