UF and four other universities each received a portion of a grant donated by AT&T to UTeach, a national program that trains math and science teachers.
The National Math and Science Initiative announced Thursday that the grant supports the UTeach programs at UF, the University of California at Berkeley, the University of California at Irvine, the University of Northern Arizona and Florida State University. The grant, which totaled $500,000, was divided evenly between the five schools.
UF's program, UFTeach, is the only undergraduate program for a math or science education degree, said Dimple Flesner, associate director of UFTeach. The program started at UF in Fall 2008 and is modeled after the UTeach program at the University of Texas at Austin.
Students in the program get an education minor that qualifies them for teaching certificates in Florida public schools.
Flesner said UFTeach has not yet discussed how the money will be dispersed, but it could go toward operating expenses, student recruitment, instructional materials or toward tuition.
UFTeach pays part of the price for the introductory classes and a three-credit summer course.
The program is a collaboration between the College of Education, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and the College of Engineering. It features field experience in classrooms.
The first UFTeach class had 41 students, Flesner said. By the end of this semester, there will be 24 graduates of the program. By 2015, she said, the program hopes to have 60 students graduate yearly.
"I want more students who have a passion for teaching that also possess the math and science content knowledge," Flesner said.
UFTeach was started with funds provided by the National Math and Science Initiative. The funding ends this year.
"It is so crucial to have continuing funds for this program that trains future STEM teachers, so we can continue to improve education in Florida," Flesner said.
