Recognized for its efforts by the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI), Cleveland State University (CSU) was recently invited to become part of the UTeach Institute; a program which provides the direction and leadership needed to expand math and science teacher preparation at universities nationwide. American universities continue to put forth students ready to teach, but many critical subjects such as math and science are experiencing dramatic shortages throughout the country. CSU is among the foremost leaders in teacher education, specifically in the areas of math and science.

CSU will join the ranks of 20 universities across the country, including: founding member University of Texas at Austin, the University of California - Berkley and Irvine, the University of Colorado - Boulder, Temple University, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, among others. UTeach is designed to increase the quantity and quality of mathematics, science, and computer science teachers in schools, an initiative that CSU has been working diligently to bring about.

“Cleveland State University continuously strives to break ground in its methods of educating our students and integrating them into the community,” said Ronald Berkman, president of Cleveland State University. “We’re thrilled that CSU has been accepted to become a part of such a well-respected and forward-thinking initiative.”

UTeach will assist CSU in redesigning its math and science undergraduate programs to ensure that students are best equipped to teach. As it now stands, math and science teacher curriculum can take up to five years to complete, which can be cumbersome and discourages students from taking those paths. Under NMSI and the UTeach Institute, courses will be streamlined, integrating content focus with pedagogy. Students will learn science and math in a way that enables them to impart the information more clearly and effectively teach the subject matter. The program also allows and encourages students to graduate in four years with both deep content knowledge in their major and teaching licensure. CSU hopes to leverage the program to increase the number of students who graduate with a science or math teaching focus.

President Barack Obama recently spotlighted the importance of teachers and their roles in shaping our country’s future, specifically recognizing NMSI and its UTeach program for preparing a new generation of highly qualified math and science teachers. CSU has entrenched itself into the educational success and future of Cleveland and Ohio. It is reflected in every aspect of how the university operates, and integrates itself and its students into the community, teaching students the values and foundation to make the city and state thrive. Nowhere is this better reflected than in CSU’s teaching program, where the University embeds its students into the trenches of the classroom, creating leaders of tomorrow. Being a part of UTeach will be a springboard for that connection.

About Cleveland State University:

Cleveland State University is committed to providing high quality, affordable education to students with diverse backgrounds, experiences, interests and needs. Located in downtown Cleveland with extended campuses in Westlake and Solon, CSU offers degrees in hundreds of undergraduate and graduate programs and law, and professional development programs. Approximately 16,500 students attend Cleveland State.

About NMSI:

The National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) was launched in 2007 by top leaders in business, education, and science to reverse the United States’ troubling decline in math and science education. NMSI is an agent of change, focused on dramatically impacting the U.S. public school system, bringing best practices to education and replicating programs nationally that have proven success in math and science education. Major support for this ground-breaking national initiative has come from Exxon Mobil Corporation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and Texas Instruments, with in-kind assistance provided by IBM and Perot Systems. For more information, visit www.nationalmathandscience.org.

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