Teaching in an urban school can be a demanding role, where classes are often filled with high needs students who come from impoverished families.
This is why "upwards of 40 percent of teachers [in urban schools] drop after three to five years," said Director of Office of Research Partnership and Director of UT3 Charlene Czerniak.
"[This problem] is related to the nature of schools and [teachers] not being prepared to meet the demands placed on them," she said
UT3 ("UToledo, UTeach, UTouch the future") is a program designed to counter this problem. Its goal is to recruit, better prepare and retain seventh to 12th grade science and math teachers for urban schools.
"Those who will be teaching [in the urban setting] need to be fully aware of what they're going into and being fully prepared," Czerniak said. "With UT becoming a more urban university, we needed better ways to meet the needs of students," she said. "There are so many students who have financial need. They are interested in teaching but not able to afford."
Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, UT3 is a $6 million grant. According to Czerniak, funding began in October of 2004, "but it took time to hire staff, and they weren't hired until the [following] spring."
The program officially started in the fall of 2005, with a goal of 25 participants each year. To date, 75 students have been involved with UT3, 29 have completed the program and have gone on to take jobs in high needs schools across the state. For Jeremy Paull, one of the 39 students who are a part of the program this year, UT3 is the perfect opportunity for preparing for the high needs school experience. "[UT3] offers me ample knowledge about what teaching [in an urban setting] would be like," he said. "It has also given me experience that has gauged my interest. UT3 also joins the student-teachers together even after they graduate.
"In this program, you help develop a network with other teachers," Paull said. Many other opportunities are available to UT3 participants.
"[UT3] funds various activities like math and science organizations, getting perspective by watching other teachers and learning about teaching through new courses developed with technology, like video conferencing," Czerniak said. "There are also discussion boards, where fellow students can talk about aspects of teaching." Those who wish to be a part of UT3 but are not sure if they can afford it do not have to worry, Paull said.
"The program offers scholarships to help pay for school," he said. "I'm glad I [joined]; when I did, I [knew] I'd be getting experience in what I wanted to do in the long run." According to Czerniak, the funding for UT3 is supposed to end in 2009, but she speculated it will most likely end in 2010. She explained that the government understands UT3's predicament with starting a year late and might give an extension to the grant.
"In grant language, you're allowed to expend the money from the grant so you can do what you need," Czerniak said. Once this grant is expended, Czerniak said the program will look for more grants.
"We will apply for other grants to keep this opportunity going," she said. "Since President Bush passed the America Competes Act, there is a lot of federal and state money coming into math and science programs, and teacher education is benefiting."
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