A grant from TCU’s “Vision in Action” (VIA) initiative will fund new programs and partnerships as well as allow a part-time director to join the TCU School of Education’s Center for Urban Education (CUE).

Since the initial plans for the Center for Urban Education in 1995, a group of School of Education professors have collaborated with teachers and schools to improve urban education in Fort Worth. In their TCU classes, the professors emphasize course material that is relevant to teaching in urban schools, says Cecilia Silva, an associate professor in the CUE.

“This is the first time we have had funding for a director,” Silva said. The CUE was established after Texas changed the teacher certification test and TCU responded by restructuring the education program to address urban issues.

The new director will implement professional development opportunities for urban educators in Fort Worth, maintain relationships with area teachers, increase funding for CUE research and programs and recruit underrepresented students in high school or at community colleges to teach in urban schools,

“Rather than developing generalists,” said Silva, who specializes in ESL-bilingual education, “Students with a major in early childhood education also have a special education or ESL focus because there is demand for this in urban areas.”

The VIA grant application cites demographic studies that show an increased need for effective educators who are ready for urban challenges like disproportionate numbers of low-achieving students and discipline problems as well as high absentee and dropout rates. Urban schools have the most critical teacher shortages, according to the studies.

TCU students begin spending time in Fort Worth classrooms their sophomore year. By the time they begin student teaching, they already have experience working in urban schools, Silva said.

CUE faculty members are also involved with Fort Worth area school districts for educational and professional development and programs like the Bilingual Teaching Assistant Program (BTAP) and Teaching Fellows, Silva said.

BTAP is a partnership between the Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD) and TCU. About 50 students who are in the process of obtaining their teaching certificate also work about 20 hours each week as aides in bilingual classrooms.

The Teaching Fellows program focuses on professional development and developing cooperative relationships with exemplary teachers who TCU students work with and observe, Silva said.

For more information on the TCU School of Education, visit http://www.sofe.tcu.edu/ and for more information on CEU, contact Cecilia Silva at c.silva@tcu.edu.