01 | Who We Are

Strong, inspiring leaders make for vibrant, successful schools.

Our partnership
An photo of Natasha Harris, Principal at Hale Elementary in Arlington ISD, smiling and clapping in a campus classroom.
02 | Insight

Dr. Pedro Noguera: Equity isn’t just a slogan

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Dr. Pedro Noguera speaks to a group of Holdsworth district leaders.
03 | Insight

Growth mindset study shows big impact for small investment

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Students pictured studying in a classroom.
04 | Insight

Gwinnett’s principal pipeline inspires Houston district

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A visit to Gwinnett County Schools in Georgia gave Mike Rockwood and the team at Lamar CISD a blueprint to follow when building their leadership development “house.”
01 | Who We Are Strong leaders make for successful schools
02 | Insight Dr. Pedro Noguera: Equity isn’t just a slogan
03 | Insight Growth mindset study shows big impact for small investment
04 | Insight Gwinnett’s principal pipeline inspires Houston district
An image of a male teacher smiling with students in a campus hallway.

What we do

We help public school districts grow their pipeline of excellent leaders so that teachers thrive and students excel on every campus.

About us
A photo of Michael Hill, Asssitant Superintendent of Arlington ISD, in discussion with colleagues during a leadership program at The Holdsworth Center.

Our approach

Change can be hard. Making it stick takes time. We work with our partner districts for five years to not only grow individual leaders, but to help them build their own system for developing future leaders that will impact students for generations to come.

Our partnership
Photo of Dayna Hernandez, Executive Director of Teaching and Learning, Klein ISD

Ultimately, it’s all about achieving the highest success for our students, and we do that by having leaders who care and are devoted to helping every student in our district reach their potential.”

Dayna Hernandez

Executive Director of Teaching and Learning, Klein ISD

Who we serve

By 2022, we hope to serve 100 district leaders, 1,500 campus leaders and more than 20 districts.

Our districts

Aldine ISD

Aldine ISD educates 67,234 students across 82 schools in the Houston area.

Arlington ISD

Arlington ISD educates 61,020 students across 77 schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Grand Prairie ISD

Grand Prairie ISD educates 29,266 students across 43 schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Harlingen CISD

Harlingen CISD educates 18,371 students across 30 schools in the Rio Grande Valley.

Judson ISD

Judson ISD educates 23,108 students across 30 schools in the San Antonio area.

Klein ISD

Klein ISD educates 52,896 students across 47 schools in the Houston area.

Lamar CISD

Lamar CISD educates 32,051 students across 41 schools in the Houston area.

Lockhart ISD

Lockhart ISD educates 5,901 students across nine schools in Central Texas.

Mesquite ISD

Mesquite ISD educates 40,932 students across 48 schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD

Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD educates 32,667 students across 44 schools in the Rio Grande Valley.

Round Rock ISD

Round Rock ISD educates 48,919 students across 55 schools in Central Texas.

Southwest ISD

Southwest ISD educates 13,843 students across 18 schools in the San Antonio area.

Spring ISD

Spring ISD educates 36,079 students across 38 schools in the Houston area.

Photo of Charles Butt smiling with his study in the background
Portait of Mary Elizabeth Holdsworth in the 1960s

I named the center for my mom because she was for the kids.”

— Charles Butt

Chairman and CEO of H-E-B and founder of The Holdsworth Center

Charles Butt, chairman and CEO of H-E-B, founded The Holdsworth Center in 2017. He named it for his mother, Mary Elizabeth Holdsworth, a former school teacher who inspired in her son a great admiration for educators and a passion for helping all students succeed.

About us