History
Building on the Legacy of John Dewey
Teacher education has a distinguished history at the University of Chicago . In the 1890s, John Dewey created the University’s department of education to disseminate his revolutionary view that systematic inquiry could inform teacher education. Now the University is revolutionizing teacher education again, this time with the Urban Teacher Education Program.
To Dewey, the education of children was a serious intellectual task, and the study of teaching and learning had to be immersed in the daily life of a school. Dewey’s vision is deeply present in the design of Chicago UTEP. In 2003, the University of Chicago’s Center for Urban School Improvement (USI) launched Chicago UTEP out of a commitment to prepare teachers to meet the challenges of serving the children who most need them. Today the students from our early cohorts are teaching in the Chicago Public Schools and continue to be a part of our professional community. Chicago UTEP also offers middle school endorsements in English and mathematics. By 2009 Chicago UTEP will expand to certify high school teachers in mathematics and biology.