South Jersey STEM Education Scholars: Recruiting and Supporting STEM Teachers from Underrepresented Populations

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With funding from the NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, a team at Rowan University, partnering with Glassboro Public Schools, Millville Public Schools, and Vineland Public Schools, will recruit and prepare science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors as post-baccalaureate Noyce Scholars for careers in teaching secondary mathematics or science. The project will address the urgent need for a qualified, diverse pool of mathematics and science teachers in South Jersey and the broader region. Rowan University recently developed an innovative Master of Arts in STEM Education (MA in STEM Ed) teacher preparation program that focuses on research-based best practices for teacher candidates, and centers around a yearlong residency in a high-need school. The project will build on this momentum and Rowan's growing student population in mathematics and the natural sciences to catalyze a self-reinforcing cycle that will increase interest in STEM careers as well as the overall level of mathematics and science literacy throughout South Jersey. By the end of the five-year project, 25 Noyce Teachers will have begun their teaching careers in high-need local education agencies in South Jersey and the broader region.The intellectual merit of this project rests in its recruitment and support of teacher candidates from underrepresented groups, and studying the experiences of these candidates. In particular, the project will gain insight into: 1) factors that support and impede entry into and retention in STEM teaching for these populations, and 2) factors that contribute to their effectiveness in the classroom. The project will increase the diversity of the STEM teacher workforce to more closely match that of their students by: 1) recruiting highly qualified candidates into the MA in STEM Ed program by providing Noyce Internships to undergraduate STEM majors and awarding Noyce Scholarships to students enrolled in the program; 2) supporting Noyce Scholars during their clinical field experience via targeted advising and competitive grants for unexpected expenses; 3) creating a coherent support structure by providing professional development to cooperating teachers and clinical supervisors working with Noyce Scholars; 4) supporting recent graduates as Noyce Teachers during their first two years of teaching by providing professional development, and mentorship from veteran teachers; 5) building a local community of educators that will persist beyond the period of the project; and 6) evaluating, disseminating, and sustaining the best recruitment and retention practices.