Urban STEM Teacher Capacity Building

Metropolitan State University Of Denver, Denver CO

Investigators

Abstract

Urban STEM Teacher Capacity Building at Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) will prepare STEM majors with experiences, skills, and knowledge to become highly effective inquiry-based teachers committed to working in high-need urban schools. The capacity building phase will strengthen the foundations of the university's science and mathematics licensure programs while also ensuring a possible future Noyce Scholarships & Stipends (S&S) program aligns with the needs of its K-12 and community partners. Particular emphasis will be placed on recruiting women and students of color into STEM majors and the teaching pipeline. MSU Denver currently partners with more than 20 metropolitan area school districts; the capacity developed under this grant will enhance these relationships to positively impact schools and districts throughout the extended Denver metro area. Primary goals for the project include expanding mutually beneficial partnerships with high-need school districts in the metro Denver area; ensuring the content and structure of mathematics and science teacher licensure programs support a future Noyce S&S program; developing an undergraduate physics teaching licensure program that includes engineering concepts; and collaborating with local partners to hone recruitment and retention strategies specific for students underrepresented in STEM fields. During the capacity building phase, data from diverse stakeholder groups will be collected and analyzed to improve program design, revise curricula, and enhance the classroom readiness of science and mathematics teacher candidates for urban contexts. Metropolitan State University of Denver will research and develop the infrastructure needed for broad participation in a Track 1 Scholarships and Stipends Program (S&S) capacity building project called Urban STEM Teacher Capacity Building (U-STEM). The interdisciplinary Leadership Team will investigate what diverse U-STEM stakeholders recommend as key elements of a successful program design specific to MSU Denver's urban commuter setting and the needs of its first generation and underrepresented student populations. Focus groups and online surveys will be used with these stakeholders (e.g. STEM scholars, MSU Denver Physics administrators and faculty, School of Education administrators and faculty, MSU Denver Student Services administrators and staff, and partner school and district administrators and faculty). The Leadership Team will cultivate strong partnerships with local high-needs school districts; ensure that the content and structures of current licensure programs will effectively prepare and support S&S recipients through course programming, clinical field experiences, and integrated STEM instruction; develop an undergraduate teacher licensure program for physics majors that incorporates engineering coursework; create a Learning Assistant Program embedded with cultural responsiveness; and collaborate with community partners to develop and test effective recruitment and retention strategies that focus on increasing the percentage of underrepresented students majoring in STEM fields who successfully enter the K-12 teaching profession. This integration of research and education will build sustainable capacity for a possible Track 1 Noyce project at MSU Denver.