As part of a continued effort to serve both students and critical community needs, the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) was recently awarded a U.S. Department of Education Title V Grant for $2,588,121 over five years, allowing UHD to continue its Pathways to Teaching in Critical Areas of Need (PTCAN) Program as part of the College of Public Service’s Urban Education department. The program is designed to produce educators in key and underserved areas in the Houston area, in such areas as bilingual education. The program will continue to improve the Houston workforce and economy for generations to come.

PTCAN will increase graduation and retention rates by meeting the holistic needs of students while they are enrolled at UHD. The program will also continue to serve the Houston community by placing highly qualified (and certified) teachers who reflect student demographics. The project, titled “Pathways to Teaching in Critical Areas of Need (PTCAN) Program” was investigated by Dr. Elizabeth Stackhouse, Assistant Professor of Bilingual Education, Department of Urban Education, and Dr. Ron Beebe, Professor & Chair of Urban Education, Department of Urban Education.

UHD President Loren J. Blanchard praised the program and the work it will accomplish, saying that PTCAN will “continue to advance our goals of student success through meeting their basic needs and removing barriers that stand between them and degree completion. This grant also increases UHD’s standing as an anchor institution for Houston, as it will prepare us collectively to better serve our community in critical areas of need.”

“As the PI of the Title V Grant Pathways to Teaching Careers,” said Beebe, “I know firsthand how important the support provided to teacher candidates is for their successful completion of coursework and, ultimately, certification. This grant will continue to improve the pipeline of bilingual teachers in the greater Houston area and sustain the educational aspirations of teacher candidates and the K-12 students they will educate in their future classrooms.”

Stackhouse added: “As a former Bilingual Special Education teacher in Title I schools, I understand the importance of producing highly qualified teachers in critical areas of need. I feel fortunate to be able to carry my research agenda into making a difference in the academic trajectory of our students because they will be the ones impacting Texas classrooms. This is what UHD is all about, serving the needs of our community with intentionality; it is a powerful cause.”

According to a study conducted on CUNY’s Accelerated Study in Associate Programs, providing “wraparound services to low-income students in a diverse population,” as well as “structured pathway models” that target their unique needs and challenges, results in a marked increase in student retention and success. At UHD, the wraparound services include individual tutoring, social and emotional well-being resources, as well as financial resources that help students with basic needs such as housing, food and transportation.

The grant was awarded through the Title V of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008. Title V is a federally funded program created to assist universities in improving the higher education of Hispanic students in the United States.

UHD is federally designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution, Minority-Serving Institution and a Military Friendly School.

For more information about UHD, visit uhd.org.