NOVEMBER 6, 2020 — UTSA’s College of Education and Human Development has been recognized among the top undergraduate and graduate elementary teacher preparation programs in the nation by the National Council on Teacher Quality, a not-for-profit research and policy organization, for strong training in classroom management strategies.
“UTSA’s undergraduate and graduate programs are among only 14% of elementary programs that earn an A, and serve as a model of excellence for others,” according to the NCTQ.
“Our faculty have been working diligently to ensure the transformation and research-based alignment of our teacher education curriculum and field/clinical experiences,” Belinda Bustos Flores, associate dean of professional preparation and partnerships, said. “Our goal is to ensure that our graduates are culturally efficacious teachers who are highly skilled and can impact student success the moment they step into the classroom.”
In addition to the top rating for elementary teacher preparation, the NCTQ recognized UTSA with an A+ score in program diversity.
“The diversity accolades reflect UTSA’s commitment to the Hispanic community and its role as a Hispanic Serving Institution,” Michael Vriesenga, director for assessment and program accountability, said. “With 68% students of color, UTSA teacher candidates are 28 points more diverse than the current Texas teacher population, almost tripling the NCTQ standard for diversity, and UTSA is more diverse than the local community.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped normal classroom settings, including classroom management training for aspiring teachers. COEHD faculty made adjustments to not only how they taught their own classes but how they incorporated virtual learning into their curriculum for teacher candidates.
“Our faculty recognize the importance of preparing our teacher candidates with the capacity to create learning environments and authentic learning activities that address the socioemotional, cultural and linguistic needs of learners,” Flores said. “During this challenging time, our teacher candidates have demonstrated that they are quite capable of delivering virtual lessons that are engaging.”
The Teacher Prep Review assigns a team of experts to evaluate teacher preparation programs on their adherence to evidence-based classroom management strategies. Programs that earn an A on this standard require their aspiring elementary teachers to demonstrate their ability on all five strategies.
These top-performing programs are recognized for requiring their aspiring elementary teachers to demonstrate during student teaching, residency or equivalent clinical practice their ability to implement all five classroom strategies, which are:
“Good classroom management requires rules, routines, redirection, praise and consequences,” Vriesenga said. “NCTQ recognizes that field supervisors and faculty routinely provide teacher candidates feedback on these important elements of classroom management, supporting their development as effective teachers.”
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
Archaeology 201 will briefly go over the foundations of archaeology and related skills, followed by a different topic over the course of this week (like skeletal analysis, global cultures, and more).
Center for Archaeological Research, UTSA Main CampusCraft a comic to create your own narrative and find your voice through storytelling. Participants will learn to create characters that are self-reflective and through a community lens.
REGSS Community Room (DB 3.202,) UTSA Downtown CampusJoin the Student Involvement Center and the Whataburger Resource Room (Food-Pantry) for a service project! Help us prepare for the Roadrunner Days Move-In Market on Thursday, July 25 from 11 AM - 2 PM by assisting us with the following volunteer needs. We are preparing for UTSA's largest garage sale, but everything is free for our students!
BK Lot 5 Building (Next to Campus Garden), Main CampusCome enjoy a discussion on art as a self expression in the age of moving technology and telling your story with a community.
REGSS Community Room (DB 3.202,) UTSA Downtown CampusThe UTSA Veteran and Military Office will be holding a social event for our new military-affiliated students to come out and meet our office, staff, and other students.
MB 0.100, Ground Floor Lobby, Main BuildingThe Student Union invites you to join us for Kickback at the Union, a fun event designed to get you acquainted with all of the services available in the Student Union!
Student UnionInterested in learning more about the different fraternities and sororities in the Multicultural Greek Council? Come meet our organizations and enjoy free food and music.
Retama Galleria (SU 2.02,) Main CampusThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.