UTeach A Finalist for Government Innovations Award - March 31st, 2009

UTeach, an innovative and nationally acclaimed math and science teacher preparation program at The University of Texas at Austin, has been selected from 600 U.S. applicants as one of the 2009 Top 50 Government Innovations Award finalists.

UTeach is a collaborative effort of the College of Education and College of Natural Sciences and has been lauded by national leaders for its success at increasing the number of high-quality secondary level math and science teachers. It launched in 1997 and, 12 years later, is being replicated at universities across the country.

The flexible program is tailored to accommodate entering freshmen, current undergraduates, degree holders and certified teachers who are interested in gaining teacher certification in math, science or computer science. The program’s popularity has been driven by the rigor of the course of study, the level of excellence demanded of students who undertake certification and the fact that opting to gain certification through UTeach does not add extra time to a degree plan.

The Innovations in Government Award program is administered by the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and the top 50 finalists chosen this year include 21 cities and towns, seven counties, one school district, 11 states, eight federal agencies, one trial government and one regional authority.

The six winners of the Innovations in Government Award will be announced in September.

According to the Ash Institute, the award program “acts as a significant force in restoring public trust in government by promoting public sector creativity and excellence,” and programs that compete for the award represent policy areas as diverse as health, education, economic development, criminal justice and the environment.

“In this climate of economic uncertainty, these Top 50 innovative government programs demonstrate that creativity and innovation can still survive and flourish,” said Stephen Goldsmith, director of the Innovations in American Government Program at Harvard Kennedy School. “Despite strained budgets and diminishing resources, these programs prove that government continues to find solutions to pressing societal challenges.”

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