Recruiting, Preparing, and Retaining STEM Teachers in San Joaquin County, California

University Of The Pacific, Stockton CA

Investigators

Abstract

With support from the NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, this Track 1 Scholarships and Stipends project aims to serve the national interest in high-quality STEM teaching by recruiting 20 undergraduate STEM majors and preparing them to become teachers. This project involves a partnership between the University of the Pacific, San Joaquin Delta Community College, the San Joaquin County Office of Education STEM Office, and several partner school districts in San Joaquin County. The overarching goal of the project is to address an acute shortage of STEM teachers in the county, particularly at the high school level. The project is designed to recruit STEM undergraduates and prepare them for long-term teaching careers in high-need school districts. In addition, the project aims to institutionalize the project activities as components of the University's STEM teacher preparation program. Noyce Scholars will receive up to three years of scholarship support for their junior, senior, and master's certification year, and will serve two years in a high-need school district for each year of financial support. Project activities and supports for student success will begin in each Scholar's junior year, continue through completion of a Master of Arts in Education and the first years of teaching. Through their interactions with exemplary classroom teachers and accomplished University researchers, the Noyce Scholars will be integrated into a supportive network of STEM educators. Recruitment of scholarship recipients will primarily target students from Delta College who transfer into STEM majors at the University of the Pacific. Upon completion of the master's program, the Scholars will receive both a baccalaureate degree in a STEM discipline and a master's degree in education. In addition, first- and second-year STEM majors at the University of the Pacific will also be recruited. While they complete their STEM degrees, Noyce Scholars will begin taking education coursework, including a Noyce seminar that will connect them with local Master STEM teachers and include reflective writing about their experiences throughout the program. During their junior and senior years, the Scholars will have undergraduate research experiences with University of the Pacific STEM faculty and will engage in education-related service-learning activities in the local community. During their Master of Arts in Education year, they will gain supervised student teaching experience in high-need schools in San Joaquin County. The University of the Pacific and the county STEM office, in collaboration with partner school districts, will support the Noyce Scholars in their early years of teaching through on-site mentoring relationships and school year/summer professional development activities. The project will investigate the degree to which these pre-service activities and induction supports help retain new STEM teachers in the profession. This information can contribute to addressing the critical need to prepare highly effective STEM teachers in San Joaquin County and in other high-need schools and districts. The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 STEM teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the persistence, retention, and effectiveness of K-12 STEM 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.