Collaborative Research: Retention, Persistence, and Effectiveness of STEM Teachers in High-need School Districts-An Investigation of the NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship

本项目旨在研究如何为高需求的学区建设可靠的高质量的STEM教师供应。这项工作将有助于国家需要培养一支强大和多样化的STEM劳动力队伍。该项目将分析诺伊斯教师奖学金计划提供的奖学金是否以及如何帮助缓解STEM教师短缺。该项目还寻求就如何在当地学区和高等教育机构之间建立伙伴关系提供见解。合作机构位于两个人口稠密的州，共同服务于农村和城市学区，涵盖多个STEM学科。这项研究有可能提高人们对STEM教师在高需求环境下面临的挑战的认识，并提出应对这些挑战的政策解决方案。此外，该项目将有助于了解诺伊斯项目对STEM教师队伍的影响。该项目涉及三个核心研究机构(德克萨斯州立大学、佛罗里达大西洋大学和布鲁金斯学会)和四个与诺伊斯项目合作的机构(德克萨斯州立大学、德克萨斯大学阿灵顿分校、西佛罗里达大学和佛罗里达国际大学)。该项目将挖掘地方和国家数据库，以揭示Noyce项目对所服务学区STEM教师供应的影响。该项目旨在提高人们对高需求环境下STEM教师面临的具体挑战的认识，生成基于证据的政策解决方案，并促进更好地了解Noyce项目如何影响STEM教师队伍。项目研究问题包括：(1)高需求学区的STEM教师的特征是什么？这些特征随着时间的推移有何变化？(2)哪些因素与高需求学区的STEM教师保留率和持久性有关？(3)哪些类型的学区或学校的计划或政策与更强有力的STEM劳动力措施有关？(4)接近Noyce计划对高需求学区的STEM教师队伍的估计影响是什么？(5)Noyce毕业生比例较高的高需求学区是否在学生方面表现更好与诺伊斯毕业生较少的其他高需求学区相比，STEM教师候选人的结果或经历基于种族或贫困的差距较小？(6)STEM教师候选库的人口结构和资历是什么？他们在培训过程中发生了怎样的变化？(7)不同项目通过其项目获得候选人的成功程度是否不同？(8)当地高需求学区如何看待来自诺伊斯学院的教师？研究小组将使用次要数据和收集原始数据来检查这些问题。次要数据将包括由国家教育统计中心管理的关于教师、学校、学区和校长的几项具有全国代表性的调查。新的主要数据将通过与诺伊斯项目合作的机构的采访和校友调查的管理来产生。研究小组还将与合作的诺伊斯机构合作，提取和分析有关教师候选人选择和入学的计划数据。这个Track 4：Noyce研究项目是由Robert Noyce教师奖学金计划(Noyce)支持的。Noyce计划支持有才华的STEM本科专业和专业人员成为有效的K-12 STEM教师，并支持经验丰富、模范的K-12 STEM教师成为高需求学区的STEM硕士教师。它还支持对高需求学区K-12 STEM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。

This project aims to investigate how to build a reliable high-quality supply of STEM teachers for high-need school districts. This work will contribute to the national need for educating a robust and diverse STEM workforce. The project will analyze whether and, if so, how scholarships provided by the Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program help to alleviate STEM teacher shortages. The project seeks also to provide insights about how to create partnerships between local school districts and higher education institutions. The collaborating institutions are in two populous states, and together serve both rural and urban school districts and cover multiple STEM disciplines. This research has the potential to raise awareness of challenges STEM teachers face in high-need settings and to suggest policy solutions to address these challenges. In addition, the project will contribute to understanding the influence of the Noyce program on the STEM teacher workforce.This project involves three core research institutions (Texas State University, Florida Atlantic University, and The Brookings Institution) and four collaborating institutions with Noyce programs (Texas State University, University of Texas at Arlington, University of West Florida, and Florida International University). The project will mine local and national databases for patterns that uncover the impact of Noyce projects on the supply of STEM teachers in the school districts they serve. The project seeks to raise awareness of challenges specific to STEM teachers in high-need settings, generate evidence-based policy solutions, and promote a better understanding of how Noyce projects influence the STEM teacher workforce. Project research questions include: (1) What are the characteristics of STEM teachers in high-need school districts and how have these characteristics changed over time? (2) What factors are associated with STEM teacher retention and persistence in high-need school districts? (3) What types of district or school programs or policies are associated with stronger STEM workforce measures? (4) What is the estimated impact of proximity to the Noyce program on the STEM teacher workforce in high-need school districts? (5) Do high-need school districts with higher proportions of Noyce graduates perform better on student outcomes or experience smaller race- or poverty-based gaps than other high-need school districts with fewer Noyce graduates? (6) What are the demographics and qualifications of the STEM teacher candidate pool, and how do they change during the training process? (7) Do different programs have varying levels of success getting candidates through their programs? (8) How do local high-need school districts perceive teachers coming from Noyce institutions? The research team will use secondary data and collect primary data to examine these questions. Secondary data will include several nationally representative surveys on teachers, schools, school districts, and principals administered by the National Center on Education Statistics. New primary data will be generated through interviews at collaborating institutions with Noyce programs and through the administration of an alumni survey. The research team will also work with collaborating Noyce institutions to extract and analyze program data on the selection and matriculation of teacher candidates. This Track 4: Noyce Research project is supported through the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce). 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.