The Partnership for Quality Education (PQE) is a group of 11 Houston area universities and school districts that works alongside Houston A+ Challenge to improve teacher preparation programs.

PQE unites university education programs with local school districts to generate a more coherent and well-informed teacher education program that begins with a focus on core college content and spans the teacher education experience into more comprehensive site-based teaching assignments.

PQE, which began in 2000, has recently completed its five-year U.S. Department of Education grant-funded program. Although the grant has ended, wheels have been set in motion that will continue its progress. The changes have propelled teacher preparation and a partnership between institutions of higher education and public schools. You can read more about the PQE design teams by following the links on the right side or the bottom of this page.

PQE was designed to confront the major challenges to education in Houston. “The twelve partners were drawn together as a result of the acute shortage of qualified teachers in Houston schools, the changing ethnicity of children and youth (with burgeoning Hispanic, African-American, and Asian populations), and a common desire to improve student achievement for all students,” writes W. Robert Houston, director of the PQE initiative.

PQE has outlined five main goals to assess and engage these challenges, including:

1. Redesigning teacher preparation in collaboration with school districts
2. Providing skills for personal and peer professional development
3. Developing regional leadership for greater collaboration
4. Infusing technology in teacher preparation programs, and
5. Organizing PQE leadership to continue work after the grant ends

PQE consists of four university-school partnerships, including: Texas Southern University with Aldine ISD and North Forest ISD; University of Houston with Spring Branch ISD and Humble ISD; University of Houston – Downtown with Alief ISD; and University of St. Thomas with Houston ISD. In addition, the Houston Community College System worked on arts and science development programs, as well as an alternative teacher certification program. Houston A+ Challenge also contributed to the Partnership, providing professional development for teachers and professors through Critical Friends Group (CFG), as well as establishing the Regional Faculty. PQE’s August 2004 volume, Making the Case for Quality Teacher Education, describes CFG as essential to developing teachers farther and faster. The Regional Faculty consists of leaders from school districts, universities, community college systems and the community who are working to build the future of education.

Grant Director:

W. Robert Houston, Ed.D.
Institute for Urban Education
University of Houston

Co-Directors:

Louise F. Deretchin, Ph.D.
Director of Higher Education
Houston A+ Challenge

Mary Hosking
Former Principal
Kennedy Elementary School, Alief ISD

Cary D. Wintz, Ph.D.
Professor of History
Texas Southern University

next page: PQE's University/ISD Partnership Design Teams>>>