STEM Teacher Pathways for Rural and Native American Populations: Building Capacity to Address a STEM Teacher Shortage in Montana

University Of Providence, Great Falls MT

Investigators

Abstract

With support from the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, this Capacity Building project aims to address the critical shortage of qualified STEM teachers in the state of Montana. To achieve this aim, the University of Providence will develop or strengthen partnerships with nearby colleges and high schools that serve rural and Native American communities. This partnership will develop strategies to increase access to and interest in the University's STEM teacher preparation program, a necessary step in increasing the number of STEM majors who pursue teaching careers. To address the needs of rural Montana, the project also intends to modify the University's STEM curricula to enhance distance learning opportunities for rural students and to include Native American cultural competencies. The approaches used in this project may serve as a model for how to address teacher shortages in rural areas. The central goal of this project is to develop evidence-based, innovative strategies for recruiting, preparing, and supporting new STEM teachers, especially from rural and Native American populations. It also aims to establish the necessary infrastructure for implementing a future Noyce Track 1 Scholarships and Stipends project. To accomplish these goals, the University of Providence will partner with high-need, local education agencies (Great Falls High School, Heart Butte Public Schools, Browning Public Schools, and Box Elder Public Schools) as well as with nearby institutions of higher education (Stone Child Community College, Blackfeet Community College, Flathead Valley Community College, Aaniih Nakoda College, Fort Peck Community College, and Great Falls College-Montana State University). The partnership will develop strategies to recruit STEM majors from the partner institutions into the University of Providence's STEM teacher education program, and to increase the breadth of education and cultural opportunities available to these students. The project will also modify the University of Providence's STEM curricula to include Native American cultural competencies. In the short term, this Capacity Building project will strengthen relationships between regional colleges and high-need school districts, develop innovative distance learning programs in STEM and STEM education, and increase access to STEM education for rural and Native American populations. Over a longer term, this project has the potential to: (1) provide paths to sustainable employment for teachers in economically disadvantaged populations; (2) improve the education system by increasing the cultural competence of STEM high school teachers; and (3) increase the number of Native Americans who pursue STEM careers, thereby increasing STEM workforce diversity. The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate professionals to become effective K-12 mathematics and science teachers in high-need school districts and experienced, exemplary K-12 STEM teachers to become STEM master teachers. It also supports research on the persistence, retention, and effectiveness of K-12 teachers in high-need school districts. 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.