Some people look at a classroom and see kids, they see students. When teachers look out over their classrooms, they see the future.
Future accountants and cardiologists. Plant managers and meteorologists. Talk show hosts and tech recruiters. Forest park rangers and magazine editors.
They see the future of strong Texas communities. Healthy economies. Educated citizenry.
Teachers not only see the future —
teachers give rise to the future.
The Charles Butt Scholarship for Aspiring Teachers – one component of the Raising Texas Teachers initiative – is designed to encourage the best and brightest students to consider a future in the teaching profession. Scholars receive up to $8,000 in annual funding for up to four years, as well as ongoing professional development opportunities, mentorship from sitting public school educators, and participation in a statewide aspiring teachers network facilitated by the Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation.
Approximately 100 new scholarships are awarded through teacher preparation programs at 10 partner universities each year, with the cohort growing to include 500 scholars annually. The competitive selection process includes an application, pre-screening by university teams, and a daylong event consisting of a group activity, mock teaching lesson, and panel interview.
The inaugural cohort of recipients of the Charles Butt Scholarship for Aspiring Teachers is made up of 100 impressive and diverse scholars from across the state.
In 2017, Texas universities applied to participate in the Raising Texas Teachers initiative. The Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation selected 11 partner university teacher preparation programs at 10 universities to administer the Charles Butt Scholarships for Aspiring Teachers. Raise Your Hand also works closely with these programs to identify, implement, and scale promising practices in teacher preparation. The 11 partner programs were selected based on evidence of strong practices in four core areas:
