Enabling More Science Teachers

University Of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

Noyce Scholarships are enabling 52 students who would not otherwise have the financial resources to continue as graduate students to pursue a science teaching credential at UCLA. This project targets and recruits senior science majors who are interested in teaching, who have family ties and commitments in the local communities of our partner schools, and who wish to remain in the geographical region. The persistence of these credentialed teachers stems from a research-based Science Teacher Education Program that prepares teachers to have the commitment, capacity, and resilience to teach in schools with diverse populations who are underrepresented in STEM disciplines. As students in this program, they are supported by a cadre of faculty and peers from the first credential year of coursework, through the challenging initial year of teaching and M.Ed completion, and into the subsequent early career years. Teacher isolation is addressed by developing cohorts within the targeted schools and placement into the schools in pairs, providing a built-in peer support network.