The Noyce Connection: Building a Community of Science and Mathematics Teacher Educators

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This project addresses the nation's challenge to recruit and prepare highly qualified STEM teachers to serve school districts that have the greatest need. Community-building efforts are increasing access to the strategies and resources developed through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, enabling futher implementation of effective practices. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is providing resources and building a network to share and exchange ideas about effective STEM teacher education programs, practices, and strategies for attracting, preparing, and supporting science and mathematics teachers and retaining them in the teaching workforce in high need school districts. The project serves the awardees of the NSF Noyce program, which includes over 200 higher education institutions. In addition, through proposal preparation workshops/Webinars, the project reaches STEM faculty from another 100 institutions who might be interested in developing K-12 science and mathematics teacher education programs. This multi-faceted approach enables extensive dissemination of ideas and strategies within the greater STEM teacher education community, thus broadening the impact of Noyce program. The specific objectives include: 1) Co-sponsoring and implementing the 2014 NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship conference for faculty, administrators, student scholars, and STEM teachers who are supported through the Noyce program; 2) Developing and implementing Webinars that will facilitate information sharing about campus-based Noyce Program strategies and practices; 3) Developing an online resource locator to share papers, videos, tools, and documents developed by and of interest to the Noyce community; 4) Producing a short Voices from the Field video series featuring former Noyce Scholars or Fellows who are now teaching in high needs schools for teacher recruitment and public awareness purposes; 5) Co-sponsoring and implementing proposal preparation workshops and Webinars for prospective Noyce grantees; and 6) Developing and maintaining an NSF Noyce Program website that includes: conference information; an online project locator with information about the projects; and profiles of Noyce Scholars and Fellows. The project provides a conference, webinars, and online resources to help science, engineering, technology, and mathematics (STEM) faculty develop and/or strengthen science and mathematics K-12 teacher education programs and to form partnerships with high-need schools. The conference and resources focus on (a) recruiting and preparing STEM undergraduate majors and professionals for teaching careers in elementary and secondary public schools; and (b) building effective partnerships with public schools, particularly with high need schools.