April 16, 2004
Factsheet: Cal Poly-Cotchett Initiative
in Science and Math Teacher Education
Q: What is the purpose of the Cal Poly-Cotchett initiative in
science and mathematics teacher education?
A: The aim of the initiative is to help increase the number of
credentialed teachers of math and science in underserved regions of the
state. California has a total of 37,300 teachers who have not yet met
California’s qualifications for even a preliminary teaching credential.
Of these, 27% are math and science teachers.
Low-income area students are nearly three times more likely to be taught by under-prepared teachers than students from more affluent areas. Students in the lowest-achieving schools, measured by the state’s Academic Performance Index, are 4.5 times more likely to face under-prepared teachers than students in the highest-achieving schools.
Q: What are the program elements of the Cal Poly-Cotchett Initiative?
A: The initiative aims to develop programs to help ease the critical
shortage of credentialed math and science teachers in underserved areas,
as well as to serve as a model for other universities in their related
efforts. The most innovative elements of the initiative include:
- Cotchett Fellows Program for teachers who commit to working a minimum of two years in designated under-represented school districts. Fellows will receive a stipend during their credential year at Cal Poly, which will continue through their first two years of teaching.
- Summer Institute will bring teachers in math and science from around the state to Cal Poly for one to two weeks of intensive professional development to update their content knowledge and skills. Teachers will be given a stipend, room and board during their stay at Cal Poly.
- Other
program elements include a specialized summers-only master’s
program, scholarships for students in their credential year at Cal
Poly, a new teaching laboratory, and an endowed professorship in science
and mathematics teacher education.
Q: Who is eligible to participate in these programs?
A: The Summer Institute will be open to teachers statewide who need to
update their math and science backgrounds. Fellowship applicants should
demonstrate an interest in teaching in K-8 or in secondary math or science
in an underserved area of the state. Scholarship applicants should plan
to become K-8 teachers or secondary-school science or math teachers. Teachers
interested in the summers-only master’s degree program will seek
advanced intensive study in their field of teaching.
Q: Why focus on science and math teachers? Why not all teachers?
A: California students rank at or near the bottom among states
participating in national standardized tests in math and science, according
to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Yet, the state’s
economy is comprised of a high concentration of science and technology
businesses, requiring a continuous supply of science and technology leaders
and innovators. This sector is also where many of the most lucrative job
opportunities are, so it is only fair that people of all socio-economic
backgrounds be given the skills, knowledge and access needed to compete
for these types of jobs.
Q: Why are Joe and Victoria Cotchett interested in this cause?
A: Joe, who was raised in New York, and Victoria, a third generation
Californian, are active in numerous charitable organizations involving
children, women, minorities and animal protection. Joe Cotchett, consistently
named by the National Law Journal as one of the foremost trial lawyers
in the nation, has spent a lifetime championing the rights of the underprivileged.
Their desire for improving the education of young, low-income children
is fueled by the belief that if these students are taught by the best
teachers possible, and the desire for lifelong learning is sparked during
the K-12 years, opportunities for a better life for them are greatly enhanced.
Q: Why did the Cotchetts choose to partner with Cal Poly?
A: Joe Cotchett received his B.S. in engineering from Cal Poly,
often commenting that this hands-on education was one of the best learning
experiences of his life. For 11 consecutive years, Cal Poly has been ranked
as the best public, primarily undergraduate institution in the West by
U.S. World News and Report. So the partnership evolved from his desire
to help his alma mater in its efforts to enhance the educational opportunities
available to California’s students.
Q: What is the Cal Poly University Center for Teacher Education?
A: UCTE offers a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary set of
programs and activities, from undergraduate blended programs through post-baccalaureate
credential programs, master’s degrees, and the University’s
first doctoral offering. UCTE has its own core faculty, as well as associated
content educators and advisors from the Colleges of Science and Mathematics,
Agriculture and Liberal Arts. UCTE will administer the Cotchett donation
and coordinate the programs, in collaboration with the College of Science
and Mathematics.
Q: We hear a lot about issues related to diversity and access
to higher ed. How does this initiative address these issues?
A: The UCTE has a long history of outreach to under-represented
populations. The Cotchetts have a strong belief and commitment to equity.
This combination is producing an initiative that will include outreach
to and partnerships with under-represented schools, in order to recruit
more students from those schools to attend Cal Poly, to place more credentialed
teachers in those schools, and to provide professional development for
teachers from these schools.
Q: How can interested students and teachers apply for the programs?
A: Interested students and teachers may call UCTE at (805) 756-2126.
Information on applying for the programs will also be available soon on
the Cal Poly Web site at www.ucte.calpoly.edu/cotchett.
Click Here to return to the News Release on
the Cotchetts' gift.
Editors Note: All statistics come from "The Status of the Teaching Profession 2003" report by the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning, unless otherwise noted.