The UTeach Institute is a nonprofit organization created in 2006 in response to growing concerns about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the United States and interest in the secondary STEM teacher certification program, UTeach, started in 1997 at The University of Texas at Austin.
The UTeach Institute issued its first request for proposals to replicate UTeach in 2007. An initial cohort of 13 universities was selected to receive individual grants of up to $1.4 million each to replicate the program over a four-year implementation period from 2008 to 2012. A second cohort of 8 universities was selected for a 2010-2014 grant cycle, and a third cohort of universities is expected to begin implementation in Spring 2012. As of February 2011, excluding the original UTeach program at The University of Texas at Austin, 4,190 students currently were enrolled in UTeach programs at 21 universities across the country.
The UTeach Institute acts as the liaison between the original UTeach program at The University of Texas at Austin and individuals implementing the program on other university campuses. The Institute provides detailed technical assistance and support and hosts an annual conference in Austin, Texas focusing on issues of STEM teacher preparation, national and state STEM education policy, the UTeach program model, and UTeach replication. In addition to assisting the universities implementing UTeach, the UTeach Institute conducts ongoing evaluations of progress and fulfills reporting requirements to various funders.
The UTeach National Research Consortium is expected to become a central focus for the UTeach Institute as the first cohort of universities fulfills its final grant requirements in Spring 2012. The goals of this collaborative effort are to bring together researchers at The University of Texas at Austin and universities replicating UTeach to set policies and support robust, cross-site research agendas on STEM teacher preparation, UTeach program implementation, and national outcomes.
The UTeach Institute partners with corporations, foundations, states, and private donors to fund UTeach replication.