Goals of the Program

The purpose of the Institute for Urban Education is to create a residential educator preparation program for initial preparation of educators, for in-service teachers, and for scholars with a focus on urban education.

Schools and programs of education have a responsibility to respond to the persistent education gap that exists in public schools. This gap has consequences throughout our society. Although the structure of economic opportunities provides a major influence on the gap in performance, school-related variables also have an impact on the performance of culturally and socio-economically diverse youth. Within the dialogue around, and research on school reform, one factor consistently identified as influential is the presence of an effective teacher in the classroom. The preparation of highly effective, culturally relevant and responsive teachers to serve the needs of culturally diverse youth should be central to the mission of schools and programs of education within the UW System.

The UW System Institute for Urban Education is a program designed to establish urban educational opportunities for pre-service teachers and in-service teachers as well as for scholars.

 

The Institute aims to:

  1. Improve the depth and quality of the applicant pool for Wisconsin Public Schools.
  2. Increase professional development opportunities for Wisconsin teachers who are working in urban settings or want to work in urban settings.
  3. Create a program that facilitates the integration of science and practice in the area of urban education.
  4. Increase and improve the collaborative teaching and research efforts of UW System Schools and Programs of Education.