About UALSA

The Urban Agriculture and Life Sciences Academy (UALSA) will build the capacity of agricultural
educators to recruit and retain the next generation of urban agriculturalists by increasing
engagement, knowledge acquisition, and knowledge retention of students using culturally
responsive pedagogy.

For this project, 36 agricultural educators from Chicago Agricultural Sciences, Vincent, and Saul high schools will be selected for membership into the Academy and
receive training through face-to-face instruction and field experiences on how to identify and
embed culturally appropriate examples into their agriculture and life sciences (ALS) curriculum for
nontraditional agriculture students. The goal of this culturally responsive curriculum is to
encourage student identity expression, increase problem-solving skills, and strengthen career
aspirations related to ALS in urban settings.