Building Accessible Pathways for a Broad Workforce of Mathematics and Science Teachers

Lincoln University, Lincoln University

Investigators

Abstract

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities - Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) supports conferences and workshops that seek to increase the research and education capacity of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students and faculty at HBCUs. Lincoln University in Missouri, in partnership with the University of Missouri – Columbia, will hold a workshop to address issues of STEM teacher recruitment, retention, and lack of diversity. University faculty and administrators, principals, superintendents, and teachers will participate in the two-day student conference on May 19-20, 2021 at Lincoln University. Plans include changing the meeting to a virtual format, if needed. The conference activities will be guided by three goals: 1) to provide structure and guidance for an online alternative certification program for mathematics and science teachers; 2) to develop a multi-pronged recruitment plan for the alternative certification program; and 3) to identify a viable research collaboration between Lincoln University and the University of Missouri related to the alternative certification of mathematics and science teachers of color. The conference will have substantial impact on the partnership and collaborations between mathematics and science educators at Lincoln University and the University of Missouri. The inclusion of state representatives, as well as various school and community stakeholders, at the conference can lead to broader impacts across the state of Missouri. 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.