The mission of the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) Urban Teacher Education (UTE) is to improve student achievement and to eliminate the poverty and race achievement gaps in Maryland’s lowest performing schools by improving teacher quality.

To improve student achievement and teacher quality, UTE established the following objectives:

• Improve teacher recruitment to attract highly talented post-baccalaureate teachers dedicated to long-term teaching in high-need schools;
• Tailor teacher preparation for high-need schools, where most new hires are assigned;
• Improve teacher support during their induction years by providing them ongoing mentoring and professional development required to improve student achievement;
• Retain high-quality teachers in target schools to give school reform efforts time to take root.
  

• Alternative-route to Certification Track (ACT)—a two-year program for career changers and others who simultaneously pursue teaching and teacher licensure/preparation
• Internship Track (IT)—a one-year apprenticeship/internship with an expert teacher

Candidates from both options are assigned to partnership schools where they work with a team of supervising teachers, school administrators, and university professors. To complement UTE candidates' full-time classroom teacher experience, innovative problem- and research-based courses will be provided. Unlike traditional teacher education programs, this program integrates internship experiences with content-based pedagogical courses to better prepare teachers to master the skills necessary to improve student learning and achievement.