Pathways to Culturally Sustaining STEM Teaching

Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma WA

Investigators

Abstract

This project will address the national need to prepare and retain effective K-12 STEM teachers who are proficient at teaching STEM content and skills in culturally sustaining ways. Culturally sustaining teaching seeks to achieve high levels of student learning, while honoring and building upon students’ cultural perspectivess and experiences. The project will provide competitive scholarships to both STEM majors and STEM professionals from all STEM disciplines. The scholarships will support these Noyce Scholars as they earn STEM and/or education degrees and obtain teaching credentials. The project will focus on providing access to groups that are underrepresented in the teacher population. The Noyce Scholars will participate in equity-focused seminars and receive mentoring to develop their ability to teach in culturally relevant ways. The Noyce Scholars will have teaching placements in specifically selected high-need school classrooms, to maximize the Scholars’ learning and success. For the first two years of their teaching career, the new teachers will receive support to broaden their teaching skills and help them remain in teaching. This project at Pacific Lutheran University includes partnerships with two local high-need school districts, Clover Park and Franklin Pierce. The project supports two entry points into the Master of Arts in Education program and teacher certification: STEM undergraduates can continue into and STEM graduates can directly enter the master’s program. Project goals include: 1) Providing scholarships to 21 students over five years; 2) Developing the Scholar’s STEM content knowledge and cultural competency for teaching diverse learners; 3) Establishing a research-based, equity-oriented induction program for the newly certified STEM teachers; and 4) Improving partner school district collaboration to meet pre- and in-service teacher needs. The project builds upon culturally sustaining mathematics and science teaching, teacher education, and induction research. The intellectual merit of integrating these areas advances the knowledge and practice-base for the preparation and retention of STEM teachers who teach in ambitious and culturally responsive ways. Broader impacts include: contributing to STEM teacher education reform; preparing highly qualified, equity-oriented, STEM teachers; and diversifying the STEM teaching force. To widen the impact, materials created and knowledge gained will be disseminated through presentations at regional and national meetings and in publications in STEM education journals. This Track 1: Scholars 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.