Implementing Novel STEM Practices in Rural Education (INSPIRE)

University Of West Alabama, Livingston AL

Investigators

Abstract

With support from the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce) this Track 1: Scholarships and Stipends project at the University of West Alabama (UWA), aims to prepare high-quality teachers for high-need school districts both locally and nationally. Through a collaboration among UWA's College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and College of Education, two local community colleges, an area public school, and a charter school, INSPIRE will recruit and prepare STEM teachers for positions in high-need school districts in the geographic area of western Alabama and eastern Mississippi. The project will provide a strong undergraduate teaching program that focuses on developing subject matter comprehension and skill in proven pedagogical practices. It will also develop a strong mentoring environment between scholars and practicing teachers in the school district during the induction years. Over the course of a five year period, the project seeks to fund a total of 15 undergraduate junior and senior STEM majors with scholarships and 10 area STEM professionals with stipends to become licensed science and mathematics teachers. The leaders at the University of West Alabama will work with Bevill State Community College, Coastal Alabama Community College, the Demopolis City Schools, and the University Charter School to recruit and train scholars from both community colleges and the university. The foci of the training includes cultural competencies and pedagogical knowledge. Three goals guide the project. First, to increase the number and quality of certified STEM teachers entering the workforce. Second, to develop a collaborative mentoring environment among program participants and clinical master teachers. Third, to create an induction program for INSPIRE graduates to continue developing subject matter expertise and improved pedagogical practices after graduation and certification. By recruiting from a specific geographical area and then placing the new teachers in the same area, the project will contribute to the educational community in western Alabama and eastern Mississippi. In addition the project holds promise to serve as a national model. The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and 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.