Holdsworth Center Partnership

In 2019, Mesquite ISD was among six school districts within Texas to earn selection into The Holdsworth Center’s five-year partnership to build strong leadership. This partnership is focused upon helping Texas public school districts grow their own outstanding leaders so that teachers thrive and students excel on every campus

Over the five-year partnership, District Leaders work together to build and implement robust talent management systems with help from embedded Holdsworth staff who provide support tailored to the unique needs of Mesquite ISD.

All programming and support – valued at $6 million over five years – is covered at no cost through the generosity of Holdsworth founder and H-E-B Chairman Charles Butt, along with other philanthropic supporters.  

Mesquite ISD was chosen from a pool of applicants after a detailed process that included a written application, interviews with central office leaders, board members and principals. Holdsworth team members were looking for districts who were ready, willing and able to drive major changes that would result in excellent and equitable outcomes for all students. 

Based in Austin, The Holdsworth Center is a nonprofit organization founded in 2017 by Charles Butt, one of the state’s biggest champions for public education.

The choice to focus on leadership is strategic. Decades of research shows that effective principals can significantly impact student outcomes by adding around three more months of learning in math and reading during a single school year. Because principals influence the working conditions and skill level of every teacher in the building, their impact is outsized.

The Holdsworth Partnership is now serving 19 school districts and is expected to reach more than 4,500 educators including teacher leaders, assistant principals, principals and central office administrators by 2028.

Since its founding in 2017, Holdsworth leaders have shown incredible growth as individuals and achieved big gains at the system and school level. Around 96 percent of leaders say they developed new beneficial behaviors and mindsets as a result of Holdsworth; 97 percent agree that Holdsworth has been influential in increasing their focus on achieving excellent and equitable outcomes for students.