Noyce Ambassadors Program

Molloy University, Rockville Centre NY

Investigators

Abstract

The Track 1 Noyce Ambassadors Program at Molloy College seeks to increase the number of STEM teachers (particularly bilingual STEM teachers) in the Long Island, New York area. Increasing the number of bilingual and underrepresented STEM teachers may improve student performance as well as lead to a more diverse pool of students graduating from high school, pursuing STEM majors, and either teaching STEM or working in a STEM field. The need for STEM teachers in the areas surrounding Molloy is expected to increase as a large percentage of current teachers approach retirement age. Further, bilingual teachers are in high demand as English Language Learners (ELLs)/Multilingual Learners (MLLs) in Molloy's nearby counties are a steadily growing subpopulation, accounting for 14% of all ELLs/MLLs in the state. The goal of the Noyce Ambassadors Program is to produce newly certified STEM teachers, with two-thirds from underrepresented backgrounds, first-generation college students, and/or bilingual. The Noyce Ambassadors Program will include a variety of activities to recruit high-achieving STEM students and inspire them to become teachers in high needs school districts. Activities include a two-week introductory research boot camp held for one week on Molloy's campus and for one week on Nassau Community College's (NCC) campus. At this research boot camp, students will learn from faculty as well as in-service teachers. Once admitted into the program, the Noyce Ambassadors will participate in two summer internship experiences, one on Molloy's campus and another at Molloy's Center for Environmental Research and Coastal Oceans Monitoring (CERCOM) field station. The CERCOM field station is dedicated to the captive breeding of horseshoe crabs, exploration of global coastal environments and nearshore oceans, and interpretation of these environments through data analysis. These experiences will show the Noyce Ambassadors how to apply and teach STEM concepts in the context of real-life problems. During the academic year, the Noyce Ambassadors will complete an intensive curriculum and school-based field experiences that are tailored to prepare them to be highly effective teachers. Molloy will also provide professional development to support Noyce Ambassadors as they complete their teaching requirements. The Noyce Ambassadors Program aims to produce 18 new STEM teachers, and will recruit students majoring in mathematics, biology or earth and environmental science. Molloy will collaborate with NCC to recruit high school and community college students. Through this partnership, the project aims to form a pipeline of future STEM students and teachers, as well as potential Noyce Ambassadors. Molloy and NCC will also collaborate with four Local Education Agencies: Freeport and Uniondale school districts in Nassau County, and Brentwood and Amityville school districts in Suffolk County. These agencies will serve as sites for clinical teaching experiences. This project will conduct a research study to assess effectiveness of strategies that are intended to sustain each Noyce Ambassador in the classroom. This research seeks to benefit the STEM teaching and education communities by providing insight into what supports and activities are most effective, why teachers opt to leave high-needs teaching settings, and what academic skills and experiences lead to higher teacher retention in STEM. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.