About the American University Partnership

Beginning with Cohort 2022, Urban Teachers and the American University School of Education have teamed up to give participants the best of clinical preparation and master’s-level coursework. Through this collaboration, all Urban Teachers participants engage in clinical coursework leading to a Master of Arts in Teaching degree. While the master’s degree is a critical component of the overall Urban Teachers program, participants are eligible for full certification/licensure only by Urban Teachers and only through successful completion of the first three years of the Urban Teachers program.

The Urban Teachers program prepares new teachers to succeed through a rigorous clinical preparation model whose coursework is primarily practice-based, not simply theoretical. The majority of the coursework occurs during the first year of the program (including Summer A), with only seven or eight graduate courses taken during the second year of the program (including Summer B). Along the way, participants work with clinical faculty and coaches, who lead coursework and provide coaching at clinical sites (host schools). The goal is to equip participants with the tools and knowledge they will need to be effective. 

Urban Teachers Residents and first-year Fellows are fully enrolled graduate students at the American University School of Education and have access to the benefits that accompany this status; the expectations of this academic community are also incumbent on members of the Urban Teachers community.

The American University School of Education and Urban Teachers clinical faculty and staff are dedicated to providing a high-quality educational experience designed to meet participants’ academic, personal, and professional goals. In turn, the university and Urban Teachers expect participants to maintain the academic and professional standards established for the programs of study. These standards apply to all aspects of graduate programs of study, and includes courses, practicum, and research-related activities.