Urban Teaching Apprenticeship

The Urban Teaching Apprenticeship Program is a unique teacher education program committed to a student-centered approach to teaching and our belief that young people are curious, creative, and competent. 

Year-long apprenticeship in urban classroom

The year-long UTAP apprenticeship differs from traditional teacher education programs where students might spend only a short period—perhaps as little as 12 weeks—student teaching. Our apprenticeships begin in the summer and span 10 months, with over 800 hours of fieldwork, immersing our apprentices in the teaching environment. 

Summer start

Starting in the summer is a unique benefit of the UTAP program, setting it apart from other teacher education programs. Apprentices begin their field placements at community-based sites in the same Philadelphia neighborhoods where they will be placed in the fall. This allows our apprentices to develop a legitimate entry into the community, getting to know both children and their families, and beginning to experiment with student-centered practice explored during summer coursework. 

Purposeful mentorship and instructional coaching

Mentored field experiences are the core of UTAP’s practice-based approach to teacher preparation.

• Classroom Mentors are highly-skilled, practicing teachers who share their classrooms and knowledge with apprentices every day.
• Instructional Coaches are key members of our clinical faculty who co-teach courses and facilitate school-based studio days with partner schools to model practices in real time with real students.
• Penn Mentors work with apprentices at the school site weekly to provide ongoing support and help bridge university coursework to the field. Most Penn Mentors have 10 to 30 years of teaching experience in urban classrooms. 

A diverse and committed cohort

The UTAP program is cohort based: all apprentices begin and move through the program together, sharing classes and experiences in their schools. Grade level and content area specializations allow for smaller cohorts with a shared focus. We seek to build a diverse cohort of students who have demonstrated commitment to urban education and student-centered teaching. 

Advocacy & leadership: equity in education

UTAP prepares graduates to take on leadership roles, particularly those that position teachers as advocates for all students, effectively advocating for students within marginalized communities. 

Practitioner research to develop rigorous content teaching

UTAP models an inquiry stance, in which our apprentices see themselves not only as consumers of research but generators of it, using their own classrooms as sites for ongoing research and self-reflection to support deep student learning of content. View selections of Inquiry Portfolios developed by our students:

• Applied Science Learning, by Valerie Metzler
• Metacognition and Student Success, by Nina Mauche
• Queering the English Classroom, by Maddie Leubbert
• Student Teaching in Philadelphia, by Hillary Kover

Humanities Teaching Fellowship

The Humanities Teaching Fellowship is intended to support the preparation of teachers in high school English and/or history who are interested in teaching in schools that support students through student-centered approaches and use innovative approaches and tools for learning. Humanities Teaching Fellows must be admitted to the Urban Teaching Apprenticeship Program, M.S.Ed. in the Secondary English or Social Studies program. Fellows will be awarded a scholarship of $32,000. Applicants who apply for the high school English or social studies program are automatically considered for this Fellowship at the time of faculty review for admission. Faculty may reach out to request more information regarding your interest in the Fellowship.  Fellowship recipients must commit to completing the Project-Based Learning Certificate (at no additional cost) after finishing the 10-month UTAP program. This certificate does not require you to remain in the Philadelphia area, as the content is offered in a predominately virtual mode.

Penn GSE Empowerment Through Education Scholarship Program

This scholarship supports Penn GSE’s commitment to expanding access and ensuring that the Penn GSE community is inclusive in serving all people.  The scholarship will provide financial aid for students in the Urban Teaching Apprenticeship Program (UTAP), with priority consideration for students who are either members of a historically underrepresented group or who demonstrate a longstanding commitment to the service of marginalized and underserved populations.

UTAP applicants will be automatically considered for these awards at the time of application review and will be notified of award receipt at the time of admission notification. Note that consideration for this scholarship is independent of other merit-based and need-based awards and can be combined with other awards up to the cost of tuition.