Urban Educators Cohort Program
Students attending the nation’s urban schools deserve teachers who will remain committed to the job no matter how school budgets and reform efforts fumble. They need teachers who know how to cultivate the resources and potential others may fail to notice—so that all learners have the best chances to succeed. Those teachers are starting their preparation through the Urban Educators Cohort Program at Michigan State University.
The Urban Educators Cohort Program helps students gain the knowledge and skills they will need to teach in communities where resources and services are most limited. Through focused courses and guided teaching experiences during students’ first two years at Michigan State University, UECP is the foundation for preparing educators uniquely qualified to teach in urban school districts – and to meet the needs of all learners.
Are you prepared for the challenge?
Students in the Urban Educators Cohort Program get experience teaching in urban areas like Lansing, Grand Rapids and Detroit.
Program Director
Terry Flennaugh
Michigan State University
Erickson Hall
East Lansing, MI 48824
Phone: 517-353-9337
Email: flennaug@msu.edu
The UECP is a demanding program which prepares you for the most challenging of educational settings. It is precisely the challenge I came to this university to find, a program that is not only invested in my education, but one that pushes me to be the best teacher I can be.
Incoming first-year students at Michigan State University interested in learning more about urban education at the elementary or secondary level.
Students from any background, especially those interested in high-need teaching areas such as math, science, special education or English as a second language.
Our director is Associate Dean Terry Flennaugh.
Students attending our nation’s urban schools deserve teachers who have the knowledge, skills and dispositions to seize t
he opportunities and meet the challenges present in these learning environments. We know that teachers in urban schools play immensely important roles in either the perpetuation of highly problematic frameworks of teaching and learning in urban communities, or the dissemination of liberating pedagogies among communities most affected by systemic discrimination. That is why students in urban schools need teachers who know how to cultivate the resources and potential that others may fail to notice—so that all learners have the best chances to succeed. Those teachers are starting their preparation through the Urban Educators Cohort Program (UECP) at Michigan State University. UECP gives future educators the tools to understand the history and effects of social, cultural, political and economic issues that play out in urban schools, and to effectively meet the needs of all learners.
As a member of UECP, you will become part of a close-knit program along with peers who spend their freshman and sophomore years at MSU together visiting real classrooms and taking specialized courses together. You will receive instruction from renowned faculty in Urban Education and all the benefits of the nation’s top-ranked teacher preparation program, with a distinctly urban focus.
Through program participation, you will:
- Examine the role of sociocultural issues in teaching and learning
- Understand structures of power, privilege & oppression
- Embrace cross-cultural differences
- Create inclusive learning environments
- Connect with families & communities
UECP students spend time in real schools and classrooms early in their preparation at MSU, through the end of their fifth-year internship. Special opportunities for UECP students include:
- Educational tours in Chicago and Detroit
- Special invitations to tutor, attend seminars and participate in undergraduate research
- Mentoring from successful urban teachers and administrators
- The (paid) Urban Immersion Fellowship in Detroit each summer
- Special consideration for College of Education Undergraduate Scholarships
- Official transcript acknowledgment of UECP Program Completion
Please explore our website to learn more. We look forward to you joining our unique and exciting program!
Best Wishes,
Terry Flennaugh, Ph.D.
Cohort members move through freshman and sophomore years as a cohesive group, taking special sections of teacher education courses together. The classes are specifically designed to help students understand social, cultural and financial issues associated with urban schools. Students move into the formal teacher preparation program at MSU during their junior year. See the Program Requirements for more information.
Below is an outline of the UECP program requirements. Students must enroll in UECP designated sections for TE 101 and 102. Descriptions can be found on the MSU Course Description website.
Information about the teacher preparation program can be found on the Department of Teacher Education’s Teacher Preparation website.