Washington, DC – Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee announced today that the U.S. Department of Education has awarded $738,772 in funding under the education research program to the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. The grant will be used in examining the cost-effectiveness of continuous improvement models for preschool teachers in the Texas public school districts of Houston, Austin, and Dallas/Fort Worth.

“The proposed project utilizes resources from a state-wide PD program called Texas School Ready (TSR) that has been used in funded randomized control trials and other experimental studies. These substantial grants will help in testing the efficacy and cost effectiveness of using these resources in three contrasting PD approaches—guided self-study, facilitated professional learning communities, and remote coaching— which represent routine and accessible practice using widely available resources,” said Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.

“I am pleased that the funds for which I advocated on behalf of the Health Sciences Center were awarded and I am proud that they have received the proper funding to continue its research. I congratulate the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston on its award and I am confident it will immensely improve our education systems in Texas and advance our research in this field of education.