College Named One of Top 10 for Innovative Teacher Preparation - January 18, 2008

The University of Texas at Austin’s College of Education has been selected as one of 10 U.S. schools of education that is “blazing the trail to better practices” in teacher education. Edutopia, a publication produced by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, chose the 10 schools.

Edutopia selected innovative programs from both public and private institutions of varying sizes and cited colleges and schools that have excelled at creating teacher education programs that address the demands of teaching “in real classrooms.”

The University of Texas at Austin’s College of Education was praised for its UTeach program, which aims to increase the number of high-quality math, science and computer science teachers. UTeach is administered by the College of Natural Sciences and the College of Education and has been lauded by national education leaders, policymakers and media as exemplary.

“Though there are some leading lights, far too many of America’s 1,200 plus schools of education are mired in methods that isolate education from the arts and sciences, segregate theory and practice of teaching and provide insufficient time and support for future teachers to learn to work in real classrooms,” says James Daly, editor in chief of Edutopia. “These 10 schools represent a cross-section of the most promising innovations in teacher preparation today.”

The George Lucas Foundation was founded in 1991 by filmmaker George Lucas as a nonprofit operating foundation that publishes media to document and disseminate the most innovative practices in K-12 education, including ways in which technology offers new opportunities for teaching and learning.

To learn more about the 10 schools that were chosen and their education programs, read Edutopia's article: Building a Better Teacher: Confronting the Crisis in Teacher Training.

—Kay Randall, University Communications, 512-232-3910