Preparation of STEM Majors and Recruitment of STEM Graduates to Increase the Number of Highly Qualified STEM Teachers

Cuny Queens College, Flushing NY

Investigators

Abstract

The Queens College, City University of New York, Noyce STEM Academy is a five-year project dedicated and designed to motivate and encourage both talented students majoring in the STEM disciplines and STEM professionals to become successful science teachers in high-needs public schools in New York City. This project aims to recruit 24 STEM majors and 24 STEM professionals in order to produce 48 new, highly qualified STEM teachers. The significance of the STEM Academy is founded on its commitment to promoting science progress through the advancement of science awareness and a more scientifically informed public. This project resonates with the Noyce Program's mission, which seeks to improve the lives of students by strengthening science instruction provided within K-12 educational systems. The STEM Academy will respond to the well-documented need of preparing highly qualified science teachers who will serve in disadvantaged, high-needs schools. The significance of this project is its commitment to attract STEM majors and professionals from culturally diverse backgrounds, to retain them as outstanding teachers, and ultimately to improve student achievement by recognizing the link between out-of-school science experiences and those in formal classroom settings. The goal and scope of the STEM Academy will be to support 48 STEM individuals in the greater New York City metropolitan area to serve in high-needs schools. The STEM Academy will include two tracks: one designed for talented undergraduate students (N=24) to receive scholarships for two years as they complete requirements for their dual science and education majors, and another designed for candidates who are STEM professionals (N=24) seeking initial teacher certification in science. The STEM Academy will accomplish its goals through the following methods and approaches: 1) providing prospective, talented science educators with a carefully crafted year-long, clinically-rich induction and mentoring program that integrates learning experiences in community-based science learning centers with preparation in formal high-need partner schools; 2) increasing capacity of STEM teaching majors from culturally diverse communities; 3) providing a career transition for STEM majors and STEM professionals; 4) providing a well-developed curriculum that enhances students' science content knowledge, teaching pedagogies, and research experience; 5) studying effective teaching practices and behaviors through apprenticeships with master teachers in host schools; and 6) providing sustainable, integrated support during the candidates' first two years of teaching. In addition to producing 48 outstanding science teachers, the STEM Academy anticipates the following potential benefits and contributions: (1) building of knowledge regarding the importance of mentor relationships on the training and retention of talented STEM professionals from culturally diverse backgrounds in the field of science education; (2) developing greater understanding of the context in which science learning occurs in both informal and formal settings; and (3) increasing the capacity of highly qualified science educators for high-needs schools who will advance scientific literacy in their classrooms. The results of this work have the potential to assist other like-minded teacher preparation programs across the country.