Meeting the Demand for Secondary STEM Teachers in Rural and Urban High-need School Districts in Kansas and Missouri

该项目旨在服务于国家利益，扩大STEM劳动力队伍并使之多样化，包括中学STEM教师。为此，该项目将招聘和支持24名STEM本科生成为生物、化学或数学的认证中学教师。该项目的目标将通过以下方式实现：(1)创新的导师计划，将候选教师与活跃的教师和同行导师配对；(2)一系列在线模块，侧重于培养基本的专业技能，更多地了解包容性教学，并解决STEM教育中的当前问题；(3)在学期之间提供在线课程；以及(4)旨在支持教师毕业生在最初几年教学的入职支持。该项目旨在提供关于培养STEM教师的最佳做法的新知识，并填补影响农村和城市课堂留住STEM教师的因素的文献空白。为了分析这些差异，项目负责人将制定一项严格而充满活力的STEM教育计划，重点是培训实习教师，使其在不同的课堂环境中取得成功。此外，项目负责人将合作设计教师调查，重点是：教育学、课堂资源和课堂管理；以实验室为基础的教学和STEM课堂特有的支持的可用性；以及教学环境，包括家长和社区支持。贝克大学的这一项目包括与美景联合校区#4和托皮卡公立学校的合作伙伴关系。该项目的目标是：(1)招聘、保留和毕业24个本科STEM专业的学生，在五年内寻求生物、化学和数学方面的教师资格；(2)为急需培训的学区的STEM教师候选人提供实地经验；(3)在STEM教师候选人安置后提供教师入职支持；(4)通过丰富机会、专业发展和在职教师指导，提高STEM教师候选人的课堂准备意识；以及(5)增加对农村和城市学区STEM教师流失的不同原因的了解。更具体地说，该项目将探索STEM教师面临的挑战是否在农村和城市学区之间不同，以及与教师认证计划相关的持续专业发展是否可能解决其中一些挑战。项目成果和评价将产生可在类似机构复制的成功方案要素的证据。这个Track 1：奖学金和津贴项目由罗伯特·诺伊斯教师奖学金计划(Noyce)提供支持。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 serve the national interest of growing and diversifying the STEM workforce, including secondary STEM teachers. To do so, the project will recruit and support 24 STEM undergraduates to become certified secondary teachers of biology, chemistry, or mathematics. The project’s objectives will be achieved through: (1) an innovative mentorship program pairing teacher candidates with active teachers and peer mentors; (2) a series of online modules focused on developing essential professional skills, learning more about inclusive pedagogies, and addressing current issues in STEM education; (3) online courses offered between academic terms; and (4) induction supports designed to sustain teacher graduates in their first years of teaching. The project intends to contribute new knowledge about best practices for preparing STEM teachers and fill a gap in the literature about elements affecting retention of STEM teachers in rural and urban classrooms. To analyze these differences, project leaders will develop a rigorous and dynamic STEM education program focused on training student teachers to succeed in diverse classroom settings. Additionally, project leaders will collaborate to design teacher surveys focused on: pedagogy, classroom resources, and classroom management; lab-based teaching and the availability of supports unique to STEM classrooms; and the teaching environment, including parent and community support. This project at Baker University includes partnerships with Grandview Consolidated School District #4 and Topeka Public Schools. The project objectives are to: (1) recruit, retain, and graduate 24 undergraduate STEM majors seeking teacher licensure in biology, chemistry, and mathematics over the five-year period; (2) provide field experiences for STEM teacher candidates in high-need school districts; (3) provide teacher induction support after placement of the STEM teacher candidates; (4) improve STEM teacher candidates’ sense of preparedness for the classroom through enrichment opportunities, professional development, and mentorship with in-service teachers; and (5) increase knowledge about the different causes of STEM teacher attrition in rural and urban school districts. More specifically, the project will explore if challenges faced by STEM teachers differ between rural and urban school districts and whether ongoing professional development connected with a teacher certification program might address some of these challenges. Project outcomes and evaluation will generate evidence about successful programmatic elements that may be replicated at similar institutions. This Track 1: Scholarships and Stipends 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 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.