About Us

The Holmes Scholars Program is sponsored by the American Association for College of Teacher Education (AACTE). The AACTE Holmes Scholars Program provides mentorship, peer support, and rich professional development opportunities to doctoral students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds who are pursuing careers in education.

The program also aims to help AACTE member institutions develop an outstanding pool of diverse candidates for faculty and other leadership positions. Nearly 700 Scholars have benefitted from the program since its inception by the Holmes Group in 1991. Many former Scholars are now in tenured faculty and leadership positions, and many have gone on to hire other Holmes Scholars alumni to faculty or administrative positions at their institutions.

Every year Kent State University’s Holmes Scholars participate in the annual AACTE conference. At AACTE, Holmes Scholars are engaged in scholarly activities such as conference presentations and sometimes have the opportunity to hold administrative positions within the Holmes Scholars program.

In addition to the annual conference, AACTE sponsors a week long program for scholars in Washington, D.C. An annual weeklong Summer Policy Institute as part of AACTE’s Washington Week, including participation in the AACTE Day on the Hill, networking events with AACTE state chapter leaders, and meeting with members of Congress and experts from national policy and research organizations.