Secondary STEM Teacher Education Scholarship Program

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The project aims to serve the national need of supporting the preparation of high-quality science and mathematics teachers by recruiting a diverse population of teacher candidates, providing a high-quality teacher preparation program, and ensuring that graduates are supported in their initial years of teaching. It addresses the shortage of qualified STEM teachers in New Jersey, where 42% of school districts have at least one school that qualifies as high-need. The project will provide two-year scholarships to undergraduate students and one-year stipends to graduate students to support them through the teacher certification and induction programs. These students will be supported through coursework, advisement, mentorship, and internships with teachers in partner districts. The project will investigate and address the particular needs of transfer students. Project outcomes have the potential to offer a model for community college-university partnerships to improve STEM teacher education programs. This project at Montclair State University involves partnerships with Bergen Community College and several high-need districts including Kearny, Hackensack, and Passaic School Districts. Project goals include the recruitment, preparation, and support of 30 Scholars over five years. Scholarships will be awarded to Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Physics, Computer Science, and Mathematics majors in their junior and senior years and students in their second and final year of the Masters of Arts STEM teacher certification program. The project will incorporate best practices gleaned from STEM education research related to teacher knowledge, professional development, and inclusive teaching practices. Research on the project, involving surveys of Scholars at various stages of the program, will inform the continuing refinement of the model and will be disseminated through publications and presentations. 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 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.