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Dean's Welcome

chorn9.jpgWelcome to the UH College of Education, where we work daily to advance equity in education and health in Houston and beyond. We’re in the perfect position — located in the most diverse region in the nation at a rigorous Tier One public research institution. With a commitment to great schools and healthy communities, our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends are dedicated to creating the future our children deserve.

Explore our website and learn how you can join our mission. 

With Cougar pride,

Catherine “Cathy” Horn
Dean & Elizabeth D. Rockwell Chair
Professor of Higher Education

Biography

Catherine “Cathy” Horn, Ph.D., became dean of the UH College of Education on June 1, 2023, as the first woman to serve in the role. A Professor of Higher Education, she joined the College faculty in 2005 and most recently served as interim dean and, previously, chair of the Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies. An accomplished scholar and collaborative leader, Horn works with the College of Education community to fulfill the critical mission of advancing equity in education and health in Houston and beyond.

Horn’s research primarily focuses on the systemic influences of assessment and related policies on the learning trajectories of students, especially those traditionally underserved by the education and social sectors. She serves as executive director of the Institute for Education Policy Research and Evaluation. She also serves as director of the Center for Research, Evaluation and Advancement of Teacher Education and director of the UH Education Research Center, one of three such state-approved entities with access to Texas’ PK-20 and workforce data.

Horn previously worked for The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University, the National Board on Educational Testing and Public Policy at Boston College, and the Houston Independent School District as a high school teacher. Her work challenges an isolationist problem solving (or not solving) model and has resulted in co-creation of rigorous and shared value systems and research-based outcomes to improve educational equity.

She has been honored with numerous awards, including a Fulbright Fellowship to Chile, a UH Teaching Excellence Award, and appointment as an American Council on Education Fellow. She was selected as an American Leadership Forum Fellow in 2023. Horn was elected to serve as president of the Texas Association of Colleges for Teacher Education for a one-year term that began in May 2024. She also is a past president of the UH Faculty Senate and former chair of the College of Education Faculty Executive Committee. She earned a Ph.D. from Boston College, an M.Ed. from UH and a B.A. from Rice University.

Office of the Dean Contact Information

Farish Hall, Room 214
Email: coedean@uh.edu