Idaho Making Progress Against Critical Teacher Shortages

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This project aims to serve the national need for preparing and retaining highly qualified secondary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers, particularly in rural areas. Centered in southeastern Idaho, this project will assess student perceptions and perceived barriers to STEM education careers. The project will also work to develop a research-based, efficient, and affordable pathway for potential STEM educators to become and continue as effective K-12 teachers in high-need schools. Roughly 25% of Idaho’s revenue comes from science and technology. Investing in STEM education and building a local workforce has clear economic implications for the state. Through the use of data, the team will develop more effective approaches to STEM teaching and improve recruitment and retention of STEM education students with the ultimate goal of improving STEM instruction in schools throughout the region.This project at Idaho State University (ISU) includes partnerships with the College of Southern Idaho, as well as Pocatello, American Falls, and Shoshone-Bannock School Districts. Project goals include determining local school district needs in recruiting, retaining, and supporting secondary STEM teachers through data collection and analysis, focusing on underserved rural populations including Hispanic and Native American populations. This information will shed light on possible causes of and influences on the STEM educator shortage. Results from this project will lay the foundation for a Track 1: Scholarships and Stipends proposal that will streamline and modernize ISU STEM education programs and positively impact the quantity of available high-quality STEM educators in Idaho and the region. Southeastern Idaho and the Intermountain West regions are unique in diversity and geography but the lessons learned from this project could be extrapolated to other rural areas, including those with higher Native American and Hispanic populations and those impacted by elevated poverty. This Capacity Building 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.