Teachers as Scholars represents both a new vision of professional development and a vital collaboration between college and university faculty and public school teachers.  Through this program, K-12 teachers participate in small seminars led by leading professors in the Humanities, Social Sciences and Sciences, and are, thus, connected to the world of scholarship- the reason many of them became teachers in the first place.  –Woodrow Wilson Foundation

History and Purpose

Teachers as Scholars was founded at Harvard University in 1996.  The originators of the TAS movement hoped that they could provide public educators with a resource to increase knowledge in their field of scholarship.  Since its inception, TAS has grown to include universities and public schools across the country.

Teachers as Scholars allows teachers the time to reflect and become students again and converse on academic topics and issues.  TAS seeks to encompass educators from every grade level and every area of content expertise.  The purpose of TAS is not to engage teachers in meta-educational thought and discussion, but rather to allow the teachers to return to the classroom and learn new scholarly information from leading academic professors.

As the standards for primary and secondary public school students are constantly being raised, Teachers as Scholars seminars share state-of-the-art knowledge with public school teachers.  This learning atmosphere has proven to be successful, and most teachers leave each seminar with renewed interest in scholarship and fresh ideas for innovative curriculum. 

Local Impact

Trinity University introduced the Teachers as Scholars program to San Antonio area school districts in 2003 school year.  Thirteen seminars were offered in the spring semester of 2005, based on topics in academic content areas that have been identified through needs expressed by school teachers and administrators.  In 2006, the Teachers as Scholars program offered 22 new seminars. In the fall of 2007, Trinity University will offer 10 new seminars.

Seminars and Registration

Click here to access the fall 2007 Teachers as Scholars brochure and application.

For additional information about the program, contact Catherine Morell Nickle at (210) 999-7583 or email TAS@trinity.edu.

Who is eligible:

Any teacher employed by a public school system belonging to Trinity University’s Center for Educational Leadership is eligible to participate. This includes all districts in Bexar County and the New Braunfels and Comal Independent School districts.

For seminars with limited enrollment, registration will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Power Point - Teachers as Scholars

Links

Contact Stephanie Wilson at (210) 999-7583 for more information.