AAMU Addressing Shortage of STEM Teachers in Alabama Through AAMUTeach Program

Next week, Alabama A&M University will officially launch a new program geared toward creating more graduates prepared to teach STEM subjects in secondary schools. A $2 million grant from the Alabama Commission on Higher Education will create AAMUTeach, Alabama A&M’s iteration of the UTeach program which combines rigorous subject matter preparation with secondary teaching certification without adding time or cost to four-year degrees. One of the program mottos is: One degree, two career paths.

UTeach is a renowned university-based STEM teacher preparation program founded at The University of Texas at Austin. With the introduction of AAMUTeach, Alabama A&M joins more than 50 universities across the nation, and only three other Historically Black Universities (Norfolk State, Virginia State, and Prairie View A&M) who have implemented the UTeach model. Six state-supported Alabama universities were selected to launch programs this year through over $14 million in Alabama STEM Council grant funding:

• Alabama A&M University
• Auburn University
• Auburn University at Montgomery
• Athens State University
• University of South Alabama
• University of West Alabama

Members of the UTeach team and representatives from the Alabama STEM Council will be on hand for an AAMUTeach launch celebration scheduled for 4:00 P.M. Wednesday, April 5 at the Alabama A&M University Knight Center.

“We’re excited about this opportunity to create cross-college collaboration in new ways,” said Dr. Nathan Blom, Assistant Professor of Education (CEHBS) and Education Co-director of AAMUTeach. “This program will give our students new options and additional support for success.” 

AAMUTeach pairs Alabama A&M’s powerhouse STEM programs with its top-performing teacher education program to prepare highly-skilled graduates for the classroom. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) comprise just 3% of colleges and universities in the U.S. but produce 24% of Black students with bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields and 25% of Black students with bachelor’s degrees in education. Assistant Professor of Physics (CETPS) and AAMUTeach STEM Co-director, Dr. Vernessa Edwards says AAMU will leverage its unique position as Alabama’s largest HBCU to address educator shortages across the state.

“Our students have experienced the shortage of STEM teachers first-hand in their secondary schools,” said Edwards. “Along with earning their degrees, our students are going to be equipped to fill those gaps. We lead the state in producing minority STEM graduates. AAMUTeach takes that superlative bragging right to a new level in terms of impact.”

Collectively, the university-based Alabama UTeach programs are expected to produce up to 530 STEM teachers for the state during the grant period. Up to 100 students will form the first cohort of AAMUTeach in August. For information on becoming an AAMUTeach student, please contact Dr. Nathan Blom at nathan.blom@aamu.edu.