The University of Alabama – Birmingham has been selected to serve as one of only 45 research universities in the nation as a “UTeach” program site. UTeach Institute, a collaborative of the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) has been lauded as “one of the nation’s best training programs aimed at preparing science and math majors to become (K-12) teachers,” said Robert Tjian, president of Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which gave $22.5 million in grants to expand UTeach Intsitute.
“This is awesome,” said Robin Nelson, Instructional Services Program Coordinator for the Alabama Dept. of Education’s Office of Student Learning. “Alabama School systems have a great need for highly qualified math and science teachers, so it’s fantastic for UAB to have been awarded this grant.”
A+ College Ready schools will host the pre-service training.
This UTeach compact degree program will allow interested math and science students to earn their four-year degree in their chosen field, and simultaneously earn teacher certification without additional costs or time. As a UTeach program site, the University of Alabama – Birmingham will have the funds now to help recruit and retain good candidates for teaching secondary science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects, with a strong focus on research-based strategies for teaching and learning, intensive field teaching experience, and personal guidance from master teachers and faculty, according to the NMSI news release.
In addition to UAB, the other research universities that were selected for 2014 are Drexel University,Florida International University, Oklahoma State University, and the University of Maryland – College Park. Each university will recieve $1.45 million to support the implementation of the UTeach program over a five-year period.
According to Dr. Michael Marder, executive director of the UTeach Science program at the university of Texas at Austin (UTA), “These universities are home to the world’s top scientific minds and education researchers, and they have a significant role to play in preparing future STEM teachers.”
Click here to read the full news release from the National Math and Science Initiative.
