Building Capacity for Recruiting STEM Undergraduates for Lifelong Teaching in Illinois

Elmhurst University, Elmhurst IL

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to serve the regional and national need for more STEM teachers who are highly qualified to teach diverse student populations. Many regions across the country are experiencing a growing shortage of STEM teachers. In addition, many in-service STEM teachers lack the training needed to address the unique experiences and potentials of their students. This project intends to establish the framework for a future Noyce Track 1 proposal by strengthening relationships with three area community colleges. A key goal is to develop a plan for integrating curriculum about STEM teaching into the Summer STEM Academy for high school students. This Academy is designed to stimulate high school students’ interest and abilities in mathematics and science. The Academy is open to all students, with an emphasis on including students from underrepresented groups. The project also intends to develop methods to incorporate culturally responsive pedagogy in both science and education courses at Elmhurst College. These revisions are expected to improve both socio-cultural understanding and scientific and mathematics literacies of STEM education graduates. This project at Elmhurst College includes partnerships with two high-needs local education agencies (Fenton 100 and Leyden 212) and three community college partners (the College of DuPage, Harper Community College, and Triton College). All partners are located close to Elmhurst College and will help identify teachers and professors to participate in the culturally-responsive pedagogy workshops. A major project goal is to collect data to inform which strategies should be used to integrate culturally responsive pedagogy and content area literacies into both K-12 and post-secondary classrooms. Other project goals include fortifying community college partnerships, developing degree maps, and planning for a bridge program. The evaluation plan will investigate the efficacy of project activities. Project outcomes will be disseminated at regional and national conferences such as the 2021 Conference of the Metropolitan Mathematics Club of Chicago and the 2021 National Science Teachers Association STEM Forum & Expo. This Capacity Building 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.