Preparing Undergraduate Science Majors to Teach in High-Need Rural and Urban Schools

Suny College At Oneonta, Oneonta NY

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national need of preparing high-quality science and mathematics teachers for high-need school districts. Improving the science achievement of students at high-need rural and urban schools requires teachers who can design daily instruction that aligns with student interests, while creating supportive and challenging learning environments. To become such highly skilled teachers, undergraduates must learn and practice these skills with guidance from talented mentor teachers. To this end, this project aims to prepare certified middle and high school STEM teachers via multiple academic and practical experiences, including teaching experiences in both urban and rural schools. At least one teaching experience will be in a New York City public school. Teaching experiences in school settings will be supplemented by related hands-on experiences, including participation in Science Saturday programs and rural summer science camps. The project will also pair supported preprofessional teachers with mentor teachers during the new teachers' first years in teaching. This project at The State University of New York, College at Oneonta includes partnerships with the Oneonta City School District, Charlotte Valley Central School District, and other rural high-need schools, New York City public schools, and the New York State Master Teacher Program. Over the project’s five year span, it will provide twenty-four undergraduate science majors with the pedagogical-content knowledge and skills needed to succeed as teachers in high-need rural and urban school districts. The undergraduate science majors will earn Bachelor of Science degrees in Chemistry, Biology, Physics, or Earth Science. Project activities will include internships in the SUNY Oneonta Science Discovery Center complemented by extra-curricular workshops focused on pedagogical knowledge and skills requisite to succeed as a science teacher in a high-need school district. Additionally, New York State Master Teachers and in-service Noyce Scholar teachers will serve as clinical placement mentors. Research efforts will focus on the effectiveness of these undergraduate experiences on Noyce Scholars’ pedagogical knowledge growth specific to teaching in high-need school districts. This Track 1: Scholarships and Stipends 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.