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About CASTL The Center has a particular emphasis on the challenges to successful teaching and learning posed by poverty, social or cultural isolation, or lack of resources in communities under stress. By integrating University initiatives in the Curry School of Education and the College of Arts and Sciences, CASTL is an interdisciplinary mechanism for advancing scientifically-based policy and practice in teacher education, student learning, and the quality of classroom teaching, working to ensure that all children in schools and classrooms across the country have access to high-quality teaching and learning experiences. The Center is engaged in programs of research evaluating and improving the quality of pre-service teacher education, designing new mechanisms for the study and support of teachers in the field, understanding classroom conditions that maximize students' engagement in learning, and integrating teachers' knowledge in the arts and sciences with their skills in transmitting this knowledge to students of all ages. Included in the Center's portfolio of work is an innovative approach to using technology and observational research on teaching to provide direct support to teachers at any location, an advancement that can revolutionize the role of research universities in the training of teachers. The work of the Center is designed to showcase the University of Virginia as a national leader in the science of classroom teaching and learning that in turn fosters students' success in all areas of life.
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