Preparing Secondary STEM Teachers to Improve STEM Learning in High-need Schools by Applying Restorative Justice in Education

Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national need to increase the number and diversity of highly effective STEM teachers in high-need school districts. To address this need, the project will recruit, prepare, graduate, place, and support 24 STEM majors to become secondary mathematics and science teachers. These STEM majors will earn bachelor’s degrees in biology, chemistry, computer science, or mathematics and be eligible to earn secondary teaching certification in one of these disciplines. An innovative aspect of the project is its focus on restorative justice in education, which can transform school climate by building relationships that support student learning, success, and identity in STEM. The project will build upon strengths at the institution, including expanded recruitment activities to increase the number of diverse STEM teaching candidates, teaching opportunities/field experiences in high-need schools, mentoring and peer relationships, and new in-service teacher supports. This project at Eastern Mennonite University includes a partnership with Harrisonburg City Public Schools. Project goals include implementing restorative justice in education across diverse school settings, improving learning outcomes and teacher retention in local school communities, and providing an innovative, replicable model for teacher preparation. Increased collaboration with the partnering school district will prepare qualified STEM teachers, add meaningful supports for new teacher retention, and strengthen restorative justice in education professional development. Project objectives include to: 1) Recruit, support, and graduate 24 biology, chemistry, computer science, and mathematics majors with secondary education certification; 2) Engage the project's pre-service STEM teachers in training about restorative justice in education, as well as in mentoring relationships and field experiences; 3) Place and retain the project's graduating pre-service STEM teachers in high-need school districts; 4) Institutionalize and sustain successful elements of the project; and 5) Study the impact of integrating restorative justice in education into the curriculum for pre-service and professional development of in-service STEM teachers in high-need school districts. New knowledge will be generated through investigating two research questions: 1) To what extent and in what ways does a restorative justice-infused curriculum help pre-service and early-career STEM teachers feel prepared to meet the challenges associated with teaching in culturally and linguistically diverse school settings? and 2) Which project elements are associated with the development of one or more aspects of equitable practice? External evaluation will provide formative feedback for continuous improvement during implementation, and project results and lessons learned will be shared with the community so that effective methods and practices can be replicated at similar institutions and teacher training programs. 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.