Congratulations to our friends at UAB for securing a $1.45 Million grant to implement the successful UTeach program! This program will increase the number of math and science teachers in Birmingham-area schools! UAB Teach will recruit math, science, technology, and engineering majors to complete 8 courses in teaching and learning that spread out the traditional student teaching experience over a student’s typical baccalaureate career. UAB Teach will partner with Birmingham City, Jefferson County, and Hoover City schools to place students into classrooms with veteran teachers who have received NMSI Teacher Training as part of the ALSDE/A+ College Ready program.
The benefits of this program for Alabama schools are numerous. Alabama, like all states, suffers from a shortage of science and math teachers. Many students who major in STEM programs find more lucrative careers in STEM fields, but that doesn’t leave many people available to teach the next generation of STEM graduates and workers. Traditional teacher education programs require an entire semester of student teaching that adds on to the traditional 4-year degree, which can be a deterrant for students who want to graduate “on time” and save money in the process. Students in the UAB Teach program will get the benefits of a content-rich undergraduate degree along with the employability of a teaching certificate in just 4 years.
A+ College Ready will help place the UAB Teach students into classrooms where teachers have had NMSI Teacher Training. This training is considered a gold-standard in inquiry-based math and science instruction. UAB Teach students will get to see high-quality, rigorous lessons and pedagogy as they learn both what and how to teach.
Congratulations to our friends at UAB for becoming a part of this innovative program! Kudos to our own Mary Boehm for being a part of the team that helped bring this program to UAB!
For further information about this program, click on the links below:
Video from UAB Teach Launch Reception, featuring our own Mary Boehm!
