Chapter 15: Uteach Nation: How Teacher Educators Create Communities of Practice and Professional Development Within the UTeach Network

In this chapter, we discuss how novice teacher educator (TE) learning is impacted not only by interactions with other TEs, but also by the intersection of work with in-service teachers in communities of practice centered on teacher preparation. UTeach is a university-based model for secondary STEM teacher preparation programs (TPPs) that has grown into a national network of 56 TPPs at universities in 23 states. The mission of UTeach is to create innovative university-based TPPs that increase the number of qualified STEM teachers in U.S. secondary schools (UTeach Institute, 2022b). These TPPs share common characteristics, such as early and frequent field experiences (Goodell & Koç, 2020), a central role of practitioner TEs, and continued commitment to alumni engagement through graduate tracking and community services provided by the UTeach STEM Educators Association (USEA). USEA is the national organization for UTeach programs and alumni (USEA, 2022b). Many UTeach programs also have their own active induction programs. These programs are designed to support recent graduates in their first few years of secondary STEM teaching through quality TE-led professional guidance. Aspects of the UTeach model most relevant to how TEs learn are (i) program faculty composition, (ii) resources offered through UTeach Nation, and (iii) TE professional learning with and from their graduates.