The nationally recognized UTeach approach to preparing math and science teachers is getting a shot in the arm with a $22.5 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to bring the program to 10 additional universities.
The grant, announced this morning, aims to produce 1,700 new math and science teachers over the five years of the grant, and nearly 18,000 by the year 2022.
“By taking the UTeach program into 10 more research universities across the country, we will be able to recruit some of the best and brightest students in our country into the teaching field,” said Sara Martinez Tucker, the president and CEO of the National Math and Science Initiative, which will play a lead role in the expansion, in a press release.
More than 6,000 students are now enrolled in UTeach programs at 35 universities across the country, including Florida State University, Northern Arizona University, and the founding site at the University of Texas at Austin.
Officials from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the NMSI, and others were joined by White House Director of Science and Technology Policy John Holdren for the announcement today.
UTeach enables students who major in math, science, or computer science to earn both their college degree and full teaching certification in four years. The program was developed by the University of Texas at Austin, and first launched in 1997. It has steadily expanded over time with support from private foundations, businesses, state funds, and even federal Race to the Top dollars. The states to expand through Race to the Top include Florida, Maryland, and Tennessee.
New university partners under the grant from HHMI will be chosen through a UTeach request-for-proposals process to be run by the National Math and Science Initiative.
Since 2008, the NMSI and the UTeach Institute have worked together to help expand and implement UTeach programs in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin.
You can check out a 2007 Education Week profile of UTeach here.
The most recent addition to the UTeach program is at Old Dominion University, which was actually announced earlier this month. Universities in 16 states offer the program.