Support Texas Education Graduate Students:
Fuel the Future of Education, Health, and Sport from Graduate Research to Real-World Impact

The College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin is ranked among the nation’s top public education colleges — #6 overall and #4 among public institutions by U.S. News & World Report.

Across our five departments, we prepare educators, researchers, and leaders who improve schools, advance health, strengthen communities, and shape policy across Texas and around the world.

At the center of this work are our graduate students. As scholars, instructors, and research partners, they drive discovery, mentor undergraduates, lead research labs, and extend UT’s impact into classrooms, clinics, and communities statewide. Their work strengthens our national reputation and translates research into real-world change.

In our community are students like Emily McDonald, a former public-school teacher who is now on a journey to become a teacher of teachers.

Prior to returning to graduate school, I taught in California public schools for 12 years, first as a middle school English teacher and then as an elementary reading specialist. During my teaching career, I also worked as a new teacher mentor and coach. It was in this role that I realized my calling and passion for empowering future teachers. My career goal is to become a professor of teacher education at the university level. Your generosity extends beyond me; it touches the lives of the teachers I mentor, the students they serve, and the communities they uplift. - Emily McDonald, Doctoral Student, Curriculum and Instruction

During 40 for 40, join us and invest in emerging scholars like Emily, who are the next generation of educators, researchers, and leaders whose work will define the future of education, health, and sport.

Graduate student funding is one of the college’s most pressing needs.

Graduate students in the College of Education are advancing transformative work by:

• Improving literacy and math learning outcomes for Texas students
• Expanding access to school-based mental health services
• Strengthening STEM education pathways
• Preparing to serve as future principals, superintendents, and policy leaders
• Supporting children with disabilities and diverse learning needs
• Advancing human movement science, rehabilitation, and community health

What starts here extends far beyond the classroom. A master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation is often the launchpad for a lifelong research career. Our graduate students conduct applied research in partnership with schools and community organizations, translating evidence into practice that directly improves outcomes for children, families, and communities.

They are also central to the undergraduate experience. Graduate students teach, mentor, supervise field placements, and lead research labs, preparing future educators and health professionals to succeed in classrooms, clinics, and communities across Texas and around the world.

Professional conferences and immersive field experiences are essential to this preparation. These opportunities sharpen their scholarship, expand their networks, and position them to lead in academia and professional practice. Many go on to advance research and train the next generation of changemakers.

Your support during 40 for 40 allows us to:

• Expand conference and professional development funding
• Provide summer research fellowships
• Strengthen competitive graduate funding packages
• Ensure students can focus fully on high-impact research and clinical experiences

When you invest in our graduate students, you strengthen the educators they will train, the research they will advance, and the communities they will serve throughout their careers.

Every graduate student supported today becomes a multiplier of impact tomorrow.

Whether you give $40 or $400, your support ensures that what starts here continues to shape the future of education, health, and sport in Texas and beyond.