Building STEM Educators for Excellence in Nevada (B-SEEN at UNLV)

University Of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas NV

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national need of preparing and retaining culturally competent, high-quality science and mathematics teachers. As underrepresentation of people of color persists in STEM fields nationally, there is an urgent need to prepare teachers who are able to support students of color to be successful in, and develop identities in, STEM. Project activities, including recruiting STEM students, developing cultural competence, and developing a shared community of practice among pre-service and in-service STEM teachers are designed to support the persistence of STEM teachers in classrooms in high-need school districts. In addition to the integration of cultural competence in the teacher preparation program of STEM majors, a summer institute engaging both pre-service and in-service STEM teachers aims to grow the knowledge, skills, and perspective needed to utilize culturally relevant pedagogy, which includes academic excellence and sociopolitical consciousness, in addition to culturally responsive teaching. Collectively project activities are designed to support the development of an identity as a culturally competent STEM teacher. In addition, outcomes of this project include guidance for STEM teacher educators on how best to develop and support STEM teachers equipped with strategies and approaches to provide learners with experiences in success in mathematics and science, and who will persist as teachers in high-need school districts. This project at the University of Nevada Las Vegas includes partnerships with the Clark County School District and local businesses. Over the five-year project, 24 undergraduate students in STEM fields will receive scholarships to complete bachelor’s degrees in a STEM discipline and be prepared as new science and mathematics teachers through a dual major or minor in education, leading to teaching certification. Local businesses will provide support for program activities such as workshops as well as financial support as Scholars begin their teaching careers. This project will contribute to research on how STEM teachers develop culturally competent identities, with practical results broadly applicable to STEM teacher educators nationally. 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.