The National Math and Science Initiative has announced grants totaling $12 million to twelve universities working to implement the UTeach teacher preparation program.

Having already raised matching funds and met performance benchmarks, each university will receive a $1 million grant to create an endowment for the program, which seeks to recruit and train college students to become math and science teachers. The grant recipients are Florida State University, Louisiana State University, Northern Arizona University, Temple University, the University of California, Berkeley, the University of California, Irvine , the University of Colorado at Boulder, the University of Florida, the University of Houston, the University of North Texas, the University of Texas at Dallas, and Western Kentucky University.

Since 2008, NMSI, in partnership with the UTeach Institute, has worked to expand the program to thirty-four universities, including the original UT Austin site. With support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, NMSI plans to expand the program to ten tier one research universities in 2013. At present, more than six thousand students are enrolled in the UTeach program — a number that is expected to double over the next five years.

"These grants will ensure that these universities can continue producing the math and science teachers of tomorrow," said NMSI chief executive Sara Martinez Tucker. "Our country needs well-prepared teachers who can spark the imagination of our students and equip them for the challenges of tomorrow. No program is more effective at that preparation than UTeach."