Capacity Building to Address Critical STEM Teacher Shortages in West Central Florida - Enhancing Teacher Preparedness and Certification in Biology and Math

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This Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program Capacity Building project at Saint Leo University seeks to address a critical STEM teacher shortage in the state of Florida. Working with the local Pasco and Hillsborough County School Districts and nearby state colleges, the project team intends to develop programs to 1) increase the number of students enrolling in the university's biology/mathematics major and education minor academic programs; 2) improve teacher preparedness via innovative courses that address specific STEM teaching strategies and classroom management experiences; and 3) assist with more timely and successful teacher certification. Project activities are designed to increase the number of certified STEM teachers graduating from Saint Leo and may improve teacher retention via enhanced preparation and support. The project intends to lay the foundation for a future Noyce Teacher Scholarships and Stipends (Track 1) proposal.The project team will use a four-pronged approach to meet their goals. First, they intend to develop new curricula, including two new courses aimed at students who wish to pursue biology or mathematics major and education minor. These new courses are intended to address specific challenges in teaching biology and mathematics, and one of the courses will expand the use of innovative software that uses avatars to model student learning and to simulate classroom disruption. In addition, the project plans to develop new course modules that are expected to help students prepare for the comprehensive Florida Department of Education teacher certification exams, and a program to completely cover exam fees will be piloted. Second, the project team expects to develop new articulation agreements with local two-year state colleges so that STEM students can more easily transfer from these colleges to Saint Leo and complete the STEM major/education minor. Third, the project team intends to collect data from current and prospective students, guidance counselors, and staff within local high-needs high schools. These data are expected to influence recruitment by informing the improvement of program marketing, teacher preparation and support, and expanding the university's network of constituencies. Finally, the project seeks to strengthen existing partnerships and build new ones with local high-need schools within Pasco and Hillsborough Counties to meet their specific needs for STEM teachers.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.