Here's what I mean

I have said many times that I would prefer a teacher ed program in which collegians received a major in a field of study other than education, they earned licensure on top of that liberal degree.

This is what I'm talking about.

In the UTeach program, none of the students are education majors, but rather they major in another field, often in the College of Natural Sciences.

Early recruiting of top natural sciences majors is key. UTeach students have SAT scores that are above the average for the College of Natural Sciences and have higher grade-point averages.

The students are given early and continued field experience. Typical education majors wouldn't visit a classroom until the end of their college career; UTeach students are put in front of a class as freshmen.

"We've come up with a revolutionary idea. And that's that you shouldn't teach if you don't like kids," Marder said.

By comparison, the popular Teach for America program recruits students from all majors and asks participants to commit to two years. But UTeach students leave expecting teaching to be a long-term career.

Since UTeach's inception, the university has doubled the number of math and science teachers that it produces, Marder said.

UTeach teachers also appear to stay in the classroom longer, he said. According to information collected from graduates, about 70 percent of UTeach students are still in the classroom five years after they enter the profession, compared with about 50 percent of teachers nationally.

Because of those numbers, many education experts — particularly those concerned about the country's global competitiveness in math and science — have taken notice.

Already, UTeach-influenced programs have been put in place at Louisiana State University and in California.