UT Tyler Charter School in Palestine Recruiting for Grades K-12
June 30, 2023
- Home>About>News>Pressrelease>2023>UT Tyler Charter School in Palestine Recruiting for Grades K-12
UT Tyler Charter School in Palestine Recruiting for Grades K-12
Office of Marketing and Communications
Follow @UTTyler TweetJune 30, 2023
Media Contact: Hannah Buchanan
Editor/Writer–Strategic Communications & Media Relations
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.539.7196 (cell)
The University of Texas at Tyler University Academy campus in Palestine, an open enrollment university charter school, is recruiting for Grades K-12. Since the UA is a state-funded public charter school, there is no student tuition.
The campus was recently named a 2022-23 Project Lead The Way Distinguished School, and the district was also named a 2022-23 PLTW Distinguished District for the third consecutive year. UT Tyler UA is one of just 17 PLTW districts nationwide and the only one in Texas to receive such recognition this year.
This recognition honors districts committed to STEM education while increasing student access, engagement and achievement in their PLTW pathway programs in computer science, engineering and/or biomedical science.
“The UA is unique in that students have a focused STEM curriculum starting in kindergarten and culminating in our biomedical and engineering pathways in high school,” said Dr. Jo Ann Simmons, UA superintendent. “Our innovative project-based instruction coupled with our STEM pathways lead to lucrative careers.”
PLTW pathways also give the UA a competitive edge, Simmons said, noting that UA’s pathways are aligned with UT Tyler STEM majors, allowing for a seamless K-16 STEM education. Recent studies show that students who participate in PLTW outperform their peers in school, are better prepared for post-secondary studies and are more likely to consider STEM careers compared to their non-PLTW peers, according to Simmons. “Students find PLTW programs relevant, inspiring, engaging and foundational to their future success,” she added.
Students at the end of their UA education can earn 42 dual-credit hours through UT Tyler at no cost.
“Upon enrolling in dual credit, UA students become UT Tyler students, so the transition to the university is seamless,” Simmons said. UA dual credit programs aligned to UT Tyler STEM degrees include biology, chemistry, engineering, kinesiology, medicine, nursing, pharmacy and STEM education.
In addition to academics, UA students can participate in extracurricular activities such as the Palestine Rotary Club Academic Scholars Competition, Texas University Interscholastic League, Model United Nations and the UT Tyler East Texas High School Idea Challenge. They can also work with UT Tyler professors in research. Some recent research projects include the NASA GLOBE Air Quality Campaign (high school) and NASA Student Research Symposium (grades 5-12).
“Although the school is STEM focused, students receive a comprehensive core subject preparation including English language arts, fine arts, social studies, history, government and physical education,” she added.
Interested parents/guardians enrolling their child are encouraged to visit the campus, teachers and campus director Ummi (oo-me) Bodede (Bo-day-day). For enrollment and additional information, call 903.727.2326 or email ua-palestine@uttua.org.
The UT Tyler University Academy provides free, innovative and rigorous K-12 education using Project-Based Learning designed to prepare students for university study and the STEM workforce. The Palestine campus serves about 225 students. For more information, visit uttua.org.
With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to nearly 10,000 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.