Noyce TF/MTF Planning Grant

University Of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst MA

Investigators

Abstract

The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMA) Teacher Fellowship/Master Teacher Fellowship (TF/MTF) Planning Grant supports the establishment of a partnership between UMA's Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies Department, the Colleges of Natural Sciences and Engineering; urban and rural high needs school districts (Springfield, Holyoke, Greenfield, Athol, Orange); and non-profit organizations in the Pioneer Valley for the purpose of developing a full Noyce Teacher Fellowship/Master Teacher Fellowship (TF/MTF) proposal. The project responds to a critical need for outstanding middle and high school teachers of science and mathematics. More than twenty planning meetings will be convened to develop professional development trajectories for Noyce Fellows. Partners will: 1) examine school districts' needs for professional development; 2) implement and address the results of a School Needs Assessment; 3) plan for revision of current UMA NCATE-approved teacher education programs; 4) develop a plan for Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoP's); 5) establish plans for meaningful connections for MTF's within the initial teacher licensure programs; and 6) form linkages between teacher education and research projects in UMass STEM/CASA. Via the UMA Planning Grant, partners will also seek resources for the required 50% matching funds needed in the full proposal. This planning grant will allow the partners to work towards the integration of research-based concepts and the creation of a successful teacher education program that will address the concerns of high-needs school districts to acquire and retain effective teachers. Central goals include: 1) the development of effective communities via new technologies to address the common problem of teacher isolation and provide Fellows with long-term support; 2) integrate meaningful STEM research experiences as part of the teacher education experience; and 3) develop within a teacher education program, elements that will enable teachers to be culturally responsive to the students and the communities in which they teach.