This fall, 15 aspiring educators and graduates of Klein ISD will embark on their sophomore year at Lone Star College-University Park (LSC - University Park), followed by obtaining their Associates of Arts in Teaching (AAT) degree. In Fall 2026, they will transfer to the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) to complete their final two years and obtain a Bachelor of Arts in Teaching degree. What makes this group of students so unique? Thanks to the Charles Butt Foundation’s Houston Teacher Pipeline Initiative, in collaboration with the Houston Endowment, the future Gators will receive $12,000 scholarships to cover tuition and fees for their remaining year in community college and their first year as UHD transfer students. In total, the university will receive a generous $180,000 for future teachers.
“Students will receive ongoing support, mentorship, and hands-on experience throughout their certification journey. This is an important investment in our local schools and in building a teacher workforce that truly reflects and serves our communities,” said Ashwini Tiwari, Ph.D., Urban Education Department Chair.
The Lions to Gators Future Teacher Alliance, the newly coined name for the partnership between Klein ISD, LSC-University Park, and UHD, serves to enhance the relationship between the institutions and create a low-cost teacher pathway. “The beauty of this grant lies in its foundation as a school district-university partnership, offering a strong framework that has the potential to serve as a sustainable model for future collaborations and initiatives.” said Tonya Jeffery, Ed.D., Assistant Professor for Urban Education, Principal Investigator of UHD’s DAIR to Teach program, and a key leader for the Alliance.
In addition to the supplemental services offered through UHD’s Urban Education Educator Prep Program (EPP), scholarship recipients in the Alliance will have access to the exceptional wraparound services offered through the DAIR to Teach program. In addition to tutoring, book vouchers, financial assistance with certification exams, and professional development workshops, students will have exclusive access to an embedded academic success coach who is available during evening and weekend hours as needed, a major plus for students who are balancing full-time work schedules, family, and coursework.
The Alliance directly addresses the critical need for highly qualified educators in the greater Houston area. This joint effort between UHD, LSC-University Park, and Klein ISD, is an innovative approach to educator preparation that benefits future educators and our community as a whole. “We're constantly enhancing our school district-university partnerships so that we can help districts grow their own and meet their needs,” said Jeffery. “We're creating and developing the teachers that they need in their PK-12 classroom.”