About the Johns Hopkins Partnership

Urban Teachers and the Johns Hopkins 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 Science in Education with a concentration in Educational Studies, and work toward teaching credentials in content and special education upon completion of the full Urban Teachers program. Urban Teachers and the Johns Hopkins School of Education collaborated to develop the master’s degree, designing the course sequence and each course from scratch, engaging outside experts to inform the work, and developing unique programs of study and courses. 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 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 the two summers, with only four or five graduate courses taken during the second year of the program. Courses vary in length. 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 Johns Hopkins 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 Johns Hopkins 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, internships, practicum, and research-related activities.