Academic Program
The Urban Teacher Education Program’s innovative two year design provides the integration of rigorous academic and clinical experiences that broaden in scope as candidates’ progress through the program. All candidates begin the programs with a three quarter Foundations of Education Sequence. The Foundations of Education Sequence is designed to give UTEP candidates an introduction to the profession of teaching in urban schools through multiple lenses. It is designed as a set of academic, clinical, affective and reflective experiences to occur over the course of a candidates’ first year. After developing a base of one-on-one experiences with students, candidates enter into focused content-area coursework and small group instruction during the first summer before working with entire classes during the internship year and final summer. Graduates are assisted with job placement in the Chicago Public Schools , and continue our support for an additional three years through personalized coaching and workshops provided by UTEP staff.
In the Fall of 2009 UTEP expanded to include secondary programs in biology and mathematics instruction. All aspects of the elementary program are included here: The Foundations of Education Sequence; an extended clinical experience spanning the entire program, with university coursework that continually reflects the clinical experience; ongoing coaching in the two years following the completion of the MAT degree. Moreover, the secondary program specifically prepares its students to teach in an urban setting, and this context will inform all of the experiences in the program.
