Noyce Explorers, Scholars, Teachers (NEST): Fostering the Creation of Exceptional Mathematics and Technology Teachers in New York City

Cuny New York City College Of Technology, Brooklyn NY

Investigators

Abstract

New York City College of Technology (City Tech) and Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), neighboring CUNY institutions, are implementing a Noyce Teacher Scholarship Phase I program that increases the number of highly qualified STEM teachers in high need school districts in Brooklyn and the New York metropolitan area. The three-tiered Noyce partnership recruits students in their first and second years of STEM undergraduate studies and enrolls them as Noyce Explorers (Tier I). The Noyce Explorers, Scholars, Teachers (NEST) program leads Noyce Explorers through an engaging summer program at BMCC that offers a combination of STEM content, STEM pedagogy, and provides an opportunity to interact in a pedagogical role with peers and/or younger students, through peer tutoring, mentoring, and in other quasi-instructional capacities. Noyce Scholars (Tier II) are third and fourth year undergraduates in STEM programs who have committed to becoming STEM (either Mathematics or Technology) teachers in high need schools and are supported with Noyce scholarships. Upon licensure, Noyce Scholars will be designated Noyce Teachers (Tier III), and they will receive support through their initial induction into the profession either from City Tech's Mathematics Education or Career and Technical Teacher Education program. The five-year program will produce a total of 20 new STEM teachers and create a new STEM teacher preparation pathway for the critically underpowered STEM teaching force in New York City. Intellectual merit lies in an innovative three-tier structure that begins by designating a broad pool of potential scholars as Noyce Explorers, continues to support a selected cohort as Noyce Scholars, and maintains professional support through their induction into the profession as Noyce Teachers. As part of the NEST program, Noyce Scholars are guaranteed yearly Noyce teacher training workshops, summer internship opportunities, mentorships, and the opportunity to practice teaching under the direct supervision of STEM middle and high school teachers in the field, the training to experience math and science education in informal settings through community service, and enrollment in courses on pedagogy that incorporate both the use of technology as a teaching tool and inquiry as an effective teaching strategy. Moreover, Noyce scholars will be qualified to obtain a license to teach in New York City after the completion of the program. A broader impact of the NEST program is that it increases the number of well-qualified STEM teachers who teach in Brooklyn and other high-need districts in the metropolitan New York region, thereby expanding exponentially the numbers of students in under-resourced school districts who will be taught by well-qualified STEM professionals. The NEST program builds on existing partnerships with the New York City Department of Education, P-TECH High School, City Poly High School, and other schools in the NYC School District. The BMCC-to-City Tech STEM teacher preparation infrastructure that provides a sustainable pathway for the professional teacher preparation of underrepresented students who attend City Tech and BMCC for years to come. The NEST program serves as a model pathway with multiple points of entry through the innovative, three-tier structure "Explorer, Scholar, Teacher" that maximizes support for STEM students who wish to enter the teaching profession in STEM disciplines and serve their communities.