Linking Theory to Practice: Developing a School-University Partnership to Supply STEM Teachers in High-Need School Districts

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With funding from the NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, a team at Albany State University (ASU, listed among Historically Black Colleges and Universities) partnering with the Dougherty County School System (a high-need local educational agency, LEA), will use capacity-building funds to develop a strong infrastructure to establish pipelines for STEM teachers in southwest Georgia. This project will work to address an increasing need for highly-qualified STEM teachers in this rural region. Toward meeting this need, the project team will: conduct needs assessments across the region to determine priorities; strengthen partnerships between ASU and regional LEAs; design alternative curriculum pathways for teacher certification; and develop a systematic pipeline to recruit future STEM teachers. The project will develop a model that can be adapted for other rural contexts, while reflecting the needs of the local and regional business, industry, and education communities of southwest Georgia.ASU and project partners will develop a long-term plan for increasing the number of STEM teachers prepared to teach in high-need school districts. In collaboration with the partners, the project team will conduct needs assessments for the region, identifying common needs and goals with the systems, parents, and community partners. The project team will develop streamlined curricular pathways that emphasize culturally responsive teaching. Evaluation questions include, (1) What are barriers to becoming a STEM educator in Southwest Georgia? (2) What are the specific STEM shortage areas in high-needs schools? (3) What specific strategies can be implemented to produce increased numbers of qualified STEM teachers who are willing to teach in high-need schools? Thus, this Noyce Capacity Building project will support the partners in developing evidence-based innovative models and strategies for recruiting, preparing, and supporting teachers and will establish the infrastructure for implementing a future Noyce scholarship project.