Houston Endowment Inc.

Training Teachers



The University of Texas System

The strongest predictors of lower student achievement are new teachers who are uncertified or who hold less than a minor in their teaching field.

— U.S. Department of Education

Healthy cities and a vibrant economy require schools that appeal to residents and businesses and that produce graduates who can succeed at work and in life. However, growing enrollments, aging teachers and high turnover rates for new teachers have resulted in a shortage of qualified educators in Texas public schools. Last year, rural school districts were unable to hire 19 percent of the teachers they needed; 36 percent of those hired in urban school districts were less than fully certified or were not trained in the subjects they taught. Colleges and universities have initiated programs to attract students to careers in education, to support and retain new teachers as they move into the profession and to provide professional development, especially for those who teach subjects where qualified instructors are scarce. Programs also support teachers who are confronted with the persistent problems of violence, negligible community involvement, low achievement and high student dropout rates that are found too often in today’s schools.

To increase the quality and quantity of teachers available to public schools in Texas, Houston Endowment has supported:

. Baylor College of Medicine

. Child-Centered Schools Initiative of the Greater Houston Area

. College of the Mainland Foundation, Inc.

. HLS&R Institute for Teacher Excellence

. Houston Independent School District

. St. Edward's University

. Teach for America Inc.

. Texas A&M Foundation

. The Texas A&M University System

. Texas Council on Economic Education

. Texas Southern University