Building Capacity for Supporting STEM Educators in the Alabama Black Belt Region

Alabama State University, Montgomery AL

Investigators

Abstract

The project aims to serve the national need of building capacity to increase the number of culturally reflective STEM teachers in the high-need Black Belt region of Alabama. Alabama State University (ASU) will strengthen its partnerships with a community college and high-need school district, leading to an established pathway for STEM students to enter the regional teaching workforce. The STEM and education curriculum at ASU will be improved, with new enrichment modules as well as new test preparation courses that will better prepare students for certification exams. The outcomes of this project could benefit the wider STEM and education student population at the university. It will also position ASU for a future Track 1 proposal. This project includes partnerships with Trenholm State Community College (TSCC) and the Lowndes County Public School System (LCPSS). Project goals include: (1) developing a marketing and recruitment plan to recruit ASU STEM majors and graduates from TSCC, (2) develop a synergistic partnership, including an articulation agreement, with TSCC aimed at facilitating students' timely completion of STEM and education degrees, (3) developing collaborative partnerships with local school systems, such as LCPSS, and better understanding their needs, (4) developing new education courses and curricula, and (5) developing an institutional structure for coordinating and managing the future Track 1 project. Needs assessments of TSCC and LCPSS will inform the project team as they plan for the Track 1 project. Additionally, current students and faculty at ASU will be surveyed to allow for better understanding of attitudes and perceptions of the STEM educator pathway. 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 teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the effectiveness and retention 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.