Midland, Texas – The Permian Strategic Partnership (PSP) today announced a $5.5 million investment to launch the Permian Basin Literacy Initiative, a multiyear pilot program to strengthen early literacy reading instruction, impacting over 2,000 students in Ector County ISD (ECISD) and Midland ISD (MISD).
Students in the region continue to face persistent challenges in early reading, with proficiency rates trailing the state average.
This program, developed by the Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk (MCPER), provides professional learning, coaching, and support to build instructional leadership capacity at the district, campus, and classroom levels.
Rather than introducing new curriculum, this approach is designed to create lasting improvements by embedding practices into existing district systems.
“We are grateful to have a partner like the Permian Strategic Partnership, one that values early childhood literacy as much as we do,” said ECISD Superintendent of Schools Dr. Keeley Boyer. “In working with the UT Meadows Center, ECISD teachers will gain access to research, resources, and rigorous professional development that will make them better and, in turn, help students learn to read. We all win in this partnership.”
The campuses included in the pilot program in each district will be selected based on academic performance and leadership capacity, and more than 2,900 K–2 students will benefit. The pilot includes clear success metrics, ongoing evaluation, and a phased implementation approach designed to inform sustainability and potential future scaling.
“Three years ago, we began using structured literacy, brought back phonics-based instruction, and have prioritized literacy in Midland ISD,” said Dr. Stephanie Howard, Superintendent of Midland ISD. “This partnership will further support this work and our commitment to align our practices, strengthen instruction, and ensure that every K-2 student receives the high-quality literacy experiences they deserve.”
The project’s multiyear approach, with phase one of the pilot launching in summer of 2026 and phase two in summer of 2027, will be followed by a comprehensive analysis of student impact. The program reflects the shared commitment of district leaders, educators, and community partners to work every day to strengthen student outcomes.
“The PSP is proud to support and accelerate these efforts as part of our longstanding investment in expanding educational growth across the Permian Basin. We are grateful for our partnerships with both MISD and ECISD,” said Tracee Bentley, President and CEO of the Permian Strategic Partnership.
About the Permian Strategic Partnership: The Permian Strategic Partnership (PSP) is a coalition of 25 leading Permian Basin energy companies and two university systems who have joined together to work in partnership with leaders across the region’s communities to address current and future challenges to the responsible development of the vast oil and natural gas resources of the Permian Basin in the states of New Mexico and Texas. The PSP members are BPX Energy, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Deep Blue, Devon Energy, Diamondback Energy, Energy Transfer, EOG Resources, ExxonMobil, Halliburton, Helmerich & Payne, Kinetik, Liberty Energy, Mewbourne Oil Company, Occidental, Oncor, Ovintiv, Permian Resources, Phillips66, Plains All American, ProPetro, SLB, Targa Resources, The Texas Tech University System, The University of Texas System, WaterBridge Resources, and Western Midstream. For more information, visit www.permianpartnership.org.