Transforming Northern Virginia Classrooms with Future Ready Teachers
January 26, 2026
By Kristine Hojnicki
Across the Commonwealth, school leaders are continually seeking new ways to strengthen their educator pipelines and ensure that every classroom is supported by knowledgeable, compassionate, and well-prepared teachers. As communities grow more diverse and instructional needs evolve, cultivating a workforce that is reflective of—and responsive to—students has become an essential priority for districts and principals alike.
George Mason University’s College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) is helping meet that need through its new Future Ready Teachers initiative. Designed to expand access to teacher preparation, remove financial obstacles, and elevate the teaching profession, the campaign aims to provide full-ride scholarships and cost-of-living stipends to students during their critical student-teaching semesters.
For local school leaders, this initiative represents a vital investment in the region’s future and offers an encouraging path forward, one that aligns with a commitment to developing strong, well-rounded teachers for Northern Virginia’s classrooms.
Josh Douds
“We are in a critical place in education, and we need strong, committed candidates to come in,” said Josh Douds, Principal of White Oaks Elementary School in Burke. “So often, because of that financial burden, people that would be amazing educators don’t have that opportunity. This program levels the playing field.”
Ready from Day One
As school districts navigate a complex hiring landscape, school leaders note that graduates from George Mason’s programs enter the profession with a distinct level of readiness that allows them to seamlessly integrate into existing teams.
Mahri Aste, Principal of Mosaic Elementary School, notes that the comprehensive preparation CEHD students receive translates directly to the classroom environment.
“They are absolutely fully prepared because they’ve had experience working with teachers and professors to prepare them,” Aste said. “George Mason grads always come to us with confidence and flexibility. They have learned the skills they need in planning and curriculum to be successful. They are also very resourceful in seeking answers and feedback.”
Douds, who estimates he hired nearly 15 CEHD graduates during his previous tenure at Centreville Elementary School, highlights collaboration as a cornerstone of the university’s training.
“They are ready to collaborate and work with the teachers right off the bat,” he explained.
A key differentiator is the timeline of the internship. Starting the year alongside school employees helps CEHD interns understand community expectations, routines, and professional norms before the first bell rings and students arrive in their classrooms. It’s a confidence-building experience, one that principals say can dramatically smooth the transition into teaching.
“They get to start from the very beginning with us,” Douds said.
Another factor in George Mason students’ success is the university’s consistency in responding to school feedback. Each year, partner school staff meet with CEHD faculty to discuss what would better support student-teacher success. George Mason then refines its processes and field expectations accordingly. “Ultimately, we’re setting the students up for success. That collaboration matters,” said Douds.
Reflecting the Community
One of the core tenets of the Future Ready Teachers initiative is increasing the diversity of the teaching workforce. By removing economic barriers, the university hopes to attract candidates from underrepresented backgrounds, ensuring the teaching workforce better reflects the extraordinary cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic diversity found in Northern Virginia classrooms.
“This is a particular area of strength for George Mason teachers,” said Aste. “Because their education and experience is with a diverse Northern Virginia and international population, they not only celebrate this diversity, but thrive in it.
For principals, this alignment is not just a statistic. It’s an essential component of student success.
“We want teachers that look and sound and have the same beliefs and values as our students,” said Douds. He recalls a powerful moment from his time at Centreville Elementary involving a student who had moved from the South. “We asked her, ‘How is your year going?’ And she said, ‘This is the first time I have a teacher that looks like me and understands me as a person.’ That teacher was a previous George Mason intern.”
Both principals stressed that the profession demands flexibility, empathy, and a willingness to understand students’ lived experiences, skills that are foundational to success in the post-pandemic classroom.
“The next generation of teachers will need to be enthusiastic, compassionate, hard-working, and creative problem solvers,” Aste added. “They will also be able to see the benefits and reward of making a difference in students’ lives and in the future of our country.”
A Pipeline for the Future
The Future Ready Teachers campaign comes at a time when enrollment in teacher preparation programs has dropped 30% nationwide over the last decade. By addressing the financial realities of becoming a teacher—covering costs from licensure exams to textbooks—George Mason aims to reframe teaching as a viable, purpose-driven career for high achievers.
Aste believes initiatives like this one could also provide a long-term boost to recruitment and retention, two of the most pressing challenges for elementary schools today.
“It will hopefully have a positive impact which will encourage amazing people to become teachers,” she said. “We have very high-quality teachers who love their work. Many of them are George Mason grads who came to us well-prepared and excited for this impactful career.”
With one-third of the region’s teachers and more than half of its administrators already George Mason-trained, CEHD is uniquely positioned to help build out the educator pipeline. Future Ready Teachers is a step toward ensuring that every child in every classroom has access not just to a teacher, but to a great teacher.