Our Mission Statement (en Español)

The mission of the UITE is to prepare educators to serve urban students and educational communities in all their rich diversity. We conceive of educational diversity as the dynamic engagement of a range of cultural and urban traditions, including individual differences in ability. In preparing teachers and leaders to work within and across differences, we collaborate with community-based initiatives, seek out community partners, and continually work to discover fresh and innovative ways to approach both curriculum and pedagogy. Our goal is an educational process in which teachers, leaders, and teacher educators draw upon multidisciplinary research and direct urban inquiry to serve all students well. We welcome prospective teachers to this vital, sometimes daunting but always exhilarating, challenge.

Arts Teaching Program

Meet Your UITE Team!

Meet Your Advisors

Karla Motta

Karla is your Academic Bridge Coordinator. Karla works in collaboration with local high schools, community organizations and university members to provide academic, career, and financial advising to education teaching majors. When she is not on campus, you can find her indulging in the great outdoors of Utah as well as the many eateries Salt Lake City offers.

Sara Hatch

Sara is your Academic Advisor. Sara is extremely invested in helping students achieve their academic goals. She enjoys interacting with students, introducing them to the resources they need to be successful, and helping students explore the great opportunities higher education can provide. Outside of work, Sara enjoys reading, going to plays, and spending time with friends and family.

Meet Your Faculty

John Funk

Elementary Education

Peggy McCandless

Elementary Education

Kerry Herman

Elementary Education

Sheree Springer

Instructor/Supervisor

Udita Gupta

Secondary Education

Mary Burbank

UITE Director

Get REAL!

Teacher Education at the University of Utah

You can Make a Difference!

Congratulations to Tyler Davenport, UITE's Elementary Education Degree and Licensure student Learn More about Tyler's Capstone Project here.

Perhaps we must answer the question Why Teach? with Why Not?!

University of Utah Teacher Education Program Accorded National Accreditation

The University of Utah’s teacher licensure program receives national accreditation approval through the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). Approval through CAEP is in compliance with federal and state requirements for institutions offering teacher education programs.

A College-Wide Commitment to Urban Teacher Education

The Urban Institute for Teacher Education, in conjunction with the four departments in the College of Education and academic colleges throughout the University of Utah, prepares undergraduate and graduate teacher candidates in early childhood, elementary, and secondary education. Through a college-wide core curriculum future teachers acquire the knowledge and skills in areas that include: school-family partnerships, multicultural education, educational law, assessment, special education, classroom management, and educational research. Classroom and community experiences through practica and service learning focus on issues of equity, access, and social justice for contemporary students, teachers, and families.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

The Urban Institute for Teacher Education is currently in partnership with several programs, clinics and research centers that will become part of the new Beverly Taylor Sorenson Arts and Education Complex. These include The Center for Integrating Arts into Academic Learning in conjunction with the College of Fine Arts; The Center for Math and Science Education in conjunction with the College of Science; the Utah Education Policy Center; the Masters in World Languages Program and the English as a Second Language Endorsement Program in conjunction with the College of Humanities, the College of Education Reading and Literacy Center, the University of Utah Reading Clinic; the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Center for Community of Caring; the Center for Applied Technology in Education; and a college-wide focus on k-16 education for students from ethnically and culturally diverse families as a coordinated effort with the College of Education's partnership with the University Neighborhood Partners (UNP) program.