Long before entering college, Candace Berrier knew that her heart was in teaching. By the time she reached high school, she discovered her path in special education while working with at-risk youth. “I choose to work in special education because I believe in teaching students in the way that they… read more
Teacher Spotlight: Angela Lara, Shriner’s Hospital for Children
During her first year as a graduate student at The University of Texas at Austin, Angela Lara struggled to adjust to the pace and rigor of college life on a sprawling campus so far from home in Guadalajara, Mexico. “I went through very difficult times when I wanted… read more
Staff Spotlight: Abram Cruz, Desktop Support Specialist
On any given workday, Abram Cruz is on the move. When he’s not at UT Elementary School helping teachers and staff with their technology needs, he’s busy providing IT services at one of the many UT-University Charter School (UT-UCS) campuses. The best part of the job, he says, is watching… read more
Teacher Spotlight: Brenda Deemer, Lead UT-UCS Teacher at Cedar Crest
Growing up, Brenda Deemer always felt right at home in the classroom. She often fancied the thought of staying in school forever. Yet later into her adult years, the idea of becoming a teacher never really occurred to her until she started volunteering as a Sunday school teacher at a… read more
Teacher Spotlight: Randall Jackson, UT-UCS Career Education Teacher
Before embarking on his decades-long career in teaching, Randall Jackson found his passion for helping others while working in hospitals and in the U.S. Peace Corps. When deciding on a college major, he realized the best way to continue his good work was to teach. Now, 15 years into his… read more
Kathleen Daniels – Staff Member of the Year
Back when Kathleen Daniels was growing up, she discovered her calling in education when she helped her mom decorate the classroom before the rst day of school. She always felt right at home grading papers, cleaning the chalkboard and organizing her mother’s desk. Yet when she got to college, she… read more
Ashley Johnson – Teacher of the Year
For Ashley Johnson, teaching isn’t just about getting students through the curriculum. It’s a family a air. In her one-room schoolhouse, the small group of young, soon-to-be mothers learn how to work together as a team and support each other through two of life’s big milestones: high school graduation… read more
First Response – A Q&A with RTI researcher Thea Woodruff
One of the many advantages of being a part of The University of Texas at Austin is having access to world-class research in Response to Intervention (RTI), a multi-tiered approach to keeping students on track and identifying learning gaps before they widen. This critical component is embedded in every classroom… read more
Author and founder of ‘Why Try’ Program Discusses the Power of Resilience
Last August, faculty and staff from the UT Charter School System came together at the UT Elementary School for the All-District Convocation. Keeping with this year’s theme, “Just Keep Swimming!” the event featured a special guest speaker who wrote the book on resilience. Everyone in the room received a copy… read more
Meet a Charter School Teacher
Since he was a kid, Thomas Delgado has always been fascinated with the natural world. While other boys his age were playing with video games and climbing trees, he was busy tinkering with his chemistry kit and telescope. Now a teacher at Laurel Ridge, a school within the DDCE’s University… read more