Husky STEM Teacher Scholars: Creating New pathways and Broadening Participation in Mathematics and Science Teaching

St. Cloud State University, Saint Cloud MN

Investigators

Abstract

The project aims to increase the number of high-quality mathematics, chemistry and physics teachers who can address student learning in high-need, diverse schools. This goal has both national and local relevance. For example, to meet local needs for STEM teachers, data indicates that the University will need to triple the number of STEM teachers it produces. This project intends to help address this need by developing a replicable model for recruiting students via a well-established learning assistant program and supporting teacher candidates as they begin STEM teaching careers. An area of emphasis will be to recruit STEM majors from diverse cultural backgrounds, including students who begin higher education at two-year institutions. This project aims to improve field experiences for teacher candidates by engaging students in STEM outreach activities and developing a model for effectively involving two-year institution faculty and P-12 teachers in STEM teacher recruitment, preparation, and support. The project intends to generate data about outreach results and relationships with P-12 teachers. It intends also to document the impact of serving as a Learning Assistant and Learning Assistant leader on teacher candidates’ effectiveness in the classroom. The overall project goal is to increase the number and diversity of students obtaining STEM teaching licensure in Minnesota. This project at St. Cloud State University includes partnerships with Anoka Ramsey Community College, St. Cloud Technical and Community College, and the St. Cloud Area School District. The project anticipates supporting 24 undergraduate mathematics, chemistry, or physics majors over the five years of the award. There are six project goals: 1) to recruit STEM majors at two- and four-year institutions to become STEM teachers via participation in outreach and the learning assistant experience with a related co-teaching field component and cultural competency seminar; 2) to create a pipeline using early P-12 STEM outreach opportunities, field placement in diverse high-needs settings, and the learning assistant program; 3) to build a strong relationship among college students, faculty, and teachers, that link pre-service preparation with field-based best practices in STEM and culturally relevant pedagogy 4) to engage Noyce Scholars in a research experience mirroring the induction support that participants receive from the University during the first three years of teaching; 5) to implement a project evaluation regarding targeted outreach linked to best practices, learning assistant program participation, cultural competency seminar, and action research as part of assessment of teacher effectiveness during the Scholars’ first three years of teaching; and 6) to pilot a scalable STEM teacher education program that includes intentional support for teaching in high-needs districts. Research will be conducted on how cultural competency training for pre-service teachers, together with targeted field experiences with mentor teachers, influences teaching and learning outcomes in secondary Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics classrooms, especially for urban schools and areas with diverse student populations. This Track 1 Scholarships and Stipends collaborative project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce). 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.