Partner Schools

Why are these schools uniquely qualified to teach teachers? Because we're successful. Everyone knows the stereotypes about urban schools, but these schools defy them. Our schools are intentionally small, serving approximately 200 5th through 8th grade students each. We serve diverse populations and are rooted in our community.

The Center School, Computer School, and Crossroads School initially came together, along with a fourth partner, through the Center for Collaborative Education. All four schools had been hosting interns and student teachers through a variety of other programs. None of these programs had the right mix of theory and practice -- either they were primarily theory with limited practice, offering new teachers no chance of becoming rooted in a school (the traditional student teaching model) or they were all practice with no theory, leaving interns adrift to fend for themselves (other internship programs). This program grew out of our conviction that we could create a better teacher training experience. Our goal was to create a program which would marry practice and theory while still recognizing that it "takes a school to teach a teacher." Mott Hall II joined our collaborative in 2003.

One of the primary benefits of the Urban Teaching Fellows Program is the strength of our schools. Learning to teach is hard enough, but learning to teach in an unsuccessful school, as many other programs demand, is beyond daunting.