Cultivating Exemplary STEM Teachers for High-Need Rural School Districts

该项目旨在满足全国培养高素质数学、化学和生物教师的需求，这些教师主要在农村高需求学区任教。在全国范围内，STEM教学职位往往很难招到和保留，尤其是在高需求的农村学校。该项目将通过向获得数学、化学或生物学士学位，同时完成中等教育辅修课程和教师执照课程的STEM学生颁发奖学金来满足这一需求。这些STEM学生还将在高需求学校完成学生教学实习，并在毕业后在高需求学区任教至少四年。该项目将提供短期和长期实地经验、一对一和小组指导和辅导以及创新的新教师支持的独特组合。该项目有可能有助于了解如何为农村高需求学区的教师提供培训和支持。反过来，该项目旨在增加准备在高需求学校任教的STEM毕业生的数量，并解决堪萨斯州和密苏里州以及整个美国的STEM教师短缺问题。圣玛丽大学（USM）的这个项目包括与唐纳利学院，一个为期两年的西班牙裔服务机构，以及莱文沃思，兰辛和汤加诺西的当地教育机构（LEAs）的合作伙伴关系。项目目标是：(1)招募、保留和培养18名高素质的STEM中学教学候选人；(2)增加高需求合作学校职前临床培训的机会；(3)提高STEM教师校友在高需求学校的保留率。该项目的理论基础是，在三位导师（教师、在职教师和地区指定教师）的支持下，加上总共130小时的实地经验，完成该计划的人更有可能成为高效的教师，并留在高需求的LEAs岗位上。该项目将有助于建立知识库，了解指导和在职时间如何有助于在这些高需求的LEAs中安置和留住STEM教师。该项目将使用混合方法进行评估，包括过程（形成性）和结果（总结性）组件。领导小组将与外部评价人员合作，通过与合作伙伴和组织的会议以及向学术期刊和会议提交报告，在地方、区域和全国传播结果。本项目由Robert Noyce教师奖学金项目（Noyce）资助。Noyce计划支持有才华的STEM本科专业和专业人士成为有效的K-12 STEM教师，并支持经验丰富的模范K-12教师成为高需求学区的STEM大师教师。它还支持对高需求学区K-12 STEM教师的有效性和留任率的研究。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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 need of preparing high-quality mathematics, chemistry, and biology teachers to teach in predominantly rural high-need school districts. Nationally, STEM teaching positions are often hard to staff and retain, particularly in high-need, rural schools. This project will address this need by awarding scholarships to STEM students who will earn a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, chemistry, or biology while completing a secondary education minor and teacher licensure program. These STEM students will also complete their student teaching practicums in high-need schools and teach in high-need school districts for a minimum of four years after graduation. The project will provide a unique blend of short- and long-term field experiences, one-on-one and group mentoring and tutoring, and innovative new-teacher support. The project has potential to contribute to knowledge on how to prepare and support teachers in predominantly rural high-need school districts. In turn, the project aims to increase the number of STEM graduates prepared to teach in high-need schools and address the STEM teacher shortage in Kansas and Missouri, and across the United States.This project at the University of Saint Mary (USM) includes partnerships with Donnelly College, a two-year Hispanic Serving Institution, and the local education agencies (LEAs) of Leavenworth, Lansing, and Tonganoxie. Project goals are to: (1) recruit, retain, and graduate eighteen highly qualified STEM secondary teaching candidates; (2) increase opportunities for preservice clinical training in high-need partner schools; and (3) increase the retention rate of STEM teacher alumni in high-need schools. The project is based on the theoretical basis that with the support of three mentors (faculty, in-service teachers, and district-appointed) along with a total of 130 hours of field experience, the completers of the program will be more likely to become highly effective teachers who are retained in their positions in high-need LEAs. The project will contribute to the knowledge base regarding how the mentorship and in-service hours contribute to placing and retaining STEM teachers in these high-need LEAs. The project will be evaluated using a mixed-methods approach that includes process (formative) and outcome (summative) components. In collaboration with an external evaluator, the leadership team will disseminate results locally, regionally, and nationally through meetings with partners and organizations and submissions to scholarly journals and conferences. 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.