Kenan Master Teaching Fellows: Linking Research Experiences and Curriculum Development with Leadership

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009(Public Law 111-5).The Kenan Fellows Program for Curriculum and Leadership Development, housed at the Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology, & Science on the North Carolina State University (NC State) campus, is partnering with school districts in 11 counties, the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Fayetteville Technical Community College, and community leaders in North Carolina's Base Realignment and Closure/Regional Task Force (BRAC/RTF) region to improve K-12 STEM education in these counties' high-need schools. Additional support is provided by the non-profit partner, the Kenan Fund for Engineering, Technology, and Science. Representing a region that surrounds Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base, BRAC/RTF was established to unify and serve 11 counties, 73 municipalities, eight community colleges, and six state and private universities, and to help identify and advocate for their needs in partnership with the military, corporate and non-profit interests, and federal and state agencies. Eighteen in-service Kenan Master Teaching Fellows (KMTF) from high-need schools in the BRAC/RTF region are completing two-year fellowships and then continuing for three years in formal Alumni activities as Master Teachers in their districts. KMTFs receive $10,000 in annual salary supplements for each of the five years they participate in the program, as well as a range of other support including intensive professional development during the first two years to ensure a rich fellowship experience. KMTFs are recruited and selected from a diverse pool of the BRAC/RTF region's most outstanding STEM teachers, who already hold master's degrees and have demonstrated excellence in teaching prior to recruitment. This elite cohort of teachers is learning about the practices and skills that characterize the innovative, high-tech labs and industries moving into the area. KMTFs work with industry or academic mentors in a particular cutting-edge research area, to learn more about important new developments and to gain an understanding of the significance of current research and scientific practice for students entering the work force and higher education. Each KMTF/ Mentor pair works to translate STEM research experiences into engaging lessons for use in North Carolina's classrooms. Fellows are creating innovative curriculum resources aligned with the NC Standard Course of Study. In Summer Institutes for Professional Development, KMTFs build advanced skills to become more effective teacher-leaders and change agents in their schools and districts. The Master Teachers are engaged in a range of leadership activities in their home districts and are involved in preservice education at the partnering institutions.