Strengthening Teacher Education through Mathematics & Science Teaching Scholars in Louisiana

University Of Louisiana At Lafayette, Lafayette LA

Investigators

Abstract

Developing more, highly qualified science and mathematics teachers is a national priority. Through funding from the National Science Foundation's Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, the Strengthening Teacher Education through Mathematics & Science Teaching Scholars (STEMS2) in Louisiana project is attentive to the local, regional and national persistent concern of secondary STEM teacher recruitment, preparation, induction, and retention. At the local level, this project is responsive to current performance challenges of students in Algebra and Biology on end-of-course tests. The project intends to produce twenty-five exceptionally qualified mathematics and biology teachers, who upon completing the project will have earned a baccalaureate degree in mathematics or biology, as well as obtained secondary teacher certification. In addition to scholarship support to STEM majors recruited to become teachers, the project will provide a comprehensive system of supports anchored by a handpicked cadre of in-service secondary STEM teachers who will serve as mentors to these pre-service candidates. Furthermore, during the first years of teaching by these Noyce Scholars, Induction Specialists, comprised of a select group of recent retirees who are remarkably skilled and qualified at teaching their subject, will provide direct support to the newly minted teachers. STEMS2 represents a collaborative partnership between the University of Louisiana at Lafayette's College of Education, College of Sciences, and two local school districts, the Lafayette Parish School System and Iberia Parish School System. The STEMS2 project attempts to further accentuate the value of teacher preparation programs that model the interdependence of content, pedagogical, and practical knowledge as catalysts for teacher effectiveness, thereby validating the supposition that Colleges of Education, Colleges of Sciences, and local school districts should share responsibility for training STEM teachers. Programmatically, the design features a distribution of duties among university faculty and the STEMS2 K-12 partners which increases the likelihood of graduates mastering variables that pertain to teachers' knowledge and skills, namely, knowledge of the subject matter content to be taught; knowledge of how to teach that content to a wide range of learners; and the ability to manage a classroom, and design and implement instruction. In addition to the preparation program, the project features include semi-annual stakeholder retreats, internships with Master Teacher Fellows from the Louisiana-Lafayette's Louisiana Mathematics Masters in the Middle project, and seminars in transitioning to higher-level mathematics and sciences. The summer internships for freshmen and sophomore STEM majors, which will support their work with middle school students in STEM camps, will serve as a fundamental strategy for recruiting Noyce Scholar recipients. The all-inclusive nature of this project, with recruitment, preparation, mentors, and induction support, will allow the deployment of exceptionally qualified teachers, armed with a robust knowledge of STEM pedagogy and content, to high-need school districts with the ability to make immediate positive impacts on student learning in STEM areas. While the major measurable outcome of the STEMS2 project will be the production of twenty-five exceptionally qualified secondary STEM teachers, the project evaluation will also assess the project's explicit intents related to fostering collaboration among mathematics, science and education faculty, as well as among the University of Louisiana at Lafayette faculty STEMS2 participants and partner school districts. The scholarly findings from the STEMS2 project will have the potential to serve as a model for other institutions.