Rural Appalachian Leaders and Local Youth for STEM

Ohio University, Athens OH

Investigators

Abstract

Inequitable access to quality STEM education is a major barrier to broader participation in STEM. This Robert Noyce Track II project will support 24 Fellows (2 cohorts of 12) who have undergraduate degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. These 24 Fellows will be prepared to become effective middle or secondary school mathematics or science teachers through a one-year master's program and four years of follow-up support. This project will help meet the pressing need for highly-qualified middle and secondary mathematics and science teachers in rural schools. The project aims to prepare teachers who will: 1) be confident in their STEM knowledge; 2) engage students in the activities and ways of thinking characteristic of STEM professionals; and 3) develop well-prepared students who innovate, problem solve, and are proficient technology users. The impact of the project may extend beyond the local communities. For example, the project will develop and distribute STEM resources and curricula relevant to rural communities, as well as findings about preparing STEM teachers for rural schools. This project includes a one-year Master's with teacher certification program designed to: (1) foster Fellows' identities as STEM teachers; 2) develop pedagogical content knowledge; (3) develop cultural competence and promote culturally relevant teaching practices for STEM disciplines that meet the diverse student needs of rural Appalachia; and (4) connect Fellows' STEM content knowledge to grades 4-12 mathematics and science classrooms. To accomplish these project goals, Fellows will take integrated STEM courses as a cohort, facilitate community education events with local community education and service organizations, and create a portfolio of activities that integrate STEM disciplines and connect to real-world problems. The project will provide Fellows with five years of financial and other support, including online and face-to-face mentoring, annual workshops held in conjunction with professional conferences, and annual summer professional development institutes. Teaching observations, surveys, interviews, artifact analysis, and comparisons of student achievement data will be used to assess the impact of the program and four-year induction support on Fellows' teaching effectiveness, development of STEM identities and pedagogical content knowledge, and inclusion of culturally relevant approaches and attributes of STEM practice in their instruction. 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.