Building Opportunities for Nurturing Aspiring STEM Teachers

Saint Bonaventure University, Saint Bonaventure NY

Investigators

Abstract

The project aims to serve the national need for diverse, qualified middle and high school STEM teachers in rural, high-need schools. Rural schools in southwestern New York State are typically under-resourced and understaffed; most serve low-income student populations, and many underperform in assessments of student learning. Further, recruiting and retaining STEM teachers is a persistent challenge in rural schools. Federal funding will enable the university to build upon its strong record of preparing graduates for secondary STEM teaching by focusing on high-need schools. Selected high-achieving STEM students will receive scholarships, co-curricular support, and mentorship from current teachers in rural high-need K-12 schools. The project aims to produce 18 new STEM teachers who will teach in high-need schools over the five-year grant period. This project at St. Bonaventure University (SBU) includes partnerships with a local community college and five educational agencies. The project goal is to provide rural school districts in the southwestern region of New York with diverse, highly qualified STEM teachers by recruiting more STEM majors to careers in secondary STEM education and to reduce attrition by maximizing the career satisfaction and effectiveness of these new STEM teachers. SBU proposes the following objectives over the five-year grant period to achieve this goal: (1) Recruit and select 18 community college and SBU students majoring in biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and computer science who are interested in secondary education; (2) Retain at least 90% of selected scholars through completion of the STEM degree and secondary teaching certification; (3) Prepare scholars to teach in high-need schools through curricular and co-curricular activities that emphasize place-based learning, cultural competency and hands-on research experience; and (4) Place 100% of project graduates in high-need schools and track and support their persistence for at least four years of teaching through structured mentorship programs. Intellectual merit will include generating knowledge related to the impacts of curricular innovations and co-curricular activities. An independent evaluator will assess the following evaluation questions: (1) To what extent have the project's aims and intended outcomes been accomplished?; (2) What project elements most impact scholar retention as a new teacher in a high-need school?; and (3) What was the impact of the project in placing and retaining graduates in high-need schools? Findings from these assessments will be disseminated through academic and professional networks, including a project website, professional conferences, and publications. Broader impacts include having new STEM expertise in rural schools and the ability to prepare students with high potential from diverse backgrounds to pursue STEM teaching in rural New York. 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.