The leader of Lone Star College's teacher-certification programs will spend the next year learning alongside 23 other educator-preparation leaders from across the country, bringing strategies back to the two pathways that feed certified teachers into Spring ISD, Klein ISD and other area classrooms.
Rebecca Saiz, Ed.D., executive director of the Educator Preparation Program at Lone Star College System, was named Aug. 5 to the 11th cohort of the Impact Academy, a yearlong fellowship run by national nonprofit Deans for Impact. She is one of 24 fellows chosen from public and private universities, community colleges, school districts and alternative certification programs nationwide.
"I hope to bring back practical strategies, new partnerships, and fresh perspectives that will strengthen our program and ultimately benefit the students and communities we serve," Saiz said in an LSC announcement.
The fellowship includes monthly cohort-based learning sessions, both in-person and virtual, one-on-one coaching from veteran leaders, and peer consultancies tackling what the organization calls "adaptive challenges," problems that require shifts in mindsets and relationships rather than technical fixes alone.
Two pipelines into local classrooms
Saiz oversees two LSC pathways to teacher certification. The Bachelor of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education and Teaching launched this fall at LSC-Atascocita Center and LSC-Creekside Center with 50-student cohorts at each site, producing certified teachers in Early Childhood through Grade 3 and Early Childhood through Grade 6. The Alternative Teacher Certification Program, a hybrid program based at LSC-University Park on SH-249, serves career-changers who already hold a bachelor's degree and offers certification in Core Subjects EC-6, Core Subjects 4-8, Special Education EC-12 and ESL Supplemental.
The gap is real. About 12% of Texas teachers were uncertified in the 2024-25 school year, up from 3.8% in 2019-20, according to data cited by LSC Executive Vice Chancellor Seelpa Keshvala, Ph.D., in August 2025.
Klein ISD already has a formal pipeline connection to LSC's teacher-prep work. In April, LSC-University Park, Klein ISD and the University of Houston-Downtown launched the Lions & Gators Future Teacher Alliance, creating a dual-credit-to-bachelor's pathway supported by a $180,000 Charles Butt Foundation investment through Houston Endowment. Twelve students received scholarships, and the first cohort is set to transfer to UHD this fall.
Why it matters locally
Spring ISD posted the highest year-over-year STAAR End-of-Course growth among Houston-area districts in 2026, with a combined 37-point increase in students performing at Meets and Masters Grade Level standards across all five exams. Sustaining those gains requires a steady supply of well-prepared teachers entering area schools.
Valerie Sakimura, CEO of Deans for Impact, said in the organization's cohort announcement that the 2026-27 fellows "stand out for their willingness to engage in complexity with deep care for students, their learning and their futures."
Lone Star College enrolled more than 97,000 students in spring 2026. Residents interested in fall enrollment can attend LSC-Montgomery's Avoid the Stampede Registration Saturdays on Aug. 15 and Aug. 22, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the LSC-Montgomery Student Center.
