Science Teachers in Arizona - Recruitment and Retention (STARR)

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In the Phoenix metropolitan area, high-need schools often experience on-going vacancies in the teaching staff and a high turnover rate of qualified teachers. This project attempts to identify and support up to 60 qualified secondary science teachers who will persist in high-need environments. Using different methods of recruitment, in conjunction with a marketing plan, science students are being identified and recruited to participate in undergraduate or post-baccalaureate programs that have extensive field experiences with diverse students, strong content knowledge requirements, and on-going opportunities to build their understanding of science as inquiry instruction. While students are completing their initial certification course work, field placements are being arranged in high need settings that consist of students who are Native American, Latina/o, or African American. Upon graduation, STARR Noyce teachers participate in science-focused induction programs, which specifically support their use of science as inquiry in diverse classrooms, their development as science teachers, and their socialization into the school community.Ultimately, the dissemination of these findings is expected to direct future recruitment endeavors in this area.