Center for Urban Education

Director:  Deborah L. Voltz, EdD

Established:  2008

 

Mission and Demographics

The Center for Urban Education is an alliance of UAB, the Birmingham City Schools, other school districts in the Birmingham metropolitan area, and local and national partners.  The mission of the Center for Urban Education is to promote quality education for socially and economically disenfranchised groups residing in urban areas.  The Center supports UAB’s instructional, research, and service programs by:

  • designing, implementing, and evaluating responsive, collaborative models of urban teacher development and retention;
  • integrating knowledge and involvement of family and community in the education of urban students, their teachers, administrators, and other community members;
  • promoting the recruitment, development, and retention of leaders for urban school environments;
  • facilitating the learning of the educational community around issues of race, class, and culture;
  • engaging in systematic research related to the training, recruitment, retention, and advancement of urban teachers and school administrators; and
  • engaging in research related to factors that promote academic success of students in urban environments.

Center Projects

The Center for Urban Education’s activities promote the enhancement of educational outcomes for students in urban schools.  To this end, the Center is currently implementing the following projects:

  • Urban Teacher Enhancement Program (UTEP).  UTEP is a teacher preparation program designed for those interested in urban teaching.  Its goal is to prepare teachers who have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to promote high levels of student achievement in urban schools, and who are committed to remaining in those schools.  UTEP is developed, implemented, and evaluated in collaboration with local urban school districts.  Students participating in UTEP receive tuition support for teacher education coursework.  Other unique features of UTEP include coursework infused with competencies related to urban teaching, coursework co-taught by university faculty and master teachers from the partner districts, enhanced field placements, and mentorship from master teachers in the participating school districts.
  • Professional Development Zone.  The professional development zone is currently comprised of 13 Birmingham City schools where students in the Urban Teacher Enhancement Program complete their field experiences.  Extensive, ongoing professional development activities are provided to teachers practicing in these schools.  These activities, led by the College Board and the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education, focus on instructional strategies to promote high intellectual performance. 
  • CAST: Communities and Schools Together.  CAST is a comprehensive plan to support the involvement of families and communities in the education of urban students. The core activities of CAST include: research on current national and local trends in parent involvement and home-school relations; training of education professionals who work closely with urban parents and families; and serving as a coordinating entity to bring together families, educators, community representatives and agencies.
  • Collaborative Action Research Program.  This is a small grant program jointly supported by the Center for Urban Education and the Center for Aging.  The program is designed to support field-based investigations of intergenerational activities that show promise for enhancing the academic achievement of urban students and the well-being of participating older adults.  Through the collaborative action research program, teams composed of UAB faculty and P-12 educators have investigated strategies such as training grandparents to tutor their grandchildren in reading comprehension strategies, and using older adult volunteers to mentor students in identifying career aspirations and working toward them.  
  • Project for Urban Teacher Education Research.  This project is designed to contribute to the knowledge base related to preparing urban teachers.  The project is currently investigating research questions related to critical competencies in urban teaching; teacher education practices effective in developing these competencies; and the relationship of these competencies to P-12 student learning outcomes. 

 

For additional information:

Director:  Deborah L. Voltz, EdD

Phone:  205-934-8320

Email:  voltz@uab.edu

 

 

Approved by:  Deborah L. Voltz, EdD, Director

Date:  February 12, 2008

 

 

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