New Pathways for STEM Teacher Education to Better Serve Minnesota's Diverse Student Populations

University Of St. Thomas, Saint Paul MN

Investigators

Abstract

The project aims to serve the national need for more STEM teachers prepared to serve in high-need schools, particularly STEM teachers of color. Studies have shown, students of color have lower dropout rates and higher standardized test scores when taught by a teacher of the same race and ethnicity. In STEM classrooms, STEM teachers of color are essential for underrepresented youth to develop STEM identities and broaden participation across the STEM workforce. There is also a growing need to prepare teachers to work with students who have experienced trauma, an urgent issue in high-need districts that can contribute to teacher attrition. The project will recruit from the Dougherty Family College (DFC), a two-year college helping underserved and underrepresented students transition to a four-year institution. It will provide intensive mentoring, academic and social-emotional support, study abroad projects and STEM research opportunities, and trauma-informed pedagogy training. Continued mentoring, trauma-informed education training, a Dinner and Discussion series and social networking will support scholars during their induction years. The project is anticipated to increase the number and diversity of STEM teachers prepared to serve and persist in high need schools. This project at the University of St. Thomas includes partnerships with the DFC and the high-need South St. Paul School District. Project goals include: 1) recruit and support at least 13 undergraduate scholars over five years from the diverse DFC population pursuing a biology, mathematics, or physics degree; 2) retain and graduate at least 90% of the undergraduate scholars; 3) prepare scholars to work in high-need districts; and 4) provide mentors/advisors at St. Thomas with training in trauma-informed pedagogy to increase scholars’ knowledge and its usage within their classrooms. The trauma-informed theoretical framework will provide a broad, positive impact for scholars, faculty, and staff at St. Thomas and DFC, as well as teachers in the South St. Paul School District, by helping them recognize trauma among students and trauma they may have experienced themselves. Rigorous external evaluation is anticipated to generate new knowledge on the impact of trauma-informed pedagogies and other project components on the recruitment, retention, and graduation of diverse students pursuing STEM teaching certification and serving in high-need schools. The project team will disseminate findings via regional and national conferences, journal articles, social media, and a project website. This Track 1: Scholarships and Stipends project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Project (Noyce). The Noyce project 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.