Cougar Tutors 

The Cougar Tutors initiative was launched in 2017 to support the Third Ward Initiative. Cougar Tutors are UH students hired and trained to serve as academic coaches and mentors to students in under-resourced schools in Houston. Cougar Tutors work between 12 to 15 hours weekly during the academic year, providing individualized support in classrooms while forming invaluable relationships with their students. Cougar Tutors are the driving force behind our programming and deliver high-impact academic support across all of our initiatives.

Cougar Literacy Initiative

The Cougar Literacy Initiative program supports under-resourced elementary schools in the Greater Houston area. Cougar Tutors serve as literacy coaches and mentors to students, providing individualized or small group instruction to build vocabulary, fluency, reading comprehension and other reading skills. The goal of this program is to ensure that students are reading at or above grade level by the end of the third grade.

Cougar Literacy Corps

The Cougar Literacy Corps supports emergent bilingual students. Cougar Tutors in this program are bilingual UH students trained in evidence-based practices in English as a Second Language (ESL)/or Spanish-language instructional strategies. The goal is to provide equal academic support in English and a student’s native language.

Middle School Postsecondary Readiness Project

The Middle School Postsecondary Readiness Project supports school-identified middle school students who need additional support in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The goal is to support high school graduation by providing middle school students with additional academic support and career exploration experiences.