Preparing Committed and Culturally Competent STEM Teachers in South Central Texas

在NSF Robert Noyce教师奖学金计划的支持下，德克萨斯路德大学的这一Track 1：奖学金和津贴项目旨在服务于为高需求学区培养高质量STEM K-12教师的国家需求。该项目有可能促进科学和教育教师之间的合作，解决德克萨斯州STEM领域教师严重短缺的问题。通过与地区高需求学区的合作，该项目将招募生物、化学、数学和物理专业的学生从事高中教学工作。该项目将为至少20名新教师提供奖学金、指导和专门培训，以帮助他们过渡到课堂并在课堂上取得成功。本科生获得者将获得长达两年的奖学金支持，以完成所选学科的理学学士学位，同时还将完成要求，为他们在毕业后成功获得教学认证做好准备。该项目专注于对教学的热情、文化意识以及现代科学和数学实践的交集。因此，该项目将采用培训教师的最佳做法技术，以确定文化障碍，认识和解决相关问题，并促进纳入STEM领域的广泛参与。强调以研究型教学为基础的文化响应教学将是该计划的标志。诺伊斯学者将参加旨在拓宽文化视角、培养对教师职业的热情和承诺的课外充实活动。该项目的一个关键组成部分是通过与德克萨斯路德大学STEM和教育系的持续虚拟和面对面联系，为项目毕业生提供支持和参与。在职教师将参加大学的专业发展讲习班，并在四个合作的高需求区域学区之一得到经验丰富的导师的支持。这项工作旨在增加对小型文理学院环境的理解，结合密切的师生指导、激情和职业的培养以及STEM内容领域的严格准备，可以影响STEM教师的招聘、激励和坚持不懈。Noyce计划支持有才华的STEM本科专业和专业人员成为高需求学区的有效K-12 STEM教师，支持经验丰富和模范的K-12 STEM教师成为STEM硕士教师。它还支持对高需求学区K-12教师的持久性、保留率和有效性的研究。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

With support from the NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, this Track 1: Scholarships & Stipends project at Texas Lutheran University aims to serve the national need of preparing high-quality STEM K-12 teachers for high-need school districts. The project has the potential to advance collaboration between science and education faculty in addressing the critical shortage of teachers in STEM fields in Texas. Through partnerships with regional high-need school districts, the project will recruit biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics majors for high school teaching careers. The project will support at least twenty new teachers with scholarships, mentoring, and specialized training for their transition to and success in the classroom. Undergraduate recipients will receive up to two years of scholarship support to complete the Bachelor of Science degree in their selected discipline, while also completing requirements that prepare them to successfully obtain teaching certification upon graduation. The project focuses on the intersection of passion for teaching, cultural awareness, and modern science and mathematics practices. As such, the project will implement best-practice techniques for training teachers to identify cultural barriers, recognize and address related issues, and promote inclusion for broad participation in STEM fields. The emphasis on culturally responsive teaching using research-based pedagogies will be the hallmark of the program. Noyce Scholars will participate in extracurricular enrichment activities designed to broaden cultural perspectives and foster passion for and commitment to teaching as a career. A key component of the project is the support and engagement of program graduates through continued virtual and in-person connections with STEM and Education faculty at Texas Lutheran University. In-service teachers will participate in professional development workshops at the University and be supported by experienced mentors at one of the four partnering high-need regional school districts. This work aims to increase understanding of how the small liberal arts college setting, combined with close faculty-student mentoring, nurturing of passion and vocation, and rigorous preparation in STEM content areas, can affect the recruitment, motivation, and persistence of STEM teachers. The Noyce program supports talented STEM undergraduate majors and professionals to become effective K-12 STEM teachers in high-need school districts and experienced and exemplary K-12 STEM teachers to become STEM master teachers. It also supports research on the persistence, retention, and effectiveness of K-12 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.