About the Academy for Teacher Excellence
The Academy for Teachers Excellence has been established as hub for school districts, community colleges and UTSA to collaboratively research, design, implement and evaluate educational programs that address emerging, statewide and local educational issues associated with a growing diverse student population. A major focus is the implementation of a Title V, Hispanic Serving Institutions grant, is to leverage resources in the community to better prepare teachers in classrooms with a diverse student population. To that end, this project will guide the preparation of over 300 teachers in a span of five years who will demonstrate the attitudes, knowledge and skills of a “great teacher.” A variety of tools are used to accomplish this goal. one of them being a learning community.

The Academy for Teacher Excellence has five interrelated components that form its overall approach:

Component Goals

Learning Community
Support Hispanic students to overcome financial, psycho-social, and institutional barriers that traditionally hinder their full participation in a university program.

Institutional and Faculty Development
Increase the sensitivity and preparation of faculty to address these barriers within their delivery of instruction and “sphere of influence”; Increasing the number of UTSA and San Antonio College teacher preparation programs that become nationally recognized by their success in addressing the increasing cultural and linguistic diversity of the student population in this country.

Research
Conduct quantitative and qualitative research that informs administrators, teachers, university faculty and community members with “best practices” that close the educational gap and set the educational standard among diverse student groups in this country.

School Partnership
Create school, community and university linkages that assume responsibility to “leave no child behind” and are accountable for the academic success of all students through a seamless K-16 educational system.

Counseling/Induction Support
Support student during their university journey and their first year of teaching through counseling services that respect and embrace cultural diversity.