Increasing the Number and Quality of Secondary Mathematics Teachers in Nebraska

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With support from the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce), this Track 1: Scholarships and Stipends project aims to serve the local and national need for highly-skilled secondary mathematics teachers who are committed to teaching in high-needs school districts. The project will expand upon the existing Omaha Noyce Partnership that includes the University of Nebraska Omaha, Omaha's Metropolitan Community College, and the Omaha Public Schools. It will provide scholarship support for 24 students to earn a BS in mathematics and become certified secondary mathematics teachers. These Scholars will be selected from students already enrolled in the University's Bachelor of Science in Mathematics program or students who transfer into the University from the pre-math track in Metropolitan Community College. To facilitate transfer of students from Metropolitan Community College to the University program, an articulation agreement was developed via close collaboration among project partners. All students selected as Noyce Scholars will be enrolled in the University's BS in Mathematics specialization, which enables students to earn both a mathematics degree and secondary teacher certification while in the College of Arts and Sciences. The project will provide focused training to prepare students for teaching careers in high need schools, including instruction in inquiry-based learning and other culturally responsive pedagogies.The Omaha Noyce Partnership aims to inform and advance ongoing collaborative research initiatives related to the project's structured student mentorship and support model, as well as its use of inquiry-based mathematics teaching strategies. A major area of investigation is understanding how active-learning strategies, such as inquiry-based learning, affect the recruitment and success of pre-service secondary mathematics teachers. In addition, the project aims to explore how interdisciplinary and well-focused community outreach and engagement activities affect students' social capital and STEM identity. Finally, the project will examine how a formal partnership between a four-year metropolitan university and a public community college affects the recruitment pipeline for future secondary mathematics teachers and mathematicians. An interesting aspect of this project will be the inclusion of instructional coaching, a form of professional development that enables pre-service and in-service teachers to improve their practice based on classroom activity. The project will also include innovative Math Teacher's Circles and Cool Math Talks, which are expected to promote a sense of community among students, mathematics faculty members, and mathematics education faculty members. These talks will focus on problem solving with significant, but accessible, mathematics content. In addition to enhancing the quality, quantity, and diversity of certified mathematics teachers in the Omaha area, the Omaha Noyce Partnership aims to further strengthen collaborative relationships among the partner institutions, thereby strengthening the foundation for sustainable efforts to educate culturally responsive mathematics teachers who are prepared to succeed in high-need schools. The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers and experienced, exemplary K-12 STEM teachers to become STEM master teachers in high-need school districts. It also supports research on the persistence, retention, and effectiveness of K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts.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.