UTeach: Teacher preparation at The University of Texas at Austin

UTeach prepares secondary teachers of science, mathematics, and computer science at The University of Texas at Austin. It began with a pilot group of 28 students in the fall of 1997, and now has over 400 students enrolled, with over 70 new teachers graduating per year. Important features of the program include \begin{itemize} \item All students in College of Natural Sciences are invited to try out teaching at any time at no cost. \item All degree plans can be completed in 4 years. \item Students begin carefully supervised teaching in real classrooms within a few weeks of beginning the program. \item Close collaboration of Colleges of Natural Sciences and Education \item Many courses taught by a team of former secondary Master Teachers employed in College of Natural Sciences \item Emphasis upon inquiry instruction \end{itemize} Graduates are in heavy demand, and their retention rate after 4 years is over 80\%. However, one of the few dark spots in a generally bright picture is that the number of physics majors receiving certification remains small. See {\tt uteach.utexas.edu}