Texas Education THRIVE, a comprehensive educational initiative through the College of Education at UT Austin, provides engagement, support, professional development and networking resources to school districts across Texas. Geared toward both early and mid-career teachers, THRIVE is committed to providing the necessary mentorship and professional learning opportunities that ensure successful and productive careers in education for the betterment of all Texas children.
why
THRIVE
As many as 50% of early career teachers leave the profession within the first five years of teaching. Feeling overwhelmed was the number one issue cited for those who had recently left the profession.
To address the crisis in teacher retention, the College of Education and Austin Independent School District partnered to create the early career teacher support program Texas Education START.
Texas Education THRIVE furthers the work of Texas Education START by expanding the resources for early career teachers through mentorship, practical insights and a robust support system to navigate the landscape of public education while also developing mid-career teachers and improving district communications.
Focus on SUSTAINABILITY
Focus on MENTORS
Focus on CAMPUS LEADERS
No matter how much we collectively do to fill the pipeline with high quality teacher candidates, it won’t be enough to address the teacher crisis. Texas Education THRIVE gets to the heart of why teachers are leaving during these first years by focusing specifically on the conditions teachers find themselves in.
about
THRIVE
With generous support from UT System and others, Texas Education THRIVE provides teachers with the mentorship, professional learning, community and resources needed to advance professionally and mitigate the risk of attrition. In addition, THRIVE offers school districts a way to integrate existing strengths with university-designed and research-based mentoring practices that respond to the urgent needs of early career teachers.
Mission
THRIVE aims to elevate the teaching profession, stabilize the teacher workforce and provide all Texas children with access to high-quality education that will ensure they achieve at the highest level.
Vision
THRIVE focuses on transforming the experience of early career teachers and their mentors through innovative partnerships with Texas public schools that bridge research to practice, ensuring all students reach their potential.
Foundation
THRIVE includes three foundational components: District Engagement, Professional Learning and Mentorship and Networks of Support.
Our Partners
In the News
get
INVOLVED
Whether looking for an opportunity within your district, mentorship opportunities as a teacher or part of the UT System, or a way to support the THRIVE initiative, there are multiple ways to get involved with Texas Education THRIVE.
our
TEAM
LeAnne Hernandez is a passionate advocate for Texas public schools with 26 years of experience empowering students and educators. Skilled in strategic thinking, innovation and collaboration, Hernandez is an experienced project manager committed to nurturing diverse early career educators and those who support them. An experienced teacher, coach, administrator and program director with expertise in career pathway programs and professional learning, LeAnne has a B.A. in English, an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Her research interests include the development of novice teacher and leader agency with particular emphasis in historically underserved communities.
- Focus on Sustainability – district level engagement that reimagines induction and mentoring support by changing the culture of the organization, staffing more strategically and adjusting budgets and schedules to prioritize mentoring partnerships.
- Focus on Mentors – creating and investing in the instructional leaders of the future by developing an articulated mentor teacher role for mid-career educators with training, honoraria and professional learning communities.
- Focus on Campus Leaders – understanding that the principal is uniquely positioned to facilitate the THRIVE approach by making decisions that facilitate a strong culture and community of supports for early career teachers and their mentors.
Kelly is an educator, coach, facilitator, experience designer, curriculum writer and capacity-builder who has held various roles across K-12, higher education, state leadership and educational consulting for the last two decades. Her work is grounded in a deep passion for building education systems that center the needs of students and educators at the margins. Ocasio strongly believes in the power of equity-centered design as a vehicle to enact innovative change in schools today. She is a systems thinker and relationship-builder prioritizes interpersonal connections and collective impact to create the change we seek. Kelly holds a BS in Elementary Education and Spanish from UW-Madison, an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from UT – San Antonio, and a joint Ph.D. in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis and Curriculum & Instruction from UW-Madison. Ocasio’s research focuses on Latinx teachers’ pathways into education and identifying the opportunities and barriers to the Latinx community pursuing a career in teaching.
