David McKinney/University Relations
KU received a $2.4 million UKanTeach grant Nov. 30 in Topeka. The grant will help KU double the number of math and science teachers graduating each year. Pictured with Pinckney Elementary School students from Lawrence who were on hand for the presentation are back, from left, Gary Sherrer, Kansas Board of Regents; Reginald Robinson, president, Kansas Board of Regents; Sen. Roger Pine, R-Lawrence; U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda, D-Kan.; Lynnie Kendrick, Pinckney Elementary School; Baby Jay; Gov. Kathleen Sebelius; Janis Lariviere, project coordinator, Center for Science Education; and Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Richard Lariviere.
Grant to help KU produce more math, science teachers
The National Math and Science Initiative has awarded KU a $2.4 million grant aimed at doubling the number of math and science teachers graduating annually to about 50.
The grant will benefit UKanTeach, a new collaborative program in KU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and School of Education, that leads to a degree in science or math as well as a teaching license in four years. The program has two directors: Joe Heppert, chair of the Department of Chemistry in the College and Marc Mahlios, chairman of the Department of Curriculum and Teaching in the School of Education.
The program is modeled after UTeach, a highly successful math and science teacher preparation program at the University of Texas-Austin. Competition for the grant included submissions from more than 50 universities. NMSI is awarding 12 grants to implement programs modeled after the Texas program.
“The University of Kansas is committed to educating the next generation of teachers, especially in areas critical to a 21st century workforce for Kansas,” said KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway. “The generosity of the National Math and Science Initiative will help UKanTeach in its goal to meet the crucial need for math and science teachers.”
Thirty math and science students completed the pilot section of the first UKanTeach course in spring 2007. This fall, 33 students are completing that course. The first one-hour course is offered each semester. Students teach three hands-on inquiry-based science lessons to local elementary students. The second course in the sequence will be offered in spring 2008.
“Math and science education is key to Kansas’ ability to succeed in the global economy,” said Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who attended the announcement of the grant. “UKanTeach is an innovative program that will produce teachers our state needs to help students thrive in these subjects.”
U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda, D-Kan., also attended the announcement. She wrote a letter of support for the grant proposal.
“Kansas is facing severe shortages of middle and high school teachers in math and science,” said Boyda. “If we want our kids to compete in the global market, we need to put highly qualified teachers in our classrooms. Today’s grant is a big step in the right direction.”
NMSI is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to help the United States maintain its global leadership position in technological innovation. ExxonMobil contributed an initial $125 million to NMSI’s efforts. Additional donors include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. NMSI is committed to making the hallmarks of the UTeach program the national standard for math and science preparation.
“I have been impressed by the tremendous results the UTeach program has had in Texas, and I look forward to the great outcomes that will result from expanding this program across the nation,” said Tom Luce, president and CEO of NMSI.
The UTeach program at Texas was established in 1997 as a method to introduce undergraduate math and science majors to secondary school teaching.
The Texas program certifies more than 70 students every year. More than 90 percent of these UTeach graduates immediately go on to teach in their respective fields.
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