Recruitment and Induction of Secondary STEM Teachers Integrating Lesson-Study as a Continuous Improvement Learning Mechanism

Salisbury University, Salisbury MD

Investigators

Abstract

With support from the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, this Track 1 Scholarships and Stipends project aims to serve the national need of preparing high-quality mathematics and science teachers. The project intends to place 36 new STEM teachers into high-need schools in the lower Eastern Shore of Maryland, thus enhancing STEM learning in these schools. In addition, results of project analysis and research should increase understanding of strategies to recruit, educate, and support exceptional secondary STEM teachers. The project will use first- and second-year school-based internships, together with junior- and senior-level scholarships to encourage and support STEM majors to become secondary mathematics and science teachers. All STEM majors who participate in the project will work together to design and analyze lessons under the guidance of expert teachers in local schools. The project will revise the teacher education curriculum to increase learning about instructional technology and equity issues in schools. Support for scholarship recipients will continue into their first years of teaching, when the project will provide expert mentor teachers and peer communities to ensure their successful professional induction. The project aims to produce 36 new STEM teachers by supporting undergraduates as they complete majors in the fields of biology, chemistry, earth science, mathematics, and physics. The project seeks to motivate 24 first- and second-year STEM majors who are not yet in the professional teacher education program, to pursue teaching by hiring them for early field experience internships. The project will award junior- and senior- level Noyce scholarships of up to $10,000 per year to 36 academically high-performing STEM majors, with emphasis on including those from underrepresented populations. The scholarship recipients will develop strong knowledge in STEM content and pedagogy as they complete their degree programs. The project will provide an induction program that fosters the development of skilled and reflective practitioners, so that the scholarship recipients will receive support as they graduate and enter the teaching profession. The project seeks to lay the foundation for the long-term retention and success of scholarship recipients as STEM teachers in high-need school settings. Wicomico County Public Schools, a high-need local education agency, will partner with Salisbury University to provide school-based clinical experiences and mentors for the STEM majors. Lesson study, a research-based method for continuous improvement of teaching, will be a key component of the clinical experiences. Quantitative and qualitative data will be gathered to address research questions including: (1) How does lesson study participation influence STEM majors' motivations to teach? (2) To what extent does lesson study encourage academically talented STEM majors to pursue teaching careers? and (3) To what extent does lesson study encourage STEM majors from racial minorities to pursue teaching careers? Findings related to these research questions will be disseminated at professional conferences and in journals, adding to the knowledge base about effective strategies for preparing STEM teachers for teaching in high-need schools and districts. The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM 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.