PETE is part of a larger systemic reform effort in education across the El Paso region

In early 1992, the President of the University of Texas at El Paso brought together the key stakeholders in the educational community of El Paso--the superintendents of the three largest school districts (representing 130,000 students), the president of El Paso Community College, the heads of the two chambers of commerce, the Mayor and the County Judge, and the Lead Organizer of EPISO, the most active and effective grass-roots community organization in the region. Together, they launched the El Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence, which was to be a community-wide systemic reform effort aimed at improving the academic achievement of all students in El Paso, K-16. The initial thrust would be placed on working to improve the existing teaching force in the schools.

The El Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence has functioned as a broad systemic reform umbrella under which more specific reform efforts are launched. The PETE program, with its focus on developing excellence in preservice teacher preparation in mathematics and the sciences, was designed to complement and extend the initial effort of the Collaborative, especially the National Science Foundation Urban Systemic Initiative (USI). The PETE project is also carefully coordinated with other major reform efforts in the university, especially the Alliance for Minority Participation (AMP), Model Institutions for Excellence (MIE), and the Mathematics and Science Partnership (MSP).

Results from the PETE project has established strong relationships among partners. In the Fall of 2000, the College of Education and the College of Science, along with the College of Liberal Arts, received a Department of Education  Teacher Quality Enhancement Grant. The community of learners expanded to include Region 19, EPCC, and more of the surrounding school districts. PETE funding provided the impetus for the College of Education along with the College of Science to develop and put in place a degree plan for all elementary and middle school pre-service teachers that required more courses in mathematics and science than previous degree plans. Students in  secondary education have the option of selecting new majors in Earth Science, Life/Earth Science, Natural Sciences and Physical Sciences. These new majors more closely match the needs of the schools. Selected mathematics, science and education courses were reformed to reflect current research based recommendations on teaching and learning and national/state standards. As of Spring of 2001, all of the required science and mathematics methods courses were taught at the partner schools, schools closely tied to the College of Education. Participation in professional development activities by NSF/CETP?PETE Scholars was the anticipated outcome of developing this strong network of current and former scholars and faculty in mathematics and science. This network formed the basis for the PETE graduate  studies  and induction program.