For more than three decades, the University of Houston-Downtown’s (UHD) College of Public Service (CPS) has been training teachers with stunning results: More than 2,000 teachers trained by UHD have been placed in area school districts. In addition, UHD’s undergraduate teacher-preparation program was among just 23 percent of programs nationwide recently awarded an “A” by the National Council on Teacher Quality for teaching the science of reading.

Starting this month, CPS’s Urban Education Department will now prepare teachers to provide thoughtful leadership at the helm of their schools as principals through its new Master of Educational Leadership program.

“Courses in the program support direct application of educational leadership skills and theory by using case studies, service-learning opportunities, and other methods that purposefully engage students with experience to increase their capacity to contribute to their communities,” said Dr. Lizette Burks, one of the founding Assistant Professors for the program. Drs. Diane Miller and Abdelnasser Hussein are also principal investigators for the grant.

The College recently found a partner in its endeavors to bolster the new degree program through the Powell Foundation, a private family foundation dedicated to catalyzing progress in public education through collaborative grantmaking and initiatives.

Ben H. Powell Jr. and Kitty King Powell, who began their foundation in 1967, emphasized the importance of education in their own lives and in the lives of their children and grandchildren. In honoring their legacy, the foundation made an important decision to prioritize grantmaking in support of public schools across Houston, Austin, Huntsville, specifically, as well as the state of Texas in general.

The Powell Foundation grant of $150,000 will support three key components:

— Research initiatives conducted by designated student fellows.

— Professional mentorship of students by area K-12 principals.

— Continued professional development of UHD education faculty.

Effective mentoring developed by UHD, in partnership with school districts, will provide real-world leadership experiences for aspiring school leaders. “The program culminates with a yearlong, field-based practicum experience where students focus on the actual experiences within the State Board for Educator Certification principal standards,” said Burks. “These students will work with principal-certified mentors in PK-12 public schools to continue developing their skills to be effective educational leaders.”

Designated fellows will have the opportunity to conduct research with an emphasis on educational equity in K-12 schools and present their findings at professional learning events such as conferences and workshops.

The grant also will support continued professional development of UHD’s educational leadership faculty in building their knowledge of innovations in K-12 Texas public school leadership through trainings and academic conferences. Importantly, faculty will be encouraged to present collaborative research with students at academic conferences.

By supporting both students and the faculty of the new Master of Educational Leadership program—especially in generating research and outcomes—the Powell Foundation is truly affecting the future of education. As UHD amasses more and more data points on effective educational leadership and shares its findings, that research can only have a ripple effect in creating better schools in our city, our state, and our nation.

For more information, visit uhd.edu.