California Teach Program
UC Santa Cruz
359-369 Thimann Labs
PB Sci Dean's Office
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95064

Phone: (831) 459-2226
Fax: (831) 459-2979
Email: calteach@ucsc.edu

Related Links:

Physical & Biological Sciences

UCSC Home

About the Program
Home › About Cal Teach › About the Program

The goal of Cal Teach is to increase the number and retention of new highly qualified science and mathematics teachers in California. A sequence of three school-based K-12 internships and accompanying UCSC seminars are central to the Cal Teach program and are designed to foster undergraduates’ interest in and preparation for teaching careers. Cal Teach also provides undergraduate advising, special enrichment opportunities (see events), and information and resources for exploring and pursuing teaching careers.

UCSC undergraduates, as well as prospective transfer students from regional community colleges (e.g. Cabrillo, Hartnell, Gavilan, and Monterey Peninsula College), who are planning to complete an undergraduate major in science, mathematics, or engineering are eligible to participate. Students may begin their Cal Teach involvement any year.

UCSC Administrative and Academic Structure

UCSC’s Cal Teach program is based in the Physical and Biological Sciences Division. Physical and Biological Sciences Dean, Stephen Thorsett, is the administrative lead for UCSC’s Cal Teach program.  Gretchen Andreasen is the Resource Center Director, and Bruce Cooperstein (Mathematics), Grant Hartzog (MCD Biology) and Trish Stoddart (Education) are the faculty co-directors.  Professor Stoddart is also the UCSC faculty representative to and the co-chair of the UC-wide Academic Senate Science and Mathematics Initiative Working Group (SMIWG), which is advising the UC Office of the President on California Teach.  Faculty and staff from the Education Department and across the Physical and Biological Sciences and Engineering Divisions have been and will be engaged in planning and implementing the program.

History

Cal Teach is the programmatic expression of UC’s Science and Mathematics Initiative, which was developed in response to the Governor’s call in May 2004 for the preparation of more highly qualified secondary science and math teachers to help California meet its workforce needs. Across the UC system, science, engineering, and education faculty and administrators are working to develop and implement a strong program. In addition, UC is collaborating with the California Community College system and the California State University system to facilitate smooth transfers among these institutions during the undergraduate years and for the post-graduate teacher internship or credential program.

On most campuses, the first cohort of students began their internship experiences in the later part of the 2005-06 academic year. At UCSC, in spring quarter 2006, Cal Teach formally began with a class of 50 undergraduates placed in paid supervised field experiences in middle and high school classrooms while concurrently enrolled in the first of a series of Cal Teach seminar courses, CaT1. In each subsequent year the program has added a more advanced CaT experience until 2008-09 when the most advanced, CaT4, was instituted for fourth year students.