Urban Teacher Center
Project Title
For a project to integrate curriculum literacy and effective implementation of high-quality instructional materials into their teacher preparation program
Date
Dec. 08, 2022
Duration
18 months
Description
An overarching problem in teacher development is the disconnect between teacher preparation programs and teacher induction support during an educator’s first years in the classroom. This poses a problem as aspiring teachers lack the necessary guidance to bridge their theoretical coursework with instructional practice based in high-quality curricula. Urban Teachers’ program is clinically based and provides an initial year-long residency working with a mentor teacher, followed by three full years of coaching to novice teachers before licensure. To meet their district partners’ instructional needs, Urban Teachers need to develop and prepare teacher educators with curriculum literacy to effectively implement high-quality instructional materials. Through this grant, Urban Teachers will work in Baltimore City Schools and District of Columbia Public Schools to incorporate curriculum literacy into their coursework and clinical experiences to better prepare future teachers with instructional practices grounded in the use of high-quality curricula.
Website
Project Title
For general support
Date
Mar. 04, 2021
Duration
18 months
Description
An overarching problem in teacher development is the disconnect between teacher preparation programs and teacher induction support during an educator’s first years in the classroom. This disconnect poses a problem as aspiring teachers lack the necessary guidance to bridge their theoretical coursework with instructional practice. Urban Teachers’ program immerses aspiring teachers in the classroom immediately, exposing them to multiple urban classrooms and over a thousand hours of classroom experience. They provide a clinically-based curriculum and three full years of coaching to novice teachers before they become a licensed teacher. Urban Teachers works to ensure that their educators closely reflect the diversity of students within partner districts and increase a teacher’s capacity to use high-quality instructional materials and standards-aligned instructional practices. Through this general support grant, Urban Teachers will focus on: a) recruitment of diverse applicants; b) curriculum redesign of the teacher development program beginning with the science of reading; c) retention of diverse participants; and d) financial sustainability of the program.
Website
Project Title
For a project to evaluate the effectiveness of Urban Teachers’ model of teacher preparation
Date
Sep. 12, 2019
Duration
35 months
Description
Teachers in urban schools are routinely underprepared to meet their students’ needs. Founded in 2009, Urban Teachers thinks that the quality of teachers matters, and that the quality of instruction can make an enormous difference to a child. Through its clinical approach to teacher preparation, Urban Teachers is redesigning teacher preparation in order to build a highly effective urban teacher workforce. Clinically rich teacher residency programs allow candidates to combine practitioner experience with academic knowledge. This renewal grant will support Urban Teachers to: (a) conduct a retrospective outcome evaluation to explore how Urban Teachers’ graduates perform on district or state tests compared to graduates of other teacher preparation programs in the same district; (b) strengthen internal capacity to attract diverse applicants to the program by improving its recruitment strategy and operations; and (c) raise awareness of the importance of clinical residencies and teacher diversity in the ecosystem of teacher preparation providers, including policymakers, districts, schools, and funders.
Website
Project Title
For preparation and development of teachers in three high-need urban school districts
Date
Mar. 08, 2018
Duration
18 months
Description
Teachers in urban schools are routinely underprepared to meet their students’ needs. Founded in 2009, Urban Teachers thinks that the quality of teachers matters, and that the quality of instruction can make an enormous difference to a child. Through its clinical approach to teacher preparation, Urban Teachers is redesigning teacher preparation in order to build a highly effective urban teacher workforce. Clinically rich teacher residency programs allow candidates to combine practitioner experience with academic knowledge. This renewal grant will enable Urban Teachers to increase its impact by (a) strategically focusing on objectives related to increasing the number of teacher residents, (b) developing a new undergraduate program in the field of early childhood education in cooperation with the University of Virginia (UVA) Curry School of Education, and (c) reducing reliance on philanthropy.
Website
Project Title
For general support
Date
Sep. 08, 2016
Duration
18 months
Description
Urban Teacher Center (Urban Teachers) aims to re-invent the urban teacher workforce by providing school districts with pipelines of high-performing teachers capable of accelerating student achievement and committed to teaching and remaining in the nation’s highest-need schools. At the core of its work is a comprehensive four-year teacher preparation program that features a one-year residency followed by a three-year teaching commitment that includes two years of rigorous clinically-based coursework leading to a master’s degree from John Hopkins University and side-by-side coaching even after the residency year. Currently in Baltimore and Washington D.C., and expanding to Dallas in school year 2016-17, this grant provides general operating support needed to help Urban Teachers implement its strategic growth plan, and develop the people, processes, and technology infrastructure needed across all its sites to sustain growth and grow its applicant pool to increase its impact.
Website
Project Title
For general support
Date
Jun. 09, 2016
Duration
6 months
Description
Students’ race and family income often predict their access to excellent educators (United States Department of Education 2014). Low income students and high needs schools tend to have teachers who are less experienced, have fewer credentials, and lack a track record of success. Urban Teacher Center (Urban Teachers) aims to re-invent the urban teacher workforce by providing school districts with pipelines of high-performing teachers capable of accelerating student achievement and committed to teaching and remaining in the nation’s highest-need schools. At the core of its work is a four-year teacher preparation program that features a one-year residency followed by a three-year teaching commitment and two years of rigorous coursework leading to a Masters degree. Currently in Baltimore and Washington D.C., and expanding to Dallas in school year 2016-17, this grant provides funds to support Urban Teachers’ strategic growth.
Website
Project Title
For general support
Date
Sep. 13, 2012
Duration
12 months