The UH College of Education has established the AACTE (American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education) Holmes Scholars Program to support students from historically underrepresented groups interested in a career in teaching, school administration, or the professoriate. It will provide mentorship, peer support, and rich professional development opportunities to doctoral students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds who are pursuing careers in education.  Additionally, the Scholars would strengthen collaborative partnerships to improve K-12 schools in the Third Ward through translational and implementation research and service.

The program also aims to help AACTE member institutions develop an outstanding pool of diverse candidates for faculty and other leadership positions.

Following are the criteria for the UH AACTE Home Scholars Program: 

1. Serve a 3-year term.
2. Participate in the AACTE Annual Meeting, including the Holmes Scholars preconference events.
3. Submit proposals to present their research at the AACTE Annual Meeting each year they are in the program.
4. Participate at least once in the AACTE Holmes Scholars Summer Policy Institute and AACTE Day on the Hill.
5. Participate in at least one other education conference, such as that of the American Educational Research Association, the Association of Teacher Educators, or another organization within their discipline.
6. Propose and implement a project that relates to or forwards the goals of AACTE and authentically engages them in advocacy, policy, service, or research work that furthers high-quality and equitable educator preparation.
7. Participate in activities and meetings sponsored by the National Association of Holmes Scholars Alumni (NAHSA) during their final year in the Holmes Scholars Program (some of which occur at the AACTE Annual Meeting).
8. Consider affiliate membership in NAHSA during their final year in the program.

Nearly 700 Scholars nationwide have benefitted from the program since its inception by the Holmes Group in 1991. Many former Scholars are now in tenured faculty and leadership positions, and many have gone on to hire other Holmes Scholars alumni to faculty or administrative positions at their institutions.

The UH College of Education’s Holmes Scholars Program will be administered through the College’s Office of Graduate Studies with Jonathan Schwartz, Professor and Associate Dean of Graduate Studies serving as the coordinator. Former Associate Dean of Research, Andrew Daire previously supervised the Holmes Scholars Program at the University of Central Florida, which had the largest Holmes Scholars Program amongst the participating universities.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for college of education doctoral students from a historically underrepresented group to receive additional mentorship, research experiences, and have the opportunity to develop and implement an impactful project in an urban school,” said Daire. “Additionally, the UH AACTE Holmes Scholar will have the opportunities to better prepare themselves for the professoriate including presenting at national conferences, networking with other Scholars and Holmes Alumni, and participating in job fairs at AACTE’s annual meetings.”

Coordinating the program, Daire’s direction ensures strategic alignment of Scholar mentorship and partnerships with collaborating K-12 schools in impactful and fundable research areas further strengthening community engagement and external funding opportunities for the College.

Adopting a Holmes Scholars Program in the UH College of Education is an important and beneficial way to incorporate the benefits of a national program onto the UH campus.