Transforming Effective Educators of Mathematics and Science in Southeast Virginia

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The project aims to serve the national need of developing highly effective mathematics and science teachers. Educating and supporting prospective teachers and improving their retention in the secondary STEM education workforce are central foci of the project. Participating prospective teachers will engage in a range of activities for preparation as effective educators. Project activities will include STEM internships, field work in high-need school districts with diverse student populations, interview and job placement assistance, content area support, preparation for teaching and content area exams, and purposeful advising and mentoring from education and STEM faculty. The project’s induction program will provide online modules, a summer workshop, and observation and coaching from master teachers. These activities have potential to address teacher turnover in high-need public schools through inclusion of targeted supports focused on classroom management, culturally responsive teaching strategies, and state content standards. Project outcomes will respond to the critical need for well-qualified STEM secondary educators in southeast Virginia and nationwide.This project at Virginia Wesleyan University (VWU) is in partnership with the Portsmouth Public Schools (PPS). Project goals include (1) recruiting and graduating fifteen secondary STEM educators with teaching licensure in mathematics, chemistry, biology, or earth science; (2) increasing the diversity of VWU’s STEM and education graduates; and (3) providing prospective teachers with needed preparation in cultural competence and culturally responsive pedagogies. Participating prospective educators will receive up to three years of scholarship support, two years as an undergraduate while the STEM baccalaureate degree is completed and a third year of support at the graduate level during completion of secondary teacher certification. The project will measure the efficacy and impact of recruitment activities, internships at PPS, and the VWU KEEP Program, a 3-year induction program designed to reduce teacher turnover, as well as other project components. Recruitment activities are designed to educate students at PPS, local community colleges, and VWU about the benefits of STEM teaching and the opportunities available. Results from the project will be disseminated locally and to STEM education communities. 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 effectiveness and retention 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.