Community Network Practices to Cultivate Resilient STEM Educators

Aurora University

Investigators

Abstract

This Noyce Track 1 project aims to serve the national need of preparing highly qualified STEM teachers. Additionally, this project will support 24 undergraduates in biology, chemistry, and math majors by providing scholarships and academic supports. The proposed project components will enable high-achieving prospective teachers to become secondary STEM teachers with extensive expertise in active learning instruction. This project at Aurora University includes partnerships with two high-need school districts West Aurora School District 129, East Aurora School District 131, and Elgin Community College, a 2-year institution. Project goals include 1) increase awareness of STEM secondary education careers and increasing enrollment, retention, and graduation of 24 new STEM undergraduate secondary education teachers over 5 years, 2) Decrease drop/ fail/ withdrawal rates among STEM majors using STEM content supports, tutoring, and faculty interventions; and 3) Monitor and mentor new STEM teachers using an online resource hub, mentoring, and hackathons. This project will be iteratively evaluated. The project evaluator will review activities and collect and synthesize data to evaluate success meeting goals and objectives and conduct interviews and surveys to determine the effectiveness of participants as teachers in high-needs schools. The results of this project will be disseminated to help enhance the field. 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 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.