Recruiting and Preparing Undergraduate Mathematics Majors for Teaching Careers in Urban High Need Schools

Otterbein College, Westerville OH

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national need of increasing the number of highly qualified middle and high school mathematics teachers in urban, high-need schools. To do so, the project will recruit diverse mathematics majors into the University’s teaching certification program. It will help these future teachers develop mathematics knowledge, as well as skills in math-specific teaching practices for urban schools. As they serve in high need schools, the new teachers will receive resources, support, and incentives to help them succeed and persist in a teaching career. These highly skilled mathematics teachers can help improve the mathematics skills of middle and high school students, helping to ensure the students build a foundation for STEM careers. This five-year project at Otterbein University includes a partnership central Ohio’s Columbus City Schools, Ohio’s largest public school district. Project goals include: (1) Recruit, retain, and graduate 20 mathematics undergraduate majors who also earn an Adolescent to Young Adult Teaching Licensure; (2) Implement academic programs to support pre-service mathematics teachers to use research-based pedagogies for achievement in high-need, urban settings; (3) Provide induction support for new mathematics teachers in high-need, urban schools to foster teacher success and retention; and (4) Advance the knowledge base for pre-service teacher preparation through rigorous assessment and evaluation of project interventions. The project team will investigate the research question: “What is the impact of a five-day, intensive urban teaching workshop and participation in a professional learning community on knowledge, perception, interest, and attitudes of pre-service teaching candidates?” The findings from this research can contribute to the knowledge base regarding factors that attract STEM students to teaching and effective methods to prepare teacher candidates for high-need urban schools. 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 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.