Urban Teacher Preparation Academy

One of the persistent challenges in all public-school settings is the loss of teachers in their first year.

The Urban Teacher Preparation Academy, administered by the University of Central Oklahoma and supported by the Foundation, provides valuable tools to prepare teachers for entering the urban school environment. Nearly 100 certified teachers have been trained through this program since 2009. Newly certified teachers are given meaningful professional development and mentoring over the course of their first few years on the job, resulting in much higher than average retention rates.

UTPA’s mission is to:

• Enhance the preparation of pre-service teachers to better serve the diverse needs of students in high need schools in urban environments
• Infuse at a deeper level current and emerging technologies into teaching and learning for pre-service candidates, in-service teachers and PK-12 students
• Provide a richer, expanded set of clinical experiences for pre-service and new teachers