College of Education and Social Work

Urban Teacher Track courses are the same courses required for EGP and MGP but with an urban lens. There are no new courses in the UTT. The sections that are part of the Urban Teacher Track meet all of the required course objectives.

A pacing guide with suggested electives is available.

Courses in the Urban Teacher Track pay special attention to topics related to diversity, equity and inclusion in an urban context. While these issues may be part of other contexts, they are often the most pressing in urban ones. The faculty who teach in the UTT have experience and interest in teaching in an urban context. Urban Teacher Track courses with field components will have placements in urban schools.

The Urban Teaching Track pacing guide is available. The pacing guide shows recommendations for the semester to take each course. Taking courses in the recommended semesters facilitates going through those semesters with many of the same group of students.

Courses in the Urban Teacher Track have the .44 suffix in their course number. The exception to that is EGP 400 which uses the .90 suffix because it is an online course.

You don’t have to decide this now. You should have an interest in working in racially, economically, linguistically, culturally marginalized communities and for engaging with issues of equity, social justice, and racial justice in education.

Under the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program, you may eligible for loan forgiveness up to $17,500 if you teach full-time for five consecutive academic years in a low-income school or educational service agency. See their website for more

Additionally, through the Teach Grants you can receive $4000 per year toward tuition by committing to teaching in schools with lower income.

Yes. See details are available on the TEACH Grants website.

Taking courses in the Urban Teacher Track will not interfere with or delay your ability to gain Teacher Candidacy or graduate on time.

• Find a course with the UTT Suffix .44 and sign up.
• If you have questions contact Dr. Paul Sylvester at psylvester@wcupa.edu

Can I just take one course? What semester do I start?

You can take any or all the Urban Teacher Track courses. You can join the Track at any point in your time at West Chester after the completion of your first semester, although for most programs UTT courses begin in Semester 3 with the CISE Program.

What semester can I start taking courses in the Urban Teacher Track?

You can join the Track at any point in your time at West Chester after the completion of your first semester, although for most programs UTT courses begin in Semester 3 with the CISE Program.

Do I need to apply to be part of the UTT?

You do not need to apply to be part of the Urban Teacher Track. Just sign up for one or more of the sections designated as part of the Track with the course suffix .44. So, for example, the Urban Teacher Track section of EGP220 is EGP 220.44.

What is the Community Intensive Semester for Educators (CISE)? Is it part of the Urban Teacher Track?

Student in the CISE program spend three full days per week in a K-8 urban public school in West Philadelphia and have up to five of their WCU courses taught on-site. Typically, students take part in CISE during the fall semester of their sophomore year.

Students in CISE learn:

• To understand the context in which students are growing and learning
• To center the wisdom of historically marginalized communities as a source of knowledge for teaching
• To challenge deficit perspectives that are sometimes held about students, families, and schools in neighborhoods that are under-resourced and serve students who have been historically marginalized by race, socio-economic status or language.

What is the is Youth Empowerment and Urban Studies (YES) Minor? Is it part of the Urban Teacher Track?

The Youth Empowerment and Urban Studies minor is perfect complement to the Urban Teacher Track. We recommend starting with YES 250: Introduction to Youth and Urban Community Work. Course descriptions can be found here.

 If in exploring urban issues, RUCCAS major is good

How do I complete the track? Are there courses required to be part of the Urban Teacher Track? 

While students are encouraged to take all of the Urban Teacher Track courses for their program there is no required number of courses. We want students to feel free to begin taking the UTT courses at any time in their career at West Chester.

Will taking courses in the Urban Teacher Track interfere with or delay my ability to gain Teacher Candidacy or graduate on time?

Taking courses in the Urban Teacher Track will not interfere with or delay your ability to gain Teacher Candidacy or graduate on time.