For 35 years, the ACM Urban Education Program (UEP) has helped liberal arts students become successful urban teachers. The program offers many options for students to experience Chicago’s diverse educational resources, including student teaching internships at local schools, a sequence of courses leading to bilingual or English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsement, an intensive one-month course on multicultural and global awareness, and independant study options.

UEP seminars focus on the impact of schools on students, teachers and communities and the social, political and economic factors that influence urban school systems.

A Diverse Community
People from a wide range of ethnic, religious, linguistic and socio-economic backgrounds live in Chicago’s neighborhoods. With more than 80 cultures represented, the city’s schools reflect this diversity. Chicago is a rich, exciting place to study education and educational issues.

The schools used by UEP students are as diverse as the city itself. For teaching internships, students choose among many kinds of urban schools- public and private, traditional and alternative, multilingual and monolingual, magnet and neighborhood. Students attending shorter programs have the opportunity to observe at these same schools.

Collaborative Learning
UEP courses and internships are hands-on and collaborative, including field experience and peer coaching. Students work closely with cooperating teachers, faculty mentors and peers to analyze teaching methods, develop lesson plans and curricula, and evaluate their experience in the classroom.

The atmosphere at the program’s center, where students live, study and take seminars and courses, fosters this shared learning process. Program alumni work in schools throughout the Chicago area, providing a network of support for the program and its participants and, in some cases, supervising student teachers.

Contact Urban Education Program
5526 N. Magnolia Avenue
Chicago, IL 60640
Phone: 773/561-6606
FAX: 773/561-0652
Website Link