AUSTIN, Texas--UTeach Natural Sciences was named one of the Top 50 Innovations in American Government today by Harvard’s Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation.
Representing the work of city, county, state, federal and tribal government agencies, the Top 50 were selected from over 600 applicants. Six of these 50 will be named Innovations in American Government Award winners in September.
The Top 50 programs underwent rigorous rounds of evaluation by policy experts and practitioners from across the country. The Top 50 programs include 21 cities and towns, seven counties, one school district, 11 states, eight federal agencies, one tribal government, and one regional authority.
UTeach Natural Sciences was chosen for its record as an innovative secondary math and science teacher preparation program. Successes of the program include increased graduating class size (now 70 graduates annually), excellent teacher performance and retention (80 percent teachers still teaching after five years compared with 70 percent nationally), and national replication expansion.
“In this climate of economic uncertainty, these Top 50 innovative government programs demonstrate that creativity and innovation can still survive and flourish,” said Stephen Goldsmith, director of the Innovations in American Government Program at Harvard Kennedy School. “Despite strained budgets and diminishing resources, these programs prove that government continues to find solutions to pressing societal challenges.”
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