New Partnership Boosts UTD’s Efforts To Educate Future Educators

The University of Texas at Dallas has taken another major step in easing the path for more students to become classroom teachers.

The Teacher Development Center recently was recognized as a U.S. Department of Labor registered apprenticeship program, making UT Dallas the first four-year university in the state to join the program.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for our students who want to become teachers,” said Dr. Barbara Ashmore, director of the Teacher Development Center and professor of instruction in the School of Interdisciplinary Studies. “It will help us make progress toward our goal of getting students graduated and certified with no debt, or as little debt as possible.”

Through the program, UTD students are eligible to take state exams and receive certifications at no cost. It also clears the way for additional support for qualifying students from the state for expenses such as housing, utilities and transportation. In addition, the partnership makes the program eligible for grants and other support from the Department of Labor.

Lee Price, Texas director of the Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship, said that with the sustained teacher shortage in the U.S., it was important to support UT Dallas with the apprenticeship program.

“UT Dallas provides a lot of teachers across the state,” he said. “The University has the mindset that we have: to think out of the box to fix this teacher shortage.”

To qualify for the program, UT Dallas had to implement other, forward-thinking teacher training strategies. One of them is a yearlong student teacher residency program that began in 2017 in partnership with several area school districts. The residency program now provides a $20,000 stipend so that the students can focus on their teacher training, rather than worrying about financial hurdles.

UT Dallas is one of several universities in the state to have a teacher residency program vetted by the Texas Education Agency.

“Students need an entire year doing actual teaching,” Ashmore said. “It makes them better teachers and significantly improves the probability of better student learning and achievement in the classroom.”

“This is a tremendous opportunity for our students who want to become teachers. It will help us make progress toward our goal of getting students graduated and certified with no debt, or as little debt as possible.”

Dr. Barbara Ashmore, director of the Teacher Development Center

Tea Lopez, a child learning and development senior in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, is one of the students in the residency program, which includes guidance and supervision from an experienced mentor. She said that practicing teaching skills in the classroom for two semesters, rather than one, has helped her become a better teacher.

“I can feel the difference now when I get in front of the class,” Lopez said. “It’s so normal to me, and I feel more confident.”

The Teacher Development Center currently works with the Frisco and Wylie school districts and plans to expand the paid residency program to the Garland, Lewisville, Lovejoy, Mesquite and Richardson districts next year. Federal funds are funneled through the Texas Education Agency to pay the student teachers.

Since 1975, the center has prepared thousands of students for teaching careers by providing education coursework, field experience and preparation for state exams. Through the center, students also have the option of earning their teacher certifications as part of any bachelor’s degree at UTD.

Last year, UTD added two new bachelor’s degrees in education — with 11 different specialties — and the Teacher Development Center worked to help the Richardson Independent School District fill a shortage of substitute teachers by making it possible for students to register with the district to become substitutes.

Ashmore said that while the UT Dallas teacher development program is smaller than some at other universities, it is well regarded by school districts because the students are well trained. She said adjunct professors provide unique insights that help future teachers.

“Even before the teacher shortage, our kids went to the top of the interview list every spring because they were UTD students,” Ashmore said.

Lopez, who is teaching kindergarten students in the Wylie Independent School District, said she and her fellow UTD student teachers are excited about job interviews that will be happening soon.

“Every day I’m getting more excited about my first year of teaching by myself,” she said. “I feel like I’m getting closer and closer to my career.”