75 schools begin Holdsworth’s first statewide leadership cohort

We are proud to welcome 75 schools from across Texas into the first statewide, open-enrollment cohort of Holdsworth’s Campus Leadership Program — a two-year learning investment designed to strengthen principals and campus leadership teams so they can drive meaningful, lasting change for students.

The quality of a school is deeply tied to the strength of its leadership. This cohort made a deliberate choice to invest in their leadership, knowing that stronger principals and teams create better outcomes for students and more stable, effective schools over time.

“Their commitment to students, their communities and continuous improvement represents the heart of what great public schools are all about,” said Sharon Foley, Holdsworth’s managing director of campus programs. “These leaders are stepping forward to create better outcomes for kids, and we are honored to support the important work they’re doing.”

Over the next two years, principals and leadership teams will engage in job-embedded learning that blends executive coaching, real-world application and continuous improvement practices. Their work will focus on improving math outcomes for an underserved student group on their campus. Along the way, they’ll learn from one another, test new approaches and build the leadership capacity that sustains strong schools over time.

We know this work matters because we see it in the outcomes. Year after year, Campus Leadership Program alumni demonstrate stronger student results, improved teacher retention and leaders who remain in – or grow into – roles with greater impact.

• Proven impact: In 2025, 96% of schools who graduated from the Campus Leadership Program saw improved student outcomes.
• Holdsworth principals and teachers stay longer: A recent study showed 77% of Holdsworth principals were either retained or moved up to roles with greater responsibility and influence over the past five years, versus 69% of their non-Holdsworth counterparts. Similarly, 83% of teachers who went through the program stayed in the role or stepped into elevated positions, compared to just 66% of their non-Holdsworth counterparts.
• Principals matter: They are second only to teachers when it comes to influencing student outcomes – their strong, direct impact on teachers only multiplies that effect.

Principals interested in applying for a future cohort can express interest here.

Opportunities to support and expand this work are made possible through donor investments. Learn more.

2026 Campus Leadership Program Cohort