Resources from the Center for Educational Outreach

We provide in-person and web-based education and resources for teachers, students, and the general public—all designed to improve science teaching and learning, while promoting science skills and literacy, and general understanding of clinical and basic biomedical research.

The Center for Educational Outreach (the Center) in the Department of Education, Innovation, and Technology was established in 1996 to improve biomedical, basic science, and health education across the K–16 continuum and to increase opportunities for underrepresented populations to access careers in medicine, science, and the health professions. 

Today, the Center provides in-person and web-based education and resources for teachers, students, and the public to advance science teaching and learning, promote science skills and science literacy, and improve general understanding of clinical and basic biomedical research. Through partnerships with museums, school districts, colleges, and universities, and through its own independently run programs, the Center addresses a broad range of needs across the educational continuum. In part through these efforts, Baylor is recognized as a leader among U.S. medical schools for its contributions to informal and precollege science and health education, and for its commitment to program evaluation and research on best practices for science and health education.

In 1972, a joint venture between Baylor College of Medicine and the Houston Independent School District (HISD) led to the creation of the nation’s first standalone health professions high school: Houston’s High School for Health Professions. From the start, the school made local and national headlines, and in 1982, the Division of School-Based and Minority Student Programs was established within Baylor’s Center for Allied Health Professions to coordinate activities with HISD at the High School for Health Professions. The new division quickly expanded upon its original charge by attracting extramural funding to create summer minority undergraduate programs and magnet health professions high schools in South Texas, and to build upon the college’s long-standing commitment to science teacher professional development. By 1996, the division’s growth, and its success in helping the college address community problems associated with educational and career access issues, led then-Baylor president William Butler, MD, to establish an academic program known as the Center for Educational Outreach. 

The enduring success of the partnership between BCM and the High School for Health Professions—renamed the Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions in 1996 as a tribute to pioneering surgeon and educator Michael E. DeBakey, MD, who frequently met with and inspired the school’s students—has inspired the formation of other medical school–high school partnerships; broadened the efforts of BCM and the Center to improve biomedical, basic science, and health education across the K–16 continuum; and increased opportunities for students to participate in health sciences education and practice.

BioEd Online and SuperSTAAR feature educational tools for biology and related subjects, including teaching resources, streaming video presentations, teaching slide sets, inquiry-based classroom activities, and complete teaching resources (PreK through grade 12).

Our educational programs for middle school, high school, and undergraduate students provide pathways to careers in medicine and the health sciences.

The Center provides a range of in-person and online learning experiences for educators.

Meet the members of the Department of EIT Center for Educational Outreach team.

Generous and continuing support helps the Center advance its educational mission.

The Center collaborates with scientists and educators in a wide range of specialties.

Center for Catholic Education

The foundation of the Center for Catholic Education is based on the Catholic, Jesuit identity of Saint Louis University.

Catholic school closures in 2020 disproportionately impacted underserved families and non-Catholic families, creating a new sense of urgency to continue faith-driven educational opportunities.

Through our innovative practices, our mission is to:

To fulfill our mission, the Center encompasses five focus areas of Catholic education at SLU:

Graduate programs in educational leadership at SLU have a far-reaching impact by serving students in St. Louis, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Little Rock, and Oklahoma City. The Master of Arts in Educational Leadership with a concentration in Catholic education is designed to prepare students for school-level leadership positions in Catholic schools. The Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership with a concentration in Catholic education is designed to prepare students to become executive-level leaders in Catholic education. 

The Billiken Teacher Corps (BTC) is a unique service-learning opportunity for faith-driven college graduates to have a transformative impact in under-resourced Catholic schools in the St. Louis area. For two years, the fellows live in an intentional faith community while teaching full time and earning their Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree with full tuition remission. As of spring 2021, there are 29 alumni of the BTC program; 93% of these alums are employed in education. Billiken Teacher Corps alums often continue their studies in doctoral education programs at SLU, increasing their impact in the community. The Billiken Teacher Corps has also recently expanded to serve the children in St. Patrick’s Catholic School in Springfield, Illinois. This is the first time that the BTC has partnered with a school outside of the St. Louis metropolitan area.

The Grow Your Own Teacher program offers an opportunity to high school graduates who would like to teach in an under-resourced Catholic elementary school that they attended. These students may apply for the Grow Your Own Teacher scholarship fund and earn their Bachelor of Arts in Education at Saint Louis University.

Access Academies at Saint Louis University propels middle school students in urban Catholic schools who have been historically underserved through high school and on to college and career success. Access provides enrichment programs, counseling in middle school through high school, and scholarships for high school. The School of Education also partners with Access Academies to help provide summer tutors for their Summer Bridge Program. Access’s partnership with three local schools —St. Louis Catholic Academy, Sister Thea Bowman, and St. Cecilia—strengthens SLU’s connection to students in Catholic schools. This also allows Access Academies to leverage the School of Education’s expertise, data research, and the Billiken Teacher Corps to enhance its programming. 

Through our Beyond Home Initiative, we provide scholarships for Catholic educators in the developing world. The Center for Catholic Education is making an impact through its partnership with the Belize 2020 organization, a group based in St. Louis that provides volunteers and funding that support the Jesuit schools and parishes in Belize, Central America. Based on the theory of change for international outreach to “train the trainer,” Belizean Catholic school teachers and students return home after earning their graduate degree at SLU and serve as teacher-leaders who work alongside and coach their colleagues.

The Center for Catholic Education at Saint Louis University is uniquely positioned to serve as a hub to study best practices in Catholic education through its connection with: