A Collaborative Approach to Recruiting, Preparing, and Retaining STEM Teachers from Community College to University and Beyond

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This project aims to serve the national need of preparing diverse, highly effective, culturally responsive secondary science and math teachers for high-need school districts. To do so, the project will recruit diverse teacher candidates by leveraging an existing partnership with Gateway Community College and by using resources of several Southern Connecticut State University offices, centers, and departmental initiatives. As a result of this project, at least 30 undergraduates will become certified teachers in high-demand STEM areas, including chemistry, physics, and mathematics. Teacher candidates will receive scholarship support in their junior and senior years and will earn a baccalaureate degree in a STEM discipline, as well as certification to teach at the secondary level. The project activities and supports will help these Noyce Scholars learn to use an integrated system of academic and social interventions to increase their students’ STEM learning. The project will assist in retaining these new teachers via existing relationships with K-12 school districts and through peer and faculty support. Results of the project will inform national models for improving STEM teacher recruitment, preparation, and retention. As a result, the project will help to meet the vital need of serving the nation’s increasingly diverse student population as a whole and traditionally underserved students in particular.This project at Southern Connecticut State University includes partnerships with Gateway Community College, three local high-need public school districts (New Haven, Hamden, and Meriden Public Schools), and one regional education service center (Cooperative Educational Services). Project goals include: developing transfer and dual-admission pathways that will increase recruitment of a more diverse pool of undergraduate STEM education majors into teaching; addressing the STEM teacher workforce needs of the state through a synergistic web of support to rigorously prepare highly effective STEM teachers, and by utilizing a unique university-district induction partnership to support and retain new teachers in high teacher turnover schools; and establishing the scalability of each of these innovative recruitment, preparation, and retention initiatives for other two- and four-year institutions and high-need districts both statewide and nationally. Strategic program activities include collaborative STEM and education faculty mentorship and advising, peer and alumni mentoring, and extensive practical experiences in both STEM and education fields. Induction activities include leveraging the pre-existing statewide training program and increasing the number of mentor teachers prepared through this program. Project outcomes will include the generation of models for the effective recruitment, preparation, and retention of more diverse STEM teachers in high-need districts, and the contribution of knowledge to the field of STEM teacher education. 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.