Susan Serenari, M.Ed., is a versatile educator with an abundance of experiences in rural, suburban and urban settings. She began her education career in Baltimore County, Maryland as a Kindergarten teacher, and continued teaching Early Childhood students in Tampa, Florida and Northern Virginia. After completing her master’s degree in literacy at Virginia Tech, Serenari moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, and over the next decade served as a Title I reading interventionist, literacy coach and curriculum coordinator for Pre-K through fifth grade students. Serenari recognized an emerging deficit in teacher support, and transitioned her focus on empowering and learning alongside teachers. She moved to Central Texas to scale up her impact in this area, and has most recently supported teachers and students across the southwest region of the US as a literacy specialist with a global educational publishing company. Serenari is dedicated to supporting teachers and students by meeting them where they are, and celebrating the teaching and learning that occurs each day.
Sally McKenna is passionate about the work of supporting educators, students, and communities to create excellent and connected schools. Sally began her education career in Nashville while earning her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and Special Education. After moving to Austin, Sally has served as a teacher, special education coordinator, assistant principal, and school leader. In each of these roles, Sally brings love for learning, relational focus, and strategic thinking to make an impact. Sally is currently in the process of earning her Masters in Justice and Advocacy from Fuller Theological Seminary.
Nisan Kartaltepe is a passionate educator of 14 years. After serving as a classroom teacher for 9 years, Nisan entered the role of a Specialist supporting new teachers and mentors in San Antonio ISD. Nisan received her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Beth Maloch, Ph.D., is the senior associate dean of the College of Education and a professor in Language and Literacy Studies in the Department of Curriculum and instruction. She previously served the college as associate dean for administration and educator preparation. Maloch teaches undergraduate courses in literacy methods and graduate courses in classroom discourse and discourse analysis. Her research attends closely to the discourse of classrooms, particularly the discussion that happens around text, as well as preservice teacher education. Most recently, her research has focused on the coaching and mentoring that takes place in teacher education programs, particularly by the cooperating teachers.
Melissa Mosley Wetzel, Ph.D., is a professor of Language and Literacy Studies in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education. Her scholarship focuses on the preparation of teachers in literacy for equity-focused practices and the development of justice-focused coaching and mentoring in preservice and in-service settings. She draws from critical race scholarship and culturally sustaining pedagogy frameworks to prepare teachers within field-based literacy teaching experiences. She is also interested in critical literacy learning across the lifespan, particularly how teachers and students together design literacy practices that are transformative. She draws on qualitative methods in her work, primarily critical discourse analysis and ethnography. Wetzel teaches courses in elementary literacy methods, reading development, coaching and mentoring, literacy leadership, sociolinguistics, teacher inquiry, and critical approaches to studying classroom discourse.
Charles R. Martinez, Jr. is the 12th dean of the College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin. Martinez was named dean-designate in July 2018 and began his tenure as dean on January 1, 2019. Martinez holds the Lee Hage Jamail Regents Chair in Education and the Sid W. Richardson Regents Chair. He is a professor in the Department of Educational Psychology.
Martinez’s scholarly work focuses on identifying factors that hinder or promote the success of children and families from vulnerable and underserved populations.
Martinez has led numerous national and international research projects designed to examine risk and protective factors involved in linking social and cultural factors to education and behavioral health disparities for Latino children and families and to develop and test culturally specific interventions for at-risk families in the U.S. and in Latin America. His work has garnered federal and international grants totaling more than $35 million. Agencies funding his research include the Institute of Education Sciences, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Prior to joining the University of Texas, Martinez was the Philip H. Knight Professor in the Department of Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership at the University of Oregon, where he also served as founding director of the Center for Equity Promotion.
A first-generation college graduate, Martinez received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Pitzer College, and his master’s degree and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology.
Audrey is a doctoral candidate who is passionate about Learning Experience Design (LXD), User Experience Design (UXD), Video Game Development, Technology Leadership, and Instructional Technology Integration. She believes schools should be places that are supportive and inspirational to teachers and students from all backgrounds and abilities; that goal grounds the work she does as a designer and research assistant for Texas Education THRIVE. Additionally, she has the pleasure of being involved with the Game Development and Design Capstone courses as an associate producer. Prior to her doctoral studies, she was a secondary science teacher in Houston ISD.
faq’s
Research and Resources
What do early career teachers say about our mentors?
Instead of coming in and telling me what to change, she always asks me what I need. She’s really there just to see how she can help me.
Her experience as a teacher and an administrator, and the way she interaction with my kids… I really appreciate it. She’s just incredible!
I didn’t feel like I was being observed, or like I had to worry. I could ask for help, which is hard for me, and she always had like 17 different things I could try.