The UTeach Institute works to increase the number, diversity, and academic achievement of students pursuing STEM disciplines and careers by increasing the number and diversity of high quality teachers.
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Teachers trained through UTeach programs have a strong impact on student performance in math and science. A study by the nonprofit CALDER Center at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) found that students of UTeach teachers learned more than similar students of other teachers. Researchers found that those differences amounted to the equivalent of between two to more than five months of extra learning each year (Backes, et. al., 2018).
UTeach is increasing the number of undergraduate STEM majors who become teachers. During the same period when national teacher production declined by 20%, STEM teacher production at UTeach universities increased by 40%. Eighty-seven percent of STEM majors who participate in UTeach go on to teach and 87% of those teach for at least three years. Sixty-nine percent of graduates teach in high-needs schools (UTeach Institute, 2017).
UTeach is further increasing the number of students who have access to high quality STEM instruction through in-service STEM teacher development. UTeach Computer Science, a College Board-endorsed provider, trains teachers to implement the UTeach Computer Science Principles curriculum. Underrepresented students taking the UTeach CS Principles course performed significantly better than national averages in 2017 (Marder, 2017).
Backes, B., Goldhaber, D., Cade, W., Sullivan, K., & Dodson, M. (2018). Can UTeach? Assessing the relative effectiveness of STEM teachers. Economics of Education Review, 64, 184-198. Retrieved September 24, 2018 from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272775717306969.
UTeach Institute. (2017). UTeach Impact. Retrieved September 24, 2018 from https://institute.uteach.utexas.edu/sites/institute.uteach.utexas.edu/files/impact-report-september-2017.pdf.
Marder, M. (2017). UTeach computer science principles and underrepresented students. The UTeach Institute. Retrieved September 24, 2018 from https://uteach.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/uteach-csp-underrepresented-students-tech-note.pdf
The UTeach Institute provides full UTeach program implementation support over a five-year period. An initial grant of approximately $2 million provides the necessary support to completely transform current teacher preparation practices at one university. Additionally, there are a number of student support elements at UTeach programs that require outside funding. These include paid STEM education internships for students and induction support services for new program graduates. Contact us for more information on how you can provide support to UTeach programs nationally.
The UTeach Institute also works with universities who are not looking to replace their current STEM teacher preparation program, but instead are interested in licensing UTeach curricula and program resources and accessing training and consulting services for an annual fee starting at $42,500.
The cost for individual UTeach professional development courses starts at $95. Funding in the amount of $2400 can provide the UTeach CS Principles curriculum, 40 hours of teacher professional development, and year-long implementation support for one teacher.
Funders and PartnersThe UTeach Institute partners with the National Math and Science Initiative and the states of Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, Massachusetts, Florida, Maryland and Arkansas to replicate UTeach at universities across the country. A complete list of our strategic partners is available at http://uteach-institute.org/about/detail/partners/. The UTeach Institute is also a College Board-endorsed provider of AP CS Principles curriculum and teacher support.
The programs in this database clear a high bar. STEMworks reviewed each program against the Design Principles for Effective STEM Philanthropy.
Identify and target a compelling and well-defined need.
Use rigorous evaluation to continuously measure and inform progress towards the compelling need identified.
Ensure work is sustainable.
Demonstrate replicability and scalability.
Create high impact partnerships
Ensure organizational capacity to achieve goals.
Offer challenging and relevant STEM content for the target audience
Incorporate and encourage STEM practices.
Inspire interest and engagement in STEM.
Identify and address the needs of under-represented groups.