Teaching That Makes a Difference

Fri, 01 Mar 2002 05:00:00 -0500
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Clinical Associate Professor of Education John Lee works with teachers enrolled in Project SUPPORT, UMBC’s urban teacher-training program.

“Teaching That Makes a Difference”

UMBC is a leader in assisting Maryland�s most troubled public schools through Project SUPPORT (School-University Partnership to Prepare Outstanding Responsive Teachers), a remarkably successful federally funded program that will ultimately place 1,100 teachers in Baltimore City and hundreds more in Anne Arundel and Baltimore Counties.

�Our school-university partnerships will break a tradition of neglect by recruiting, preparing, mentoring and retaining the high-quality teachers necessary to improve student learning and achievement,� says UMBC Clinical Associate Professor of Education John Lee, who heads the project.

The program is a win-win for public school students, their schools and UMBC�s urban teachers-in-training. UMBC�s teacher trainees receive tuition support for their master�s level studies and undertake apprenticeships with veteran teachers in the school system. By year-end, UMBC will have 150 urban teacher graduates.

In turn, the program�s public school partners are promised that UMBC teacher candidates will sign on for five years. As a result, teacher attrition in many of these schools is down. Moreover, in schools where UMBC has provided academic services, student achievement has soared.