As a nationally ranked college of education at the state’s flagship institution, we are committed to leveraging the scale and reach of the university and all its resources and strengths to positively impact the educational outcomes in Texas. The College of Education is deeply concerned by the COVID-19 pandemic's negative and disparate impact on the educational and emotional well-being of Texas children. We are uniquely positioned to work collaboratively and collectively to develop evidence-based and scalable programs that will support the success and thriving of all children, families, educators, schools, and communities across Texas.
In addition to our PreK-12 initiative, the College of Education is committed to promoting postsecondary equity and access across higher education through research programs and initiatives such as Project MALES and the L.E.A.P. Lab. We will continue our work throughout the state of Texas to push these and similar initiatives forward.
The College of Education works collectively with university partners, systems, leaders, and “grassroots” constituents in the field, and the broader education and health ecosystems to design innovations that can drive transformation at scale and be sustained within existing educational and healthcare structures.
Key Initiatives
Texas Educator Preparation Pathways Study
The College of Education at UT Austin, in partnership with Educate Texas, as well as educational leaders and stakeholders across Texas, commissioned a study before the pandemic to examine how different pathways towards teacher certification lead to different outcomes for students and for teacher retention.
Big questions loom on the horizon for Texas regarding teacher certification. To what extent does preparation pathway matter in terms of teaching excellence? What are the unique characteristics of teacher preparation programs that lead to better outcomes for students and for the teacher preparation and retention landscape in Texas. As public education leaders, policymakers and stakeholders grapple with these and other questions, there has never been a more urgent moment for Texas to develop and sustain pathways into teacher. In the wake of COVID-19, a chronic crisis in Texas is likely to become a catastrophe if we fail to respond to the needs of current and future teachers. The stakes for an entire generation of Texas students could not be higher.
On June 6, 2022, policymakers, community and foundation partners, school districts representatives and other education-focused colleagues convened for a generative, solutions-oriented discussion about the Texas Educator Preparation Pathways study, the teacher shortage, and issues related to teacher quality and retention to identify areas of collective action to address the unprecedented challenges facing us today.
Texas Education Research-Practice-Policy Partnership (RP3)
When university researchers, practitioners, and education stakeholders from across Texas came together to address the impact of COVID-19 on kids, schools, and learning, they recommended the establishment of a Research-Practice-Policy Partnership (RP3). The RP3 would provide a statewide mechanism to respond to urgent needs, and work to identify best practices and evidence-based solutions that can be evaluated, adapted, and scaled across the state to support the positive development of children, families, schools, and communities.
Supporting PreK - 12 Students Post COVID-19
In Spring 2021, Dean Charles Martinez and state leaders convened a group of researchers and education stakeholders from across Texas to discuss the resources needed to ensure that all students recover and thrive in a post-COVID world.
Texas Education START
The College of Education launched Texas Education START to provide resources and targeted support for new teachers through school-based learning communities with customized coaching and mentorship from experienced teacher leaders.
From the Front Lines
Dean Charles Martinez hosts an ongoing series of candid conversations with College of Education alumni and partners who work in Texas schools as administrators and teachers about the extraordinary challenges they have faced due to the pandemic.
Project MALES (Mentoring to Achieve Latino Educational Success) Student Fellows Mentoring Program
Project MALES leverages research and mentoring initiatives in order to address the emerging gender gap in Latino educational attainment in secondary and postsecondary education.
The LEAP Lab
The LEAP Lab focuses on helping underserved children and families through the dissemination and implementation of Evidence-Based Practices (EBPs) for mental health in low-resource settings.