Urban Teachers is revolutionizing education. We are a four-year teacher training and certification program that not only educates, prepares, certifies and supports new educators to be successful career teachers, but positions aspiring educators to dismantle the racial and socioeconomic barriers that have kept children in urban areas from receiving the education they deserve.

Urban Teachers offers aspiring teachers a master’s degree in education from American University School of Education, coaching, mentoring and job placement in one of our three cities: Baltimore, Dallas, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. We believe that effective educators need more than just certification. Effective educators should be thoroughly trained, coached and guided by experts in the field to best serve the students in their classroom, setting them up for futures of success.

Our mission is to improve educational and life outcomes of children in urban schools by preparing culturally competent, effective career teachers who accelerate student achievement and disrupt systems of racial and socioeconomic inequity.

And our values support that work:

WE SERVE CHILDREN.

Children are the center of our work. We rely on the communities we serve to guide and inform the decisions we make about our curriculum, program and practice.

WE ARE AN ANTI-RACIST ORGANIZATION.

We are committed to ongoing knowledge seeking, reflection, and action to deliberately oppose racism. We are an inclusive organization that values the diversity of people, backgrounds and perspectives. We are active allies who pursue justice in the communities in which we live and work.

WE ARE LIFE-LONG LEARNERS.

We are dedicated to continuous improvement, innovation and excellence. We strive to be on the forefront of what is best for teacher education and students based on research and practice.

WE VALUE EACH OTHER.

We value each other as whole people. We are servant leaders who foster a supportive working environment that is empathetic and caring, and values direct, constructive feedback.

It is our vision that every student in the United States is taught by committed, well-prepared, culturally competent teachers